Over time classical music has shifted from being a lean forward activity, where the emphasis is on participation, to a lean back activity, where the audience are passive observers. Music originated as a lean forward activity in churches. The chorales in the Bach Passions are a brilliant use of lean forward music, and Britten followed Bach's example with the congregational singing in Noye's Fludde and Saint Nicholas . The flourishing community choir movement in France is a testament to the power of lean forward music . Music lessons in schools, now fast disappearing , are lean forward music pure and simple. John Cage wrote his A House Full of Music (described by him as 'A Musicircus of non-professional music' ) for 800 music-school pupils in Bremen, Germany, and his 4' 33", where ambient sound becomes the performance, is the ultimate lean forward music. But lean back music, where the focus is on celebrity performers, is the darling of the media driven 21st c...
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Who is Sir David Tang?
Sir David Tang ... is a Hong Kong businessman and socialite best known as the founder of the Shanghai Tang chain ... Known for his love of Cuban cigars, Tang is also Honorary Consul of Cuba in Hong Kong ... Tang is the founder of the China Clubs (Hong Kong, Peking and Singapore), the Shanghai Tang stores, Havana House and Pacific Co Ltd (the exclusive distributor for all Havana brands in Canada, Asia and Australia). More recently Tang opened the Cipriani in Hong Kong and the China Tang restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel. Tang is also a director and advisor to a number of boards which include Tommy Hilfiger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tang