Ongoing History Daily: Parents, their kids’ music, and generation gaps
For centuries, the parents of the current generation have been suspicious of the music their children listen to. If we go back to Homer’s Odyssey, a 24-book story written sometime around 2700 years ago.
The book documents an argument between a mother and a singer regarding music inspired by the Trojan War. She’s exasperated by this young man’s favouite music. I quote:
“Mother, why begrudge the bard to sing as his mind leads him? The singers are not to blame, but Zeus is, who gives to mortal men as he will, to each as he will. It is no blame to sing the tale of the return of the Danaans; for men always prize the song that comes newest to their ears.”
This just proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Musical generation gaps have been with us forever.
