Aaron Copland How We Listen Summary

Another thing that I liked was how she contrasted her view of the world as a kid with the view of the world as she grew older. At the start of the essay she discussed the different sounds she heard as child, from her mom singing to her to the sounds of the ocean she heard by putting a shell to her ear. These experiences and how they were portrayed seemed happy and vibrant but as the writer grows older it becomes clearer that the world she now lives in is more grounded, more urban, and lonelier because her life in the apartment is very subdued. All of this combine to convey the message that being exposed to silence makes you appreciate the sounds and by extension the

‘Be Music, Night’ by Kenneth Patchen is an intriguing piece of literary art. A picture is painted of human interaction with Earth immediately. The manner in which humans fall into her beauty and vastness is apparent in even the first lines of Patchen’s poem, but why is this important?

Many listeners in this plane hold an individual attitude because the music always seems to play a role in the listener’s life, where as it might reminds them of something or someone. The author talks about how the question of “how close should the intelligent music lover wish to come to pinning a definite meaning” (Copeland, 1939). It becomes personal, going in their mind the true meaning of what they are listening to, yet they are unable to explain it. This helps the listeners to experience different types of feeling.

Among the many successful things Aaron Copland has done for music, he has also written an eloquent description for the three separate musical planes. He begins by explaining that the simplest way to listen to music is “for the sheer pleasure of the musical sound itself” (Copland, 7). This feeling of listening to music for pleasure is it’s own plane. It is known as the sensuous plane, and Copland believes that this form of listening is “an important one in music, a very important one, but it does not constitute the whole story” (Copland, 8). It seems that Copland believed the reader could understand this concept on a personal level, so he chose not to elaborate on this plane.

This essay analyses Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, and how this minimalistic piece of Steve Reich’s later days proves to be a work of an alternative paradigm to many of his other earlier works. Music for 18 Musicians is an alternative paradigm to Steve Reich’s earlier works in various aspects. These aspects include harmony, rhythm, and instrumentation, which will the elements described and explained in this

Roger’s and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is arguably one of the most well known films that many can admit to watching at least once in their lifetime. People all around the world have found this musical inspiring, as it documents growth and hope amidst the horrors of World War II. This incredibly well written film is based on the story of the Von Trapp family who escaped Austria when the Nazis invaded it during the war. Part of what made this movie so interesting on so many different accounts was the music that accompanied the vivid and exciting scenes. Without music, many could agree that our world would be a sad, quiet, dull and depressing place. In John Harrington Edward’s book God and Music, he states, “In simplest definition,

It is because of this that his piece became famous during times of stress and why its prominence in media and classical music is still strong. Furthermore, Larson also argues that the intimacy of this piece creates a sense of truth and resolution within listeners. At the same time, by the end of the piece and by the end of Adagio’s emotional phrases, one still wrestles with what this truth means. For Larson, the true beauty of this piece lies in its ability to uncover “undiscovered feelings” and make listeners feel the need to grieve unexplained

As the narrator pays closer attention to the abundance of music in his environment, he becomes more accepting and perceptive of it. His analyses of music in his society starts of simple and gradually increases in complexity as the story progresses. His first discovery involves "one boy [who] was whistling a tune, at once very complicated and very simple, it seemed to be pouring out of him as though he were a bird...only just holding its own through all those other sounds" (Baldwin 123). Here, the narrator learns that music can be used as a simple form of expression of one's feelings, yet even in its simple forms, can still be complicated. This level of complexity is also evident in his relationship with his brother Sonny as he struggles to understand how music is benefiting Sonny and Sonny himself is on his own journey to finding his purpose in life through

Music is not something which is tangible, but yet is has been loved and cherished by many for a very long time because of the unique pleasure that it grants. Music has the ability to bring together many people of all ages. There are so many different ways to create and listen to music that everyone has access to music in some way, shape, or form. Many songs are written and created using repetition with the intent to get them stuck in your head. That feeling when you have a song stuck in your head and it is repeating over and over again, is known as an ear worm. In his writing, Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks uses many rhetorical devices, including imagery, anecdote, and pathos, to achieve his purpose of describing to his audience what exactly an ear worm is and how it can affect people.

In Daniel’s high school years, the contradictory norm among his circle of friends was to adopt a rebellious style with punk, or straight edge clothing and attitudes. With their image, along came their auditory preferences, correspondingly: metal, punk or other anti-establishment music. However, one day one of his friends reintroduced Daniel to the classical sounds of Beethoven, and immediately being attracted to such music, Daniel was forever changed into a rebel, or so he thought. Listening to music in secret, it was unbeknownst to Daniel, that he wasn’t the only one that listened to classical music. As he grew older and developed his own piano playing abilities, Daniel met others like: himself, composers, teachers, and other musicians, who were inspired by classical music, just as he was. With the knowledge and support offered by these confidants and

My first Carnegie Hall experience wasn’t what I expected it to be. As I entered the balcony of the Stern auditorium, I was amazed by the beautiful design of the white and gold walls and the beautiful red seats. Upon looking at my Concert Quick Guide I noticed the first symphony Leon Botstein was conducting was Arnold Schoenberg! When I flipped the guide to observe what else was in store for me, my eyes opened wide as I saw Mozart! I felt as if I wasn’t completely ignorant towards the classical music world, here I am in Carnegie Hall for the first time and I have a general background of the two original composers of Chamber Symphony No. 2 and Great Mass in C Minor.

Life is comprised of highs and lows, memories and friendships, history and culture. To capture the essence of life and vitality in a piece of music is near-impossible. Yet, as the low-brass lays a framework of chords and the strings drive a dynamic, shifting, melody, Antonin Dvorak is able to represent life itself in his piece, Symphony No. 9. When I first heard Symphony No. 9, often described as the New World Symphony, I was looking for a score to play in the background of my studies. It was unbeknownst to me that the score I chose would distract me from my studies due to the shock I experienced at the hands of the orchestra. The emotion exhibited by the performers, the melancholic tone, and the unsettling chords all piqued by interest.

In Mark Edmundson’s Article “Can Music Save Your Life?” he discusses his theories on music. He goes through personal experience and later onto philosophical stances. Edmunds believes music, opens figurative doors, should inspire one to create, and above all preserves the listener.

Listening to music is one of the only activities which involve using both sides of the brain. When concentrating on a specific task you are normally only using one part of your brain while concentrating so the other parts of your brain that is unoccupied drifts off which causes you to lose concentration. The music is beneficial because it will keep the other parts of your brain busy while you are concentrating which will prevent you from drifting off and losing concentration. Music has also been found to engage the area of the brain involved with paying attention.