Why did the masses enjoy art?

In the section “The Sacralization of Culture,” Levine makes a variety of claims about the popularity of many art forms. One of the most debatable assumptions that Levine seems to make during section two, is that the average American patron of the arts enjoyed these activities on a level that did not go beyond simple viewing pleasure. Levine writes,
“Opera was simultaneously popular and elite. That is, it was attended both by large numbers of people who derived great pleasure from it and experienced it in the context of their normal everyday culture, and by smaller socially and economically elite groups who derived both pleasure and social confirmation from it,” (86). The assertion that the greater American population saw opera through a very restricted lens that only pertained to their own culture and could not see the larger scope of art seems unfair. In relation to this topic, Levine writes about European visitors dominating the cultural scene, “it should hardly surprise us then that three of the most popular European visitors to the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century…along with many less well-known foreign stars, symbolized the best of European culture without an aura of exclusiveness. But would gladly play ‘Yankee Doodle,’” (108). I find it strange that Levine points out how well Americans loved European stars such as Jenny Lind but does not seem to consider that perhaps this interest in foreign stars is at least in some part due to a curiosity about the world outside of their own. It can be assumed that there were citizens in America who could sing, dance, and act yet Levine points out, “The great European opera singers did exactly what the great Shakespearean actors did: they journeyed to America where lucrative tours awaited them,” (89). It seems strange that these tours were so popular just because the masses liked what was being performed. I think tours might not have been lucrative simply because the masses could only relate to it in the context of their own lives, but perhaps because they could see past the obvious beauty of Jenny Lind’s voice (and outward appearance) and saw what she represented. By importing talent the everyday American could see what was popular in other lands, and perhaps get a glimpse into how people in different countries entertain. Yes, Levine asserts that the population did love it when one of these stars would sign a patriotic song such as Yankee Doodle, but I cannot help but think that the average American saw more in these performances than the most base level enjoyment.