I WAS surprised by Robb Meggs’ letter pouring scorn on singers such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby (HAS, Oct 1).

Singers such as these are from a time when the only requirement was the ability to sing in tune to the music while standing still.

A usual requirement was that they appear clean and tidy in a suit.

Nowadays, these attributes are old-fashioned. Publicity is now of prime importance.

Performers, such as Lady Gaga and Madonna, appear with more provocative and absurd costumes on every occasion, or in the case of male singers, wear clothes which seem to have been taken from a skip at the rear of the local Oxfam shop. The ability to leap around the stage, grab their crotch or smash guitars is of more importance.

Frank Sinatra and others were able to sing songs composed by intelligent writers such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and many others who knew more rhyming words besides moon and June and did not need to insert “la, la, la” and “di, di, di” when they could not think of anything to rhyme.

Eric Gendle, Middlesbrough

ROBB MEGGS gave us the benefit or his knowledge and opinions of 20th Century music (HAS, Oct 1).

By his dismissal of popular music which appeared before the late 1950s, performed by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby etc, he is denigrating as worthless the songs written by the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rogers.

Mr Meggs’ knowledge of music may be such that he has never heard of these giants of 20th Century popular music.

If this is the case, then it would be best if he kept his extremely limited knowledge of the subject to himself. If he has heard of them and listened to their work and considers it to be of no value, then the same applies.

I’ll give Mr Meggs the benefit of the doubt and think that his letter must be a wind-up.

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