I once described myself to a music aficionado as “a musical illiterate.” I never had music lessons and didn’t grow up in a household that listened to music.
I can’t say that I dislike classical music, but I don’t really hear it so don’t get much from it. In contrast, I usually find folk, rock, and country music accessible, maybe because of simple melodies and meaningful lyrics.
I don’t often go to classical concerts because I feel out of my element.
While other parishioners at my church revere the choir, I prefer to go to the “said” service without music.
I saw Cinderella at the Lyric Opera thanks to a free ticket from a friend. Instead of noting the voices and the orchestra, I remarked about how the story differed from the familiar fairy tale.
Oh, I can hear the difference between a happy and a sad mood, but don’t ask me to detect themes and form and whatever else makes up a classical composition.
Friends who know that I sometimes go out to hear jazz may wonder why the same attitude doesn’t apply to jazz, another cerebral genre. Some jazz (I don’t like everything) makes me want to move and clap and tap my feet, so I get that music can evoke emotions without the listener’s understanding how it does that. But I never feel like tapping my feet to classical music. As beautiful as it may be, it seems remote. It’s considered the most complex and intellectual form of music — so it stands to reason that lots of close listening, if not formal study, is needed to truly get it.
Maybe I’ve let myself be intimidated by classical music. Maybe I’m overanalyzing. But I’ll never hear what a musically trained ear hears. If I could start my life over, I’d make sure to study music from an early age. But time is limited, and I’ll concentrate on appreciating the art forms that I can comprehend, especially literature and drama.
If it is something you want to do it isn't too late. Find a music appreciation class and sign up.
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ReplyDeleteLiking the way it makes you feel is surely the way to choose what music to listen to. As for literature, it encompasses a broader range than we were taught in school. You don't have to read Ulysses. The older I get, the more I let myself enjoy what I know I like.
ReplyDeleteYou say, in one of your comments, that literature is a broad category. So is classical music. I took music lessons as a kid, but still find lots of classical music too complicated and confusing to appreciate, plus I sometimes get annoyed by the loud-to-soft-to-loud changes. I do, though, like concerts by Music of the Baroque. The ensembles are smaller than full orchestras, there are fewer things going on at the same time, and I can often follow a theme as it gets passed around from instrument to instrument and/or gets modified. Maybe try exploring different genres of classical music--and see what you discover!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like good advice. Thanks for writing.
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