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In Reply to: RE: Art and music: can non-intellectuals appreciate post-19th century music posted by tinear on March 11, 2011 at 10:59:41
I have been listening to classical music for about 40 years. In the early going I listened mainly to Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, and Brahms. I couldn't stand anything composed after about 1890. But over time I got more exposure to 20th century music and enjoyed it more and more. My wife is a professional musician with a conservatory degree in piano performance. I have no formal music instruction beyond playing in the high school band and taking music appreciation in college, but my musical taste is way broader than my wife's. My point is that it is not about formal training and intellectual understanding so much as extensive experience listening to a wide range of musical styles. Gradually it starts making sense and becomes enjoyable. It helps if one is willing to stretch a little beyond the comfort zone. It is worth the effort. But you don't need to read books or go to music school. It may help you enjoy it more, but it is not necessary. What is necessary is a lot of listening experience--especially live performances.
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I agree. I think experience (cultural, sonic, emotional) physically alters our brains in a way that allows us to feel or get something that might have been completely lost on us years earlier. It is not intellectual.
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And hearing live performances from time to time is key. There is something about the actual, physical gesture of music making that helps one understand things that are hard to "hear" in recordings. The timing of the decision to break silence, the way the sound breaks open and tears at the air, the sense of living people trying to meld mind with music, the physical struggle to engage the acoustic space in a meaningful way, the muscular responses and emotional expressions of the players, etc.., - these things all work to "fill in the dots". Without the information provided by human bodies in real space, it is hard to understand music.
Edits: 03/13/11
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