A victory for classical music - and for Mozart in particular! Or possibly not… The UK Press Association has found that the most popular choices of music for local councils to play to telephone callers on hold are the composer’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Symphony No 40. Also deemed suitable to soothe irate tempers as the minutes tick by are selections from Debussy, Handel and Strauss.

So what is it about Mozart that makes him so popular not only on telephone queuing systems, but also in elevators and supermarkets?

Well, of course, his works are out of copyright, making him a cheap solution in an era of increasing austerity – especially for stretched local government.

But is it as simple as this? And should we be worried that great classical works are considered most appropriate as the innocuous backdrop to life’s daily irritations?

Perhaps something more psychologically significant is going on here. Can the cool, classical, regular harmonies of Handel and Mozart bring genuine peace to a cantankerous mind?

‘I think the real reason is Mozart can be listened to at so many different levels,’ Professor Colin Lawson, director of the Royal College of Music, told the BBC. ‘The Mozart phenomenon is an extraordinary thing. You can have Mozart-themed chocolate, ski holidays, tours - he seems to have a particular resonance for the troubled 21st century.’

Maybe then Mozart really is the answer to the clamour and commotion of the modern world. Or possibly it’s just the chocolates…