A bit of a row has broken out between Bob Shingleton, the author of the UK music blog On An Overgrown Path, and Norman Lebrecht, the author of the 1997 tract Who Killed Classical Music? Lebrecht, in a column on classical blogging, chides Shingleton for spreading "unchecked trivia" in a post about a choral broadcast on the BBC, and declares that the "nutritional value" of classical blogs is "lower than a bag of crisps." Shingleton defends his account of the BBC imbroglio, and savors the delicious, Kettle Chips-worthy irony inherent in the spectacle of Lebrecht attacking other writers for mangling facts. In the very same column, Shingleton notes, the British sage confuses John Tavener (b. 1944) with John Taverner (d. 1545). I wonder what Henry Fogel might have to say about the claim that he was once hired to "abolish London orchestras." Update: Indeed, Fogel has something to say.
