Give your nose wrinkling disdain at the musical taste of others a rest, says Diana Simmonds

What is the 21st century’s worst device? Arguable, but it’s not the MP3, no matter how often they’re accidentally corrupted. And it’s not a USB, even when lost in the depths of a messenger bag. Neither is it Zoom, though it can drive one to lonely Negronis while a recital is being “enjoyed”. And it’s not the smartphone, which is smarter than the average user who still can’t remember to switch it off in a concert hall. And don’t turn it to Silent either: the subsonic buzz is maddening, although not quite as infuriating as the smirk and uncomfortable wriggle that say the owner hopes no one else is hearing it.

Nope, the worst device is the wrinkled nose. It’s the schnozzle that indicates disdain, contempt or scorn at the musical taste of another. This nose, which may be a honker or retroussé, or even a minimised Ivanka Trump, is most often wrinkled at a person who expresses delight at, typically, Carmina Burana, or Dvořák’s Symphony No 9 in E Minor – From...