<i>Some people act like &quot;classic&quot; things are inherently purer or even different than modern ones, but for example Shakespeare has vulgar jokes and was performed to earn money, just as modern entertainment has &quot;baser&quot; content and motivations. It doesn&#x27;t mean both can&#x27;t also teach us about timeless themes, the human condition, etc.</i><p>Eh, I doubt that even this snob needs to be told that - opera (which was instrumental in the development of the forms that define the classical repertoire) is replete with sex, violence and bawdy humor and the giants of the repertoire are very colorful characters.<p>My hunch is that his anxiety has more to do with the constant fear of &quot;the new&quot; in orchestra halls, where anything less than 100 years old is looked at suspiciously.<p>As a nerd for all kinds of musical genres, including &quot;classical&quot;, this kind of anxiety is evident just about everywhere in some shape or form - indie rock, metal, rap, country, etc, etc.  Every genre is constantly changing and crossbreeding, and everywhere there are purists trying to hold on to their image of the genre and performance scene when they fell in love with it.