Music to my ears...
Mi Madre- this is for you...
The basic activity that leads to the love of music and to its understanding-- to what is sometimes called "music appreciation"--is listening to particular pieces of music again and again. Such, at least, is the premise of this book. It's pages are filled mostly with discussions of musical compositions--symphonies, concertos, operas, and the like--that people have found more and more rewarding as they have listened to them repeatedly. These discussions are meant to introduce you to the contents of these works and their aesthetic qualities: what goes on in the music and how it affects us.
The kind of hands-on knowledge of music that is necessary for a music professional--for a composer or a performer--is of no special use to you as a non professional listener. But familiarity with musical concepts and musical terms can be useful, helping you grasp more clearly what you already hear in music. Analyzing things, pin pointing things, even simply using the right names for things all make us more actively aware of them. Sometimes, to, this process of analyzing, pin pointing, and naming can actually assist listening. We become more alert, as it were, to aspects of music when they have been pointed out. And greater awareness contributes to greater appreciation of music, and of the other arts as well.
Since our emphasis is on music, this is where we start--with an actual listening experience, our "prelude" to this book. It will exemplify in a general way some of the concepts introduced in the following chapters, and make understanding the terminology of music, when we come to explain it, seem less abstract and mysterious, more immediate and alive.
So the first thing to notice in listening to this Prelude is that it stamps in our minds a definite, by no means bashful, expressive character. Much music does the same, and we value this expressive force. (Music lacking it we often tend to write off as subpar; indeed, we have a special word for such unobtrusive, inexpressive music: MUZAK).
Thought you would like the ending part. I thought it was appropriate.
Love you
The basic activity that leads to the love of music and to its understanding-- to what is sometimes called "music appreciation"--is listening to particular pieces of music again and again. Such, at least, is the premise of this book. It's pages are filled mostly with discussions of musical compositions--symphonies, concertos, operas, and the like--that people have found more and more rewarding as they have listened to them repeatedly. These discussions are meant to introduce you to the contents of these works and their aesthetic qualities: what goes on in the music and how it affects us.
The kind of hands-on knowledge of music that is necessary for a music professional--for a composer or a performer--is of no special use to you as a non professional listener. But familiarity with musical concepts and musical terms can be useful, helping you grasp more clearly what you already hear in music. Analyzing things, pin pointing things, even simply using the right names for things all make us more actively aware of them. Sometimes, to, this process of analyzing, pin pointing, and naming can actually assist listening. We become more alert, as it were, to aspects of music when they have been pointed out. And greater awareness contributes to greater appreciation of music, and of the other arts as well.
Since our emphasis is on music, this is where we start--with an actual listening experience, our "prelude" to this book. It will exemplify in a general way some of the concepts introduced in the following chapters, and make understanding the terminology of music, when we come to explain it, seem less abstract and mysterious, more immediate and alive.
So the first thing to notice in listening to this Prelude is that it stamps in our minds a definite, by no means bashful, expressive character. Much music does the same, and we value this expressive force. (Music lacking it we often tend to write off as subpar; indeed, we have a special word for such unobtrusive, inexpressive music: MUZAK).
Thought you would like the ending part. I thought it was appropriate.
Love you
posted by Emma @ 8:08 PM
1 Comments:
At 3:24 PM,
Anonymous said…
You are a sweetie-pie. I'm so glad that you understand why MUZAK is not music! XO
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