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Places in San Francisco to loiter while listening to classical music

Of late I have been trying to keep track of storefronts that play classical music in San Francisco. They make for excellent locations for classical music lovers to loiter. So far I have found two, briefly videoed in this Youtube clip.

Obviously there’s much to lament in this practice. Andrew Mellor, writing for the Rhinegold music publisher website, notes with sadness the spectacle of genius assigned the task of making various places unpalatable to “certain people” (aka, the homeless and destitute). Mellor is talking about the London transit system in his essay:

Hybrid Highbrow“When I lived in London, Mozart’s last symphonies were a favourite at my local tube station where they were piped through the public address system in order to dissuade certain people from sticking around for longer than was absolutely necessary. So there’s a new role for three of the most astonishing works to have flowed from the most dazzling musical genius the world has produced: the creation of an environment in which people feel uncomfortable (though to be fair, as an industry we were excelling at that objective long before Transport for London got involved).”

But there is one saving grace, at least for me. I happen to be very fond of hanging around on the street and just talking to whoever comes by. It’s a particularly fun thing to do if some nice loudspeakers are piping out Vivaldi or Telemann or a similar composer (these services seem to favor the Baroque, Rococo, and Classical periods [eg Mozart and Haydn]. I am not sure why). There’s a pawn shop in the Mission District that broadcasts classical pieces. So sometimes I get a taco and hang out in front there and chat with other classical fans who linger for the music.

If you know of any other venues, please tweet me at @matthewlasar and I’ll add them to my video. Do try to get a quick clip with your mobile device.

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