How to Listen to Classical Music: General Ideas

When taken as a whole, classical music often seems to be moving towards irrelevance. Its audience seems to be mostly middle-aged, middle-class, white, and these are problems that are definitely widely known across the industry. There are constant new initiatives and ideas to try to rebalance this situation, spreading classical music to new audiences, and some of these are hugely successful. In fact, statistically, classical music has more listeners than ever, due simply to the fact that music is now so widely available on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and radio. However, when compared economically with pop music or other genres, classical pales into insignificance. To some people, this means that classical music must be irrelevant, and because of this, funding is cut to arts education, and so so much of the younger generation never even get to give classical a fighting chance before dismissing it. I think the problem is that many people aren't taught how to listen well anymore. In my experience, classical is simply a closed door to a lot of people, and because they don't know how to understand or follow it, they think that it's just boring or out of date, and so they just don't care. What I want to do with this channel is make videos which introduce you to some of the greatest works of classical music in a way that really gets down to what makes each piece such a powerful work of art, and through watching these videos, I hope you'll learn more about music and you'll discover some of the greatest musical works in history. But in these videos here, I want to focus generally on how to listen well to classical music. I want to give you some ideas that you can hopefully apply to a broad spectrum of classical music to enhance the way you approach and listen to it. First, we'll go through some general ideas about classical, and later on we'll think more about how music is expressive and how we can listen to and understand classical music on an emotional level. So, imagine watching a Shakespeare play if you're new to Shakespeare, unfamiliar with the language, and you haven't been educated about his works. A small number of people would get it naturally, and good for them, but many people will probably be bored and lost. Of course, that doesn't mean that Shakespeare is bad or irrelevant or not worth anything in your life. It just means you haven't learned to understand it yet. It's the same with classical. When you're new to it, it's a bit of a foreign language, and I think it helps immensely to have some guidance starting out. Of course, many say there's no right way to listen to music. Just let it affect you in whatever way it does. Or they say, I don't want to understand it, I just want to feel it as it comes naturally. I see where they're coming from, but when it comes to classical as a new listener, I disagree completely. The question I would ask is, if you had to sit through a 40-minute Beethoven symphony, would you be able to follow it closely? Would you be able to keep track of its musical argument from beginning to end? Constantly follow its emotional trajectory? Or would you get bored quickly? Would your mind drift on to other things? And what about an hour of Tchaikovsky? Two hours of Mahler? That's not supposed to scare you, but when you learn to listen in a different way, you begin to unlock these musical masterpieces, and you start to find that within these masterpieces are incredible moments of beauty, emotional intensity, power, and, in some cases, some of the greatest works of artistic creation. At its best, classical music can stir the most powerful and diverse emotions up within you, and that's why I think it's so important to learn how to listen well, so we can expand our emotional understanding, expand our self-understanding, become more intimately connected with humanity. So here are some initial thoughts to get you started, and in the next video, we'll look closer at how classical music expresses itself. First off, and perhaps most importantly, when listening to classical, you need to listen actively, not passively. In most cases, you can't just let it wash over you. It needs paying attention to, just as when you're reading a good novel. And I think this can be a big deterrent for many people, and that's why pop music caters to shortest attention spans, with three-minute songs and repetitive chord sequences and beats. But take it from me, your attention span will quickly develop the more you practice listening actively, and when you start doing this, you start unlocking these emotional outpourings that just don't have time to unfold in pop music. Second, if possible, listen to music live. This music was written to be performed live, and there's something special about watching people breathing life into the music. It's also worth noting that different performers and different groups have their own sounds or styles, so there's a lot of diversity when it comes to performers. You can listen to the same piece done by five different performers, and each performance will be fresh in a unique kind of way. Also, a performance can really make or break a piece. You might be on the edge of your seat for one performance of Beethoven's Fifth, but be bored to tears by a different performance. But there's also something just exciting about seeing something live, especially when the performers are world-class, or when there's a real high risk-taking energy in the room. If you can't listen live, then choose a world-class recording. Again, with Spotify, there are so many to choose from, and it can be so satisfying to discover the perfect recording for your tastes. You may begin to discover your favorite performers, favorite orchestras, and maybe even your favorite recording eras. In any case, there is a massive bank of recordings out there. Importantly, listen at a good volume and on good speakers or headphones if possible. Classical music isn't supposed to lull you gently to sleep or relax you. Most of my favorite pieces do the opposite. They're fiercely dramatic. Take this apocalyptic statement from Mahler. You just can't appreciate that on low volume or on a phone speaker. I'm not saying you need to blast it out of your car, though by all means feel free. Classical is a rich and hugely diverse art form, not a relaxant or a sleeping pill. Thirdly, at no point do I want to denounce pop music or popular genres at all. In fact, I think that listening to classical is a different kind of experience from listening to pop. Some people say that the genres are blurred, and that might be true in a small number of cases, but on the whole I think it's best if they're approached differently. If I listen to classical in the same way I do pop, I find it boring and old. If I listen to pop in the same way I do to classical, I'd find it empty. So for now, let's just say that classical music needs a different approach from popular genres. Fourthly, you might find that with certain pieces, composers or styles, you may need to listen many times or to several of their works before it begins to click. It might not hit you the first time you listen to it, and that's okay. For example, I had to listen to a lot of J.S. Bach before it all fell into place, and he's considered one of the greatest composers of all time. I just didn't get it at first, and now I think I do. I think this is simply because you're becoming familiar with a new style, and gradually your ear gets used to how that style works. Once you are familiar with that new style, genius and emotional expression begin to emerge from it. Fifthly, concert halls can sometimes seem a bit imposing, old-fashioned or exclusive in their rituals, and this can put some people off. I think it's interesting that classical music is being played in more and more new spaces. It's great to experiment with this and to try and find new ways of revitalising the scene, but most often you'll hear classical in the concert hall. First, it's important to realise that tickets for classical concerts can be incredibly cheap, sometimes as cheap as five or six pounds for young people. Compare that with a pop concert or a sports match. Secondly, there really is no need to dress up for, say, a night at the opera, although some people do like to make an occasion out of it. Just wear what you feel comfortable wearing out. Thirdly, I think the reason a concert hall can seem a bit like a ritual is because, in a kind of way, it is. Whereas we go to pop concerts to dance and have a great time, a lot of people go to classical concerts to listen carefully and connect directly with the music in a very personal, spiritual way. As I said earlier, it's just a different way of listening. I also think that keeping the silence is out of respect for the rest of the audience. You want to enjoy this connection with the music and so do they, so out of respect for that, we avoid talking or doing something that will distract others while the music plays. I think all of these concert hall conventions have risen out of respect. Respect for the audience, for the performers, and most importantly, for the music. So those are my general ideas. Next, we're going to look at how we can actually follow, grasp onto, and feel music's expression. And then later on, I'll make a video on how to follow a musical argument. Thanks for watching.