# How do we have to listen to classical/modern/contemporary music?



## IAmGod (Dec 10, 2016)

There are pieces who require to listen to them at least two times to get the general idea. Is that the reason people don’t listen to classical/modern and contemporary pieces? “Popular” music can be absorbed quickly compared to Academic music. How do we have to listen to academic music?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

We don't have to do anything we don't like.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Academic music is what it is - you tend to sit with a score and read-listen, and learn of the musical theory.

But whether or not it is great music that moves you, that's up to you to judge and also history.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Applies only to a small portion of modern music but anyway....

http://www.talkclassical.com/33122-stupid-thread-ideas-201.html#post825999


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## David OByrne (Dec 1, 2016)

I don't get the question, isn't music for listening too?


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## Razumovskymas (Sep 20, 2016)

Pugg said:


> We don't have to do anything we don't like.


Why didn't anybody tell me that earlier!!


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Nice to see God is now posting on the forum, but I am afraid I struggle with the question being posed. 
Is the proposition that popular music is only so because it can be reliably digested with only one listen? Because if so then a great deal of my non classical music just got the tag 'popular' removed from it


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

IAmGod said:


> There are pieces who require to listen to them at least two times to get the general idea. Is that the reason people don't listen to classical/modern and contemporary pieces? "Popular" music can be absorbed quickly compared to Academic music. How do we have to listen to academic music?


Isn't that the basis for grasping any classical music from Renaissance all the way to the present time? Repetition?

It took me many encounters to grasp Schoenberg's Violin and Piano Concertos and Mennin's Seventh Symphony but it required even more time to grasp the intricacies of most of the fugues by Bach of the Well-Tempered Clavier and Beethoven's Große Fuge.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Haydn man said:


> _Nice to see God is now posting on the forum,_ but I am afraid I struggle with the question being posed.
> Is the proposition that popular music is only so because it can be reliably digested with only one listen? Because if so then a great deal of my non classical music just got the tag 'popular' removed from it


I was afraid to mention that point, made me smile though.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

IAmGod said:


> There are pieces who require to listen to them at least two times to get the general idea. Is that the reason people don't listen to classical/modern and contemporary pieces? "


No, most people don't care to listen one time. And I don't know too many classical pieces I can absorb in just two listens.


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## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

starthrower said:


> No, most people don't care to listen one time.


Do you mean that most people don't listen? Now_ that's_ something I can agree with (present company excluded, of course)...


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## pcnog11 (Nov 14, 2016)

IAmGod said:


> There are pieces who require to listen to them at least two times to get the general idea. Is that the reason people don't listen to classical/modern and contemporary pieces? "Popular" music can be absorbed quickly compared to Academic music. How do we have to listen to academic music?


The beautiful thing about classical music is that the more you listen to it, the more you get out of it. The emotions a certain piece conveys could be very deep, so one need to explore many times to explore different aspect. If you have a bottle of fine wine, would you rather just take one sip or would you rather have a couple of glasses or the whole bottle?


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Comprehension of art comes with involvement, and this is a knowledge quest that requires all sorts of skills in listening, reading, etc.

"Like" or "not like" is for food and merely sensual stuff like that.


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