Two Questions.

[(poco) Sforzando]

A. Is there any type of classical music that you dislike to the point of avoidance.

B. When does music cease to be music.

I realise this will be a subjective topic and may even raise the question of "What is music?"   

A. Anything modern British.

B. When it is not.

[PerfectWagnerite]

A. Anything modern British.

Personally the qualifier modern is unnecessary.

[Scion7]

which leads to the conclusion, MI, that you don't actually consider stuff from prior to the Romantic Era to be music at all (because you're not moved by it and can't relate to it).  Did you really mean that?

M.I.'s a work-in-progress.  The serum is almost ready, and I'll post when it is time to vote on his ... future.   

[(poco) Sforzando]

Personally the qualifier modern is unnecessary.

I like Gilbert and Sullivan.

[PerfectWagnerite]

I like Gilbert and Sullivan.

Me too, at least they don't take themselves too seriously.

[DaveF]

M.I.'s a work-in-progress.  The serum is almost ready, and I'll post when it is time to vote on his ... future.   

Are you talking about his adventures in his local urology department?  Sounds as though they may be interfering with his normally clear thinking... 

[Scion7]

No, I'm not keeping up on that.  There is an experimental serum extracted from crushed boll-weevils we plan to try out on him. 

[(poco) Sforzando]

A. Is there any type of classical music that you dislike to the point of avoidance.

B. When does music cease to be music.

I could of course answer:

A. Anything modern British.

B. When it is anything modern British.

[vandermolen]

A) with a few exceptions I rarely listen to opera but that is my blind spot. I can't stand Country and Western music but that is not classical.

B) difficult question. If a piece of music can not be appreciated in terms of either form, structure and/or meaning and feeling it is difficult to see how it works as music.

[Mirror Image]

B) difficult question. If a piece of music can not be appreciated in terms of either form, structure and/or meaning and feeling it is difficult to see how it works as music.

This is basically what I was trying to say. Leave it to Jeffrey to make my initial "thoughts" (if you want to call the rubbish I posted here an actual thought) and turn them into something that completely makes sense or at least makes sense to me.

[(poco) Sforzando]

B) difficult question. If a piece of music can not be appreciated in terms of either form, structure and/or meaning and feeling it is difficult to see how it works as music.

B) Can't agree. Places too much power on the listener, and what one listener cannot appreciate may be appreciated by another. The modern music problem once again: Boulez is unfeeling! Stockhausen is meaningless! Messiaen is incoherent! (Well, actually he is.)

[Ken B]

Me too, at least they don't take themselves too seriously.

Sullivan took himself immensely seriously.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

A. I tend to like the music I listen to, although I do avoid country music as I tend to find it the most boring genre! (not to say that it's all bad though, some of it I do enjoy)

B. I don't think there is any answer I can give to this based on my prior knowledge of music because of how rooted it is in a western tradition. We think about music and what music is from such a western perspective that even when we hear something like an Islamic azan we may relate it to European plainchant or similar monophonic vocal music. Even the first time I heard it I thought, wow what a beautiful melody...but this really only shows my western perspective of music. In reality, azan isn't even considered to be music but rather a type of elevated speech for a call to prayer. Music is something that is created in different ways in every single culture and their understanding of what music is and what it is for is different wherever and whenever you are in the world. Whatever our conclusions are as to what is music and what isn't music is going to be heavily influenced by the cultures we surround ourselves in. Yep, even some guy whose views I agree with wholeheartedly on this issue is victim of this, as am I. Drawing up the 4'33 example and also asking about whether sounds can be listened to by a listener who intends to listen to the sounds as music has roots in certain cultural influences and is in no way universal.

[Andante]

So if a piece of "music" lacks form and meaning it is not music, how about melody and measure (bars/beat) they are what music was built upon and for me are still the basics of what I call music if they are missing or if you need a degree in theoretical physics to determine them then what is the point.

[Brian]

Same! Though not to the point of total avoidance, to be fair.

I think music activates the same areas of my brain as language does, and when you put the two together, they come into direct conflict with each other. Or something like that. I still rarely listen to most English-language music and especially anything with English narration in it.

Exactly this and all of this, for me. Plus, as a person who writes (words, not notes) for a living, the lyrics of songs often drive me crazy, including English-language classical, pop, and a lot of sappy, over-simplistic jazz/blues.

I can't listen to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with a narrator. That's why the only recording I can stand to hear is some cheap USSR recording from early '90s Sony, where they didn't bother hiring one.

[Brian]

Sullivan took himself immensely seriously.

Great, now I want to rewatch "Topsy-Turvy".

[kishnevi]

Exactly this and all of this, for me. Plus, as a person who writes (words, not notes) for a living, the lyrics of songs often drive me crazy, including English-language classical, pop, and a lot of sappy, over-simplistic jazz/blues.

I can't listen to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with a narrator. That's why the only recording I can stand to hear is some cheap USSR recording from early '90s Sony, where they didn't bother hiring one.

Who were the performers?  I need that.

Actually, I grew up with one featuring Peter Ustinov, but don't know the orchestra or conductor.
And the PDQ Bach version should be good for at least one listen.

[Jo498]

Exactly this and all of this, for me. Plus, as a person who writes (words, not notes) for a living, the lyrics of songs often drive me crazy, including English-language classical, pop, and a lot of sappy, over-simplistic jazz/blues.

I can't listen to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" with a narrator. That's why the only recording I can stand to hear is some cheap USSR recording from early '90s Sony, where they didn't bother hiring one.

Wow, I am puzzled by this. Maybe I am misunderstanding but it seems like a fairly basic deficiency in some very "natural multitasking" almost all of us have been able to do since our mothers sang lullabies for us. Or since we first listened to Peter & the Wolf. Or watched a movie with noticeable music. Or sang something ourselves.

[Brian]

Who were the performers?  I need that.

Here we go!
[asin]B00000298Z[/asin]
Comes with the unusual coupling "Tales from an Old Grandmother".

[(poco) Sforzando]

Great, now I want to rewatch "Topsy-Turvy".

Careful: it's got a lot of English-language vocal music in it.