Types of Listeners

1998

digital players were invented

1925

electric phonograph was invented

Referential Listener

Sometimes music may remind people of past events, or it may bring to mind particular images, feelings, or situations.

Casual Listener

The Casual Listener In his own words... "To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) This type of listener likes having music playing, filling the environment with sounds.

1897

gramophone was invented

Symphonie Fantastique

young, lovesick musician in the throes of a desperate, impossible passion takes a large dose of opium with the intention of killing himself. Instead, he has wild hallucinations

Johann Sebastian Bach Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Air

Born: 21 March 1685 Died: 28 July 1750 Period: Late Baroque Country: Germany In a hectic world, people often try to find relaxation through music. Music becomes a wash of sound that soothes nerves, calms the spirit, and in some cases, even aids the practice of meditation. A piece frequently used for this purpose is the Air from Suite No.3 in D major by J. S. Bach, an orchestral work characterized by its slow, carefully modulated pace. In general, slow movements tend to be relaxing. Tuning in to a favorite soothing piece of music may dispel tension and frustrations and help unwind after a stressful day.

4 types of listeners

Casual Listener Referential Listener Critical Listener Perceptive Listener

Program Music

Composers are aware of the associative power of music and sometimes intentionally title their compositions to bring certain connections to mind.

The Musical Experience of Performer, Composer, Listener (1972)

Roger Sessions states that, until fairly recently, composers probably did not intend for their works to be heard in a concert or performance setting, but rather to be played or sung as part of a social or religious occasion in which the center of attention was something other than the music itself.

With exceptions of:Concert spirituel in Paris and the Salomon concerts in London (1790)

concerts were not open to the general public; rather, they were intended for the private enjoyment of wealthy and royal patrons. In the 19th century, when the feudal system of government in Europe collapsed, a growing number of people started purchasing access to orchestral concerts by subscription. While music continued to be performed mainly in the royal courts or aristocratic homes, the growing merchant and middle classes began to take pleasure in musical entertainment, and they viewed concert attendance as a form of social advancement.

Absolute Music

music that is not associated with a particular story, image, object, or event

1979

personal stereo tape player was invented