Thread by @tedgioia

My Mexican uncle Ted—for whom I was named—came from a poor family & never went to college. He was a sailor and died in a plane crash in his 20s. He was passionate about classical music and found liberation & transcendence in this music. To deny him this is ignorance & prejudice.

Before he died, my uncle bought a piano, and left it with my parents—neither of them went to college too. I learned music on that instrument. He also left behind a copy of this book at his death, which I studied as a teen. Without these I could have never pursued my vocation.

At his death, my Mexican uncle Ted also owned hundreds of scores by Mozart, Haydn, etc.—he scrupulously saved money from his tiny salary as a sailor to buy them & they gave him great solace. The patronizing experts who object to this should say what music they'd allow him to hear

Here's the newspaper account of my Uncle Ted's death at age 28—he never had a chance to go to college or develop his talents. I was born 23 months later, and named after him. And learned music on his piano.

My uncle was self-taught, but corresponded with Alfred Einstein, the great classical music scholar. He wrote liner notes for an album for music by Haydn's brother Michael (they asked him because he had read original sources in German). He was fluent in several languages....

I know this doesn't fit with people's stereotypes of a working-class Mexican sailor, but maybe people need to change the stereotypes...and stop making assumptions about who is allowed to listen to what music. Music should break down boundaries, not create them.