# Why is music important?



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I have been posting "It happened today" for some time now. Today is the anniversary of the premieres of L'Orfeo, maybe the first real opera, and Rinaldo, the first Italian opera written for the London stage. Not one person in a thousand thinks these things are in any way important, but still, as a culture, we seem to remember and celebrate them.

Why? Why is this music important? Why is any music "important"?


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Interesting you mentioned those two great operas. And fundamentally, those two pieces show quintessentially why music is important: it conveys some aspect of being human. Both pieces were dramas involving, in their own convoluted way, about love, jealousy, power, struggle, death, growth etc. etc. It goes back to the roots of why human beings even bother with the arts.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Why is any music important? I dunno, ultimately it's just that this is stuff we like, and if enough of us like this stuff, we get to decide collectively that it's important.
Just this morning I saw some children dancing about in the street and cheering, and I stopped one bright-eyed urchin and asked him what was going on, and he replied cheerily, "Why, sir, ain't you heard? It's exactly 303 years since the first performance of Rinaldo, sir! Huzzah!"


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Is it important? No more than any other form of entertainment. But the elites and people in universities keep telling us "high art" is important in order to justify its continued existence.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Winterreisender said:


> Is it important? No more than any other form of entertainment. But the elites and people in universities keep telling us "high art" is important in order to justify its continued existence.


Umm, don't you mean *their* continued existence?


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Taggart said:


> Umm, don't you mean *their* continued existence?


I mean the continued existence of high art as a living medium, something distinct from popular art. Part of that is of course the academic tradition in universities, but I was referring also to heavily subsidised concert venues as well as these art grants, where modern composers are paid to write music that most people dislike. All this can only happen if the public is constantly reminded that this stuff _is_ important and _does_ enhance the fabric of society, somehow.


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## ShropshireMoose (Sep 2, 2013)

If it's important to you, then it's important. What anyone else thinks with regard to its importance is unimportant, because ultimately what is important to you is what matters in your life. I, for one, would not like to be without music, to me it is very important, and to know that it matters also to other people is an additional delight, for sharing things we like is surely one of the most wonderful things that we can do, but when you love something that is, let's be honest, a minority interest, then I think that you begin to see many things from a different perspective to those who blindly follow the latest trend. I know many people who claim to like a thing while it's popular, then go off it once something else comes into fashion. To me this suggests that they didn't really like it in the first place, after all, whilst you may after initially listening a lot to a piece, wish to listen to it less, if you like it, you will surely always retain some affection for it? Music has been a constant thread for the good in my life, and that alone makes it important to me, therefore, it's important!


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## AClockworkOrange (May 24, 2012)

ShropshireMoose said:


> Music has been a constant thread for the good in my life, and that alone makes it important to me, therefore, it's important!


A wonderful post as a whole ShropshireMoose, but this last line resonates especially with me. Through the good and especially through the bad, music has been as you say, a constant thread.

It has been my rock - my foundation which has given me strength or solace in a way little else can or does. Music is incredibly important to me and the thought of not having it is frankly depressing.

I find myself agreeing with Nietzsche in that:


> Without music, life would be a mistake.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

KenOC said:


> I have been posting "It happened today" for some time now. Today is the anniversary of the premieres of L'Orfeo, maybe the first real opera, and Rinaldo, the first Italian opera written for the London stage. Not one person in a thousand thinks these things are in any way important, but still, as a culture, we seem to remember and celebrate them.
> 
> Why? Why is this music important? Why is any music "important"?


It isn't important.

People used to believe that classical music was important because they thought it was civilising. But no one believes that now because of how Germany behaved in the second world war. The nation with the richest music culture behaved like swine.

So now we can see Orfeo and Rinaldo for what they are, a diversion for the rich at their leisure, nothing more.


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## SilenceIsGolden (May 5, 2013)

Music and the arts are some of the most exciting, interesting and important things in life. Like science, art plays momentous role in the spiritual adventure of mankind: they are both truth seeking endeavors pursued at the deepest levels human beings are capable of that attempt to answer the fundamental questions in life and also to understand the nature of our world and our role in it. Music and art not only enrich our lives but help us to make sense of them and give them meaning. Art communicates the _inexpressible_, it says something about the the way things are that cannot be put into words.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

SilenceIsGolden said:


> Music and the arts are some of the most exciting, interesting and important things in life. Like science, art plays momentous role in the spiritual adventure of mankind: they are both truth seeking endeavors pursued at the deepest levels human beings are capable of that attempt to answer the fundamental questions in life and also to understand the nature of our world and our role in it. Music and art not only enrich our lives but help us to make sense of them and give them meaning. Art communicates the _inexpressible_, it says something about the the way things are that cannot be put into words.


:tiphat: Great post. The Arts are a taste of the eternal in our short little lives.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I disagree with Winterreisender. It is important to those individuals who enjoy listening to it. This has nothing to do with it's status as high art or what academics make it out to be. It is very important to me, because it is what I enjoy. I have long propounded ShropshireMoose's point about the transience of popular music: if it's really that wonderful and you love it so, why do you get tired of it and entirely lose interest in it so quickly? You must not have liked it all that much or else you didn't find it to be as wonderful as you initially thought. I think that the genuinely wonderful does not turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

Now, what importance does music have to society, mankind and posterity? I will leave that to greater thinkers than I to answer


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## SARDiver (Jan 6, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Why is any music "important"?


Because there are things that words and images cannot communicate.


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

AClockworkOrange said:


> I find myself agreeing with Nietzsche in that:
> Without music, life would be a mistake.


Though

life creates music, so they are probably connected anyway

(my words, not a philosopher's)


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

SARDiver said:


> Because there are things that words and images cannot communicate.


That's what they keep telling us  Horizontal thinking... how does it make you feel? I mostly just draw a blank  ...but I really do enjoy it and I don't get tired of it


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Because there has to be a reason for all this living, striving, working, eating, procreating a next generation to do the same thing all over again. There must be more, otherwise existence is empty. For many, music, art and literature is the reason. You may call it spirituality if so inclined. Whatever you call it, it is a striving for something greater than mundane animal existence and thus is very important.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

When we run out of water, then we can discuss this. It'll put things into perspective.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> When we run out of water, then we can discuss this. It'll put things into perspective.


If that happens, millionrainbows, I intend to be listening to L'Orfeo in my final moments.


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## Matsps (Jan 13, 2014)

Winterreisender said:


> Is it important? No more than any other form of entertainment. But the elites and people in universities keep telling us "high art" is important in order to justify its continued existence.


I have to thoroughly disagree with this. Pretty much everyone listens to music. Music is used to accompany film scores, night clubs, TV shows, adverts, parties. It's used to be listened to on its own, when you're sad, when you're happy. One of the first questions you might ask someone you just met is what kind of music they like... What other art form has such a place in society? I cannot think of anything that comes close. I mean, even people with no training in music, who have never picked up an instrument or tried to compose, even they listen to music, often regularly!


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## FleshRobot (Jan 27, 2014)

Weston said:


> Because there has to be a reason for all this living, striving, working, eating, procreating a next generation to do the same thing all over again. There must be more, otherwise existence is empty. For many, music, art and literature is the reason. You may call it spirituality if so inclined. Whatever you call it, it is a striving for something greater than mundane animal existence and thus is very important.


For many, striving, working, eating and procreating are the reasons to live their lives as well.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

FleshRobot said:


> For many, striving, working, eating and procreating are the reasons to live their lives as well.


Well said! That is why we pursue our careers... to make it all possible, in the Lord's time.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Why is music important?
Because without it, life is simply not worth living.
It nourishes my soul and gives me the strength to carry on.


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2014)

Here's some more questions that are equally unanswerable:

Why is sex important?

Why is religion important?

Why is poetry important?

Why are sports important?

Why are movies important?

Why is hanging out with your friends important?

There was another thread, from just last year, entitled "Is music important?"

Put that way, it's simple: "Yes. Next quetion!"


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

^^^^^None of them are as important as music.

I could learn to live without all of them except music.


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2014)

Music communicates itself, not 'something' that can't be communicated otherwise. Unless someone can tell me what that other incommunicable thing is, of course!


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## FleshRobot (Jan 27, 2014)

hpowders said:


> ^^^^^None of them are as important as music.
> 
> I could learn to live without all of them except music.


Not even love?


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

I really enjoy spreading it on a couple slices of bread for a roast-beef sandwich. It helps moisten the contents.


... wait a minute, that's mayo. Crap.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

FleshRobot said:


> Not even love?


Like Alberich, I renounce love in favor of the gold.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

hpowders said:


> ^^^^^None of them are as important as music.
> 
> I could learn to live without all of them except music.


Perhaps to you, but all future (as yet unborn) humans would place sex vastly higher than music. And music would soon cease to exist on earth without sex.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Because, in the end, it (classical music) engenders in me a feeling of immense pride at being a human being.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

some guy said:


> Here's some more questions that are equally unanswerable:
> 
> Why is sex important?
> 
> ...


One more question: "why is noise important?"


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Winterreisender said:


> Part of that is of course the academic tradition in universities, but I was referring also to heavily subsidised concert venues as well as these art grants, where modern composers are paid to write music that most people dislike. All this can only happen if the public is constantly reminded that this stuff _is_ important and _does_ enhance the fabric of society, somehow.


I'm not sure exactly what you meant to write, but I read this in a funny way. I read that composers are explicitly paid to write music with the requirement that the majority of listeners will dislike it. That would be hilarious. I assume you meant that composers are paid so they don't have to ensure that their music is liked. And _it turns out_ that most actually dislike the music.


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2014)

I don't feel comfortable answering this question without a "Yes/No/Unsure" poll. Deviations from standard procedure are a sure sign of an internet scam. No, you can't have my social security number either.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

some guy said:


> Here's some more questions that are equally unanswerable:
> 
> Why is sex important?
> 
> ...


They are not unanswerable. They just don't have an answer which is beyond dispute accurate. Just as you can't prove you actually exist. I'm wondering now if you're a figment of my imagination?

Probable answers to your questions from your 'man in the street' might be:

Sex is important because the human race would die out, otherwise. 
Religion even for non-believers provides social rites of initiation and departure. 
Poetry in ancient societies preserved tribal lore & can be useful in wooing (see sex, above).
Sports are important to keep you fit, which keeps you healthy, & to provide relaxation, which keeps you healthy. 
Movies are important so we can have trends & fashions & merchandise, thus keeping capitalist societies afloat. 
Hanging out with friends increases your life-span, as a study of Italian emigrants to the US showed some years back.

Music is important to each of us for different reasons, but many of us share the same feelings and ideas about it - and we are sharing them here too. It's good to talk about music. 
TalkClassical is a forum for 'talking about music'. 
Good thread! :tiphat:


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Winterreisender said:


> I mean the continued existence of high art as a living medium, something distinct from popular art. Part of that is of course the academic tradition in universities, but I was referring also to heavily subsidised concert venues as well as these art grants, where modern composers are paid to write music that most people dislike. All this can only happen if the public is constantly reminded that this stuff _is_ important and _does_ enhance the fabric of society, somehow.





mmsbls said:


> I'm not sure exactly what you meant to write, but I read this in a funny way. I read that composers are explicitly paid to write music with the requirement that the majority of listeners will dislike it. That would be hilarious. I assume you meant that composers are paid so they don't have to ensure that their music is liked. And _it turns out_ that most actually dislike the music.


Weird. If high art is to continue as a living medium, then it must be liked. Bach got into trouble for not meeting the needs of the paying customers. Didn't seem to harm his music. The church we go to has links with somebody who composes "good" church music - plainchant oriented, definitely "high art". If it isn't singable, doesn't do the job, it won't sell. If it doesn't sell, he doesn't get paid. That's high art in the real world marketplace, and if it can't survive there, then it won't be a living medium.

If not sure who dislikes the music in @mmsbls' comment - the composers or the listeners or possibly both.

Certainly there is a case for (some) subsidies, but ultimately if you can't fill the seats, then you have a problem. Our local Baroque mob have now got so popular that they are looking at larger venues. If they can fill a big hall for a "cheap" concert (great music) then they can generate the funds to pay for bigger names at concerts that may not pay for themselves. That way everybody benefits.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

On the other hand, think of literature - some works like 'Ulysses' were not commercial to start off with. New things always meet with resistance but then become 'classics' in their turn. Sometimes you have to dare to be disliked to start off with.


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## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

Winterreisender said:


> I mean the continued existence of high art as a living medium, something distinct from popular art. Part of that is of course the academic tradition in universities, but I was referring also to heavily subsidised concert venues as well as these art grants, where modern composers are paid to write music that most people dislike. All this can only happen if the public is constantly reminded that this stuff _is_ important and _does_ enhance the fabric of society, somehow.


What is it what you want instead? More commerciolised garbage to be pushed down people's throats.

Quality tv is seen as too diffucult, classical music or jazz/poetry/literature/art is considered elitist. All those people complaining about these kind of things are just insecure about their own lack of any cultural sophistication. They simply hate what they don't understand.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

~Deja Vu~

http://www.talkclassical.com/29009-music-important.html


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## Guest (Feb 24, 2014)

Yeah. My point.


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