Paying attention
I've received a few comments about my earlier Karl Haas posting. I appreciate them as I appreciated him. During my sojourn to Florida this past weekend I got to hear one of his archived programs. One of the things that I loved about his programs is that he tried to describe how to listen to a piece of music. He never got in the way, but tried, through his commentary, to increase our understanding.
I have a terrible confession to make. For many years I was a person who often would put on instrumental music as I read, did laundry or did some sort of work. I could never use vocal music, singer that I am I could never concentrate with it on, but orchestral or piano music could easily serve as background music for just about any activity.
Of course, as a result, I never heard any of it. It was just there. But recently things have changed. I can no longer listen to any music and not hear it. I find I can no longer read and have music on because I am always distracted by the music. These days, I 'm getting a lot of enjoyment from purely instrumental (non-vocal) concerts and changing the ratio of vocal to non-vocal music in my life.
Which is why I'm puzzled by such inventions as the Concert Companion. I'm certainly no luddite. Friends call me a gadget junkie. I never go anywhere without my cellphone, iPod (or equivalent), my Clié and my Blackberry (which has just about ruined my life, but more on that another time). I also fervently read program notes, arriving early at concerts just to have time to take them in (or more recently printing them out from a venue's web site). But the point to me is to do all that activity before the concert, not during. During the concert is for concentrating on the music making and enjoying the music. I rarely even follow the score (unless it is a very new piece to me), just because I long to let the music-making wash over me and observe every bit of sweat going into every note. I think it makes me a more attentive and ultimately more fulfilled listener.
It just seems like giving someone something to do during the concert is on the wrong track.
I have a terrible confession to make. For many years I was a person who often would put on instrumental music as I read, did laundry or did some sort of work. I could never use vocal music, singer that I am I could never concentrate with it on, but orchestral or piano music could easily serve as background music for just about any activity.
Of course, as a result, I never heard any of it. It was just there. But recently things have changed. I can no longer listen to any music and not hear it. I find I can no longer read and have music on because I am always distracted by the music. These days, I 'm getting a lot of enjoyment from purely instrumental (non-vocal) concerts and changing the ratio of vocal to non-vocal music in my life.
Which is why I'm puzzled by such inventions as the Concert Companion. I'm certainly no luddite. Friends call me a gadget junkie. I never go anywhere without my cellphone, iPod (or equivalent), my Clié and my Blackberry (which has just about ruined my life, but more on that another time). I also fervently read program notes, arriving early at concerts just to have time to take them in (or more recently printing them out from a venue's web site). But the point to me is to do all that activity before the concert, not during. During the concert is for concentrating on the music making and enjoying the music. I rarely even follow the score (unless it is a very new piece to me), just because I long to let the music-making wash over me and observe every bit of sweat going into every note. I think it makes me a more attentive and ultimately more fulfilled listener.
It just seems like giving someone something to do during the concert is on the wrong track.
posted by Rich Russell at
8:13 AM
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