At a wedding reception I attended recently, a little band of three guitars and a frantic drummer was making an incredible din. The amplification system was at full blast and I became seriously worried about the future of my eardrums. I sat there with a fixed smile on my face and bore it all stoically. I couldn't very well start complaining on such a "joyful" occasion. Eventually the cavalry arrived in the shape of the father of the bride, the gentleman who was going to write the cheque for the festivities. He too was suffering from severe shock. By this stage the walls were shaking. The band had got into full stride and were getting carried away with their own brilliance. The father politely asked the group to "tone it down" before the roof came off.
The "musicians" eventually lowered the volume, but very, very reluctantly; they appeared to be offended that their artistic endeavours were meeting such an unappreciative, philistine response. They didn't seem to realise that one of the highest rate of deafness in the world (outside the Irish army) is among musicians.
Quieter pubs
Unfortunately, there is noise everywhere these days - in pubs, restaurants, hotels, airports, ferries, long-distance buses, shopping arcades, doctors' and dentists' surgeries. A group was set up a year ago to campaign for quieter pubs. I felt like joining, but I realised that they were fighting an uphill battle and their chance of success was nil. I don't like being on a losing side. You can't fight so-called "progress."
You also have music in the workplace. Why? Because it makes employees more relaxed and productive in factories, say the employers. They have done their research, so they should know, I suppose. But I have my doubts. It would be all right if you could select the music yourself, but with the different age-levels in the workplace it is difficult to have music on that will please all the staff all of the time. And what about those people who simply don't like music, who have a Van Gogh ear for music? Why should they suffer? All this music therapy is a bit overrated.
I often think of the unfortunate woman in Donegal who wrote to The Irish Times some years ago. She complained that she had sat in a bus all the way from Dublin to Donegal and had to listen to the loudest, most dreadful music possible. She eventually gathered the courage to politely ask the driver if he would mind lowering the volume. The reply was a definite "no". She was told brusquely that that was what the passengers wanted and that was the volume that suited them. She was the only one to complain, the driver said.
Doctor's surgery
Doctors and dentists' waiting-rooms usually have a radio yakking away in the background. This is a bit of a liberty. The papers and magazines are still there, of course, but it is almost impossible to read them when the radio on, sometimes quite loudly.
About three years ago I was sick with the 'flu and called at my doctor's surgery. In the waiting-room I heard an interview with a priest on RTE. He was discussing the existence of the devil and hell. Was there such a place and such a person? All very deep stuff. I wasn't in the mood for listening to such a morbid discussion. Even if I had been in the full of my health I wouldn't have fancied it. But at least I could have switched it off if I'd been at home.
I read some time ago that, according to scientists, up to a quarter of young people may have damaged their hearing by listening to loud music - and one in 10 may have suffered enough damage to give them problems in conducting a normal conversation. Researchers at the Heinrich Heine University's Institute for Occupational Medicine in Dusseldorf based their findings on a survey carried out among 1,800 military recruits.
The compulsory medical examination revealed some hearing loss in 25 per cent of them, and under questioning these admitted that they spent a lot of time listening to loud music on personal stereos or club sound-systems.
In another study, scientists examined the listening habits and hearing of 270 students in Berlin and found that the hearing of one in 10 was impaired to such an extent that it affected their conversation.
Call for limit
The worst affected were those who listened to music on headphones for more than two hours a day and visited discos at least once a week. The hearing loss was in the five to six kilohertz frequency range, making it hard for the affected person to distinguish between the letters "s" and "f".
The German government is so concerned about the effect of loud noise on future generations that it is calling for the European Union to limit the levels of personal stereos to a maximum of 90 decibels, well below the 120 decibels blasted out by some systems.
Last year, the French government took unilateral action and passed a law limiting the noise levels of personal stereos to 100 decibels. It was the first ruling of its kind in the world designed to protect the hearing of young people from serious damage.