Musical civilizing

I wonder, does classical music deter street crime only, or is it effective against white-collar crime too [“Halt, or I’ll Play Vivaldi!” Feb. 13]? What kind of music did the Enron executives listen to in their personal lives?

Classical music has a similar effect on me as prayer -- it brings out my better self. Perhaps when your ears are filled with the musical virtues of harmony, balance, intelligence, gracefulness and true passions, on a deep unknowable level you cannot then sustain your commitment to carrying out a criminal act.

I hear Mozart and Vivaldi playing hour after hour in the homes of the hotspots of violence. We could broadcast string quartets playing Haydn from which there is no hidin’; add some Strauss waltzes too. You can’t detonate a bomb with your hands when you are swaying and dancing a Viennese waltz with your torso and feet.

Maggie Blankley

Los Angeles