Saddest O of the Week

[A440A]

Greetings, 
    Les,  I must admit that I was shocked by the negative vibes in your post;
to wit
<<The acoustic piano has been dying a slow, steady,
> agonizing death for a long time now. The process is irreversable. The >old,
great pianos were silenced long ago. Those that remain today will >inevitably
follow in their wake.>>

      Somehow this perspective doesn't explain why Selmer spent $100 million
for the Steinway company.  Why there are increasing numbers of manufacturers
now, ( even if several spring from the near/same sources).  
     It is also possibly a factor that China is just now joining the world
stage.  If there were to be one piano per thousand people in China, we would
need 4,000,000 pianos right now to do it with.  They are not going to be
satisfied with Pearl River forever................

     So, Les,  I am on opposite sides with you on the future of classical
music.    I forsee an increasing prosperity for Classical music.  The schools
are jammed, performances are constant and well attended, the classical station
in Nashville is a heavy player on the entertainment dial,  Symphony players
are enjoying making a living, etc.  
    I am sorry to hear such a pessimistic view,  I hope there will be some
things come up that will change it. 
Best regards, 
Ed Foote