I still have it, even though I don't play it anymore. "A Sound Spectacular with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra" - a two record set of popular classical pieces, purchased by my father while in one of his musically capricious moods. The fact that he probably listened to it once and forgot all about it is unimportant. What matters is that I found it in the family record collection one day, listened to it, figured that whatever would interest Dad would interest me, and started my lifelong love of classical music. An object lesson on example for all fathers, surely!
I have my own family now; my wife enjoys baroque, my son can be glued to the TV set watching ballet videotapes and my little daughter asks for "moosic, Daddy" in the car (she usually gets the FM classical station). Our enjoyment of the classics has enriched our home, giving it a timeless sense of comfort, stability and elegance, despite the fact that we have only a few pieces of furniture in the living room! You can do this too, with a little effort. In fact, giving your family an appreciation for the classics is probably one of the few painless ways of doing something educational for them without getting a lot of hassle when you're caught. There are three simple guidelines:
First of all, start with the light stuff. Save dissonant, challenging twentieth-century pieces for your daring moments. Get some Classical period (1770-1820) or Late Romantic (1875-1910) orchestral music. I find late romantic music to be more likable simply because the art of writing for the orchestra - an instrument of great power and subtlety - had been perfected by this time and many "catchy" pieces exist. Tchaikovsky's ballet suites (the Nutcracker, Swan Lake), Bizet's Carmen suite, Grieg's Peer Gynt; it doesn't matter. This is the hook. Listen to the music. Realize that a lot of it is comfortably familiar.
The next step is to listen to the music again. And again. Like eating yogurt, an appreciation of classical music is an acquired taste. Even though you may not initially like what you hear, listen to it again. Chances are it'll grow on you. Good music is like that - that's why it's good music! Its charms will win you over. And if it doesn't, fine. Now you have an opinion - of what you don't like. So try again; a different composer, a different period, perhaps.
Step number 3: read the liner notes. These composers generally lived in interesting times, and their music reflects this. Reading the liner notes connects those melodies and orchestrations with stories, themes and images. In the case of programmatic music - music telling a story or conjuring up an image - the composer wants you to know about the images behind the music. Then use your imagination when you listen: personalize the music so that it comes alive for you! (For instance, my mother-in-law routinely asked her kids, "What does this music make you see?", and they would discuss the images. Some of these images are still with my wife today!)
Here's a short list to get you started:
ACCESSIBLE CLASSICS (you've heard this before - perhaps in a Smurf cartoon!)
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker, Swan Lake
Grieg: Peer Gynt
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite
Bizet: Carmen
Beethoven: Symphony #5
Strauss waltzes
A LITTLE MORE DARING (only because it's unfamiliar)
Holst: The Planets
Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade
Wagner: "Ring" highlights (for orchestra)
Stravinsky: the Firebird
BE BRAVE! ("Is that considered classical music? I've never heard classical music sound like that before!")
Penderecki: The Passion According to St. Luke
Ives: Three Places in New England, Holidays Symphony
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Almost anything by Schoenberg, Berg or Von Webern
Where to find it: practically anywhere - getting into the classics is easy and CHEAP! A public library is a good bet. Most of them have enough of a selection to get you started on your own basic repertoire, and most libraries have their collections available in LP, cassette or compact disk form. If you want to buy some classical music, practically any record store will have enough of a selection available to get you started. (The great thing about the classics, by the way, is that there are always many, many wonderful recordings available at sale prices - and on the other side of the coin if you're interested in the most impressive, best sounding state-of-the-art recording possible, it'll probably be a classical compact disk.)
Once you've gotten a taste for the classics, you owe it to yourself and your family to hear it performed live! As with recordings, there are many options here, too. You can spend lots of money to hear the nearest major city's symphony orchestra, or you can pay less and hear the local, county, or nearby university's orchestra. (You may even be able to attend rehearsals for free.) It doesn't matter: they all play the basic repertoire. Find out about chamber music played at schools or museums, rehearsals or recitals by music students, too. Finally, just about every ballet company large or small does a Christmastime production of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" (and there's always a television production of it to watch). Public television stations regularly feature major orchestral concerts and ballets.
In short, classical music is pervasive and easily enjoyed. By being open-minded, making a little effort and a very modest investment of funds, you can open your family up to a new world of shared interests. And who knows? Maybe in twenty years your son or daughter may be writing an article like this, or, better, performing in a symphony orchestra!