THE Master of the Queen's Music has joined violinist Nicola Benedetti in attacking the state of music teaching in Britain.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies said he backed "to the hilt" Benedetti in calling for every young person to be made to study classical works to help them understand humanity.

Orkney-based Sir Peter said it was both "a disgrace" and "a shock" so many youngsters had never heard of Mozart or Beethoven - let alone listened to their music.

The 79-year-old musician, rated as one of the world's greatest living composers, said Benedetti, who recently worked with 200 young musicians at the Royal Albert Hall, had done "a great service" in highlighting the issue. "I think she is a great ambassador and role model and absolutely right," said Sir Peter, recently given the all-clear after a cancer battle.

"I step down as Master of the Queen's Music in March, but I plan to concentrate my time on helping to make classical music more accessible to young people. We are in grave danger of losing - through not learning or experiencing - centuries of a wealth of wisdom and works.

"There are hundreds of thousands of youngsters who now have never even heard of Mozart or Beethoven. It is shocking and a disgrace that has been allowed to happen."

He said he feared successive governments and local authorities had seen classical music as an "elitist fringe activity".

"But it has been shown time and again that learning to play a classical instrument - or sing - makes you much more clever, more confident and a better team player, as well as many other benefits," he said. "When every bit of information is accessible through the internet to anybody who has a computer, the role of the creative arts has never been more important. If the same information is available to everyone, the challenge is who can use it the most creatively? That's why classical music is probably more relevant in today's society than it is has ever been - it hones people's creativity, not just as musicians.

"Playing a musical instrument promotes a child's self-esteem by improving several key skills and habits - and I think all children should be made to study classical works. We are at a serious tipping point. We are in danger of centuries of learning being lost to the dubious influences of vacuous celebrity culture and inane talent shows."

His comments came after Benedetti, from West Kilbride, said it was "insane" that there was not a "substantial amount of complex great music in schools".

She said teachers should be encouraged to take children through symphonies from Beethoven and Sibelius to Dvorak and Mahler and explain the form in detail.

"Every single young person in this country should be made - within the context of their school curriculum - to listen to the greatest classical works," she said.

The 26-year-old musician, who last month won the best female artist at the Classic Brits awards, said it was ridiculous classical music was marginalised in schools because of the perception children do not find it "fun".