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Classical Music/understanding music
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Question
Dear Marbeth,
I would be more than happy if you kindly guide me how can I UNDERSTAND classical music. Will the interpretation of music differs from man to man? Have all great classic musisicians interpretated their symphonies and other works?
This is a big question (sort of like "Discuss music.")
What you take away from a piece depends on what you bring to it - what's happened in your life, what kinds of things you like other than music, etc.
Your interpretation has to do with how you graft the music onto what makes you "you."
You need to listen for melody (primarily).
Listen for changes in speed and volume.
Listen for the instruments used (many? few? only one?). Has the composer used the instruments to good advantage? (If the piece is called "Twittering Birds" and the composer has used tubas and trombones, for example, has the composer used instruments to good advantage? I'd say not! Though maybe they were fat twittering birds!) Listen for changes in the instruments used.
I think the best thing for you, at this point, is to get a piece of music you like (say the overture to Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" or Dvorak's "Hungarian Dances") and listen to it carefully. What do you get out of it? Then play it as a piece of "background music" and let the music "sink in." After a day or so, listen to it carefully again. What have you picked up "subliminally"? I think you'll find out you've picked up quite a bit!
I hope I have helped you. I hope that I interpreted your question correctly!
Best wishes. You will love classical music. It's a "classic" because it's been around so long. It's been around so long because it's good and worth preserving and worth listening to. In Western art music, Beethoven, for example, has been around about 200 years. This is because his compostitions are good. There are countless other composers whose music wasn't as good (or didn't receive the exposure Beethoven's did - but maybe that was because the music wasn't as good and therefore didn't deserve wider notice).
mb
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Answers by Expert:
Marbeth
Expertise
I have a PhD in musicology, with expertise in medieval - Renaissance - Baroque - Classical periods, but I'll try to help you with any period.
>>*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****<<: I do not answer questions marked "private." I don't want to type the same thing to someone else later if I typed it to you already! If you mark your request "private," I will send it back to you requesting you to remove the "private" flag. Thanks for your understanding. Remember, I'm a volunteer.
My answers are not toss-offs. If I don't know the answer, I will do my best to find it.
I have many requests to identify a piece of music. If I can't identify it, I will tell you (1) what composer I think it is; (2) what composer or composers I think it is not; (3) what style period, genre, etc. I think it is or is not. And give you any other help I can to help you find the answer.
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Students, I do NOT do homework questions. The purpose of answering questions on assignments is not only to learn the information, but to LEARN HOW TO FIND IT. Re-read chapter. Look in the index. Look in the references given at the end of the chapter or elsewhere in the book. You also probably can find the answer using Google. Don't be lazy. I wouldn't be doing you any favors by doing your homework for you! I already know the answer. You don't. You need to find it. MORE IMPORTANTLY, you need to learn HOW to find it. That's the whole purpose of education, after all!
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