''Adventures in Good Music'', hosted by

Karl Haas Karl Haas (December 6, 1913February 6, 2005) was a German-American classical music radio host, known for his sonorous speaking voice, humanistic approach to music appreciation, and popularization of classical music. He was the host of the class ...

, was

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

's most widely listened-to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

program, and aired nationally in the U.S. from 1970 to 2007. The program was also syndicated to commercial and public radio stations around the world. German-American musicologist

started ''Adventures in Good Music'' in 1959 on radio station WJR in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. It was awarded the

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

for excellence in broadcasting in 1962. Syndicated broadcasts began in 1970 on

WCLV WCLV (90.3 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a fine art/classical music format. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the home ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, where the production of the program remained for the rest of its duration. Each daily episode of the show had a different topic chosen by Haas, and he aired his personal choice of classical music selections relating to it, along with his pleasant blend of explanation, analysis, and background. The

theme music Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the show was the 2nd movement from

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's "Pathétique" Sonata (Sonata No 8 in C minor), performed by Haas himself, live for each program; and Haas started every show with his trademark greeting "Hello everyone." Haas retired from broadcasting at age 89 and did not produce any new episodes of ''Adventures in Good Music'' after 2002. WCLV continued to syndicate recordings of his shows until June 2007, when the station announced "with great regret" that it would broadcast and syndicate its last program on June 29, 2007. The announcement explained that the number of stations carrying the show had dropped from more than 400 to fewer than 20, which made it unfeasible to continue national distribution. Most episodes are not available publicly because of copyright restrictions (Haas's estate holds the copyrights closely) although three CDs have been issued featuring Haas and his commentary: ''The Romantic Piano'', ''The Story of the Bells'', and ''Song and Dance''. In 2002, a new program was developed to replace ''Adventures in Good Music'', expanded and updated for a 21st-century audience.Fine Arts Radio International Awards: 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award
The program, '' Exploring Music'', debuted in October 2003, written and hosted by

Bill McGlaughlin William McGlaughlin (born October 3, 1943) is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs '' Exploring Music'' and ''Saint ...

References

External links

WCLV description of the showDaily program titles and themes, 2004–2007Memorial piece about Karl Haas and his radio style
{{American classical music radio programs Peabody Award–winning radio programs American classical music radio programs International classical music radio programs 1959 radio programme debuts 2007 radio programme endings