Saturday 31 October, 3.30pm until 5.00pm, Henry Moore Gallery
Today it’s often lamented that, though music permeates society, we no longer value the act of listening. Indeed, have we lost touch with how we listen? Why do we listen to music, and how does the way we listen change in different contexts? Whereas the composers of the past wrote pieces for specific reasons, such as dances, coronations or religious ceremonies, music today can seem strangely de-contextualised. Arguably, listening to music as an end in itself is actually quite a new idea, so does it really matter?
Parents-to-be play Mozart to their fetuses in the womb, but this missionary zeal seems to wane when children are old enough to have tastes of their own. Commentators champion ‘participation’ in music for the social benefits they claim it brings, while staying mute on how to listen and make value judgements. With worries over ‘noise pollution’, deafness caused by loud pop concerts, and even concerns that orchestras mustn’t play Sibelius at full blast because it contravenes EU legislation on workplace safety, sound often seems something we’re supposed to protect ourselves from rather than relish.
But can our listening be too safe in a more critical sense? Within our own listening worlds, do we embrace the diverse, new and challenging music that is increasingly available? Enthusiasts insist classical music is better than all the rest, but doesn’t learning how to listen mean being able to appreciate all genres equally? Shouldn’t we be more critical in what we listen to, rather than seeing the same old classics as heritage to be preserved? And isn’t it even more ‘elitist’ to insist classical music is great without explaining why?
This debate is in partnership with ‘Hear Here!’ – the UK’s first classical music project dedicated to listening – presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM and supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Rachel Halliburton deputy editor, Time Out London; theatre writer, Independent, Financial Times and Evening Standard | |
Professor Philip Hensher professor of creative writing, Exeter University; columnist, Independent; novelist; author, The Northern Clemency | |
Ivan Hewett chief music critic, Daily Telegraph; professor, Royal College of Music; broadcaster; author, Music: healing the rift | |
Tom Hutchinson clarinettist; teacher; arts project manager, Royal Philharmonic Society | |
Karl-Erik Norrman founder and secretary-general, European Cultural Parliament; former Swedish ambassador; author, The Gala Concert, Verdi/Wagner 200 years | |
Chair: | |
Sarah Boyes
freelance writer and editor; assistant editor, Culture Wars; editor, Battles in Print 2010 |
In our distracted, noisy world, the art of true hearing has been lost in the din.
John Naish, The Times, 27 October 2009Mindless, clichéd, indiscriminate cheerleading is the last thing classical music needs just now, as it finds itself increasingly challenged to prove its relevance in the multicultural, anti-elitist, pop-saturated arts climate of the 21st century.
James Oestreich, New York Times, 10 August 2009The composer friend I referred to recently who loves most new music but doesn't like Feldman told me why: he doesn't care for his harmony. Well, I had to grant him that. Your typical late Feldman piece starts out with a pitch set like B-C-C#-D, and while sometimes there's a third thrown in so it's C#-A-C-D, he doesn't vary a lot in that respect.
Kyle Gann, Arts JournalPostClassic blog, 7 August 2009Paul Morley, a music critic for 30 years, couldn't tell you what a minor chord is. How did a year studying at the Royal Academy change him?
Paul Morley, Observer, 12 July 2009Word came across the transom the other week of a new website called “musoc.org.” Its aggressive stance is that classical music is simply better than other forms of music. Actually, it maintains that other forms of music aren’t music at all.
Anne Midgette, Washington Post The Classical Beat blog, 3 July 2009