Topic: What is the music listener's task?

[Mandryka]

What I mean is, I guess the job of the composer and the musicians is to make some noise. What's the listener supposed to do? Buy a ticket for the concert and then sit back and let it effect them? Or something else?

How do listeners interact with the musicians and composer? Is it all one way -- they receive while the others give? 

[Maestro267]

I suppose for a concert audience the interaction is more between the listeners (ie. the audience) and the performers on stage.

[(: premont :)]

What I mean is, I guess the job of the composer and the musicians is to make some noise. What's the listener supposed to do? Buy a ticket for the concert and then sit back and let it effect them? Or something else?

How do listeners interact with the musicians and composer? Is it all one way -- they receive while the others give?

The listeners job is to listen. It's only when listeners are present and listen, that the sound waves in the air, which the musicians produce, become music.

How the listeners do listen to the sounds is their own responsibility - they do not need to listen in any special way. But their reactions may or may not stimulate the musicians to give their best in performance.

I see the listener as someone, who first and foremost receives. What he/she may be able to give the composer and the musicians is acknowledgement, but I do not se this as a part of the listening proces.
 

[Mandryka]

Is it the listeners job to evaluate? To understand? To explain?

[San Antone]

The listeners job is to listen. It's only when listeners are present and listen, that the sound waves in the air, which the musicians produce, become music.

How the listeners do listen to the sounds is their own responsibility - they do not need to listen in any special way. But their reactions may or may not stimulate the musicians to give their best in performance.

I see the listener as someone, who first and foremost receives. What he/she may be able to give the composer and the musicians is acknowledgement, but I do not se this as a part of the listening proces.

You seem to be leaving out of the listening process the performer himself. 

Is it the listeners job to evaluate?

Absolutely not!

To understand?

Possibly?

To explain?

No.

To listen is to be open and as uncritical, non-judgmental as possible. At least that seems to be the best way to listen, or IOW, the way to allow for an unadulterated listening experience to occur.  If a listener is busy evaluating, trying to understand, or explaining, their brain is in the past while the music that is present is flying by.

[TMHeimer]

As a listener I want to simply be entertained. I do like the spectacular, but also what's interesting, pleasing or relaxing.
I do get bored easily and will seek a change in genre.
As a performer my attitude is very different. Play everything to the best of my ability and be deserving of my pay, regardless of my feelings toward the piece.

[Mandryka]

You seem to be leaving out of the listening process the performer himself. 
 

very good point!

[Mandryka]

I started this after reading this comment of John Cage

RK: Are some pieces better than others


JC: Why do you waste your time and mine by trying to get value judgements? Don't you see that when you get a value judgement, that's all you have. They are destructive to our proper business, which is curiosity and awareness.

[Iota]

To listen is to be open and as uncritical, non-judgmental as possible. At least that seems to be the best way to listen, or IOW, the way to allow for an unadulterated listening experience to occur.  If a listener is busy evaluating, trying to understand, or explaining, their brain is in the past while the music that is present is flying by.

Well put, I absolutely concur with all of this. It is what I always aim for, but do not always achieve.

[(: premont :)]

You seem to be leaving out of the listening process the performer himself. 

Not at all.

But from the listeners point of view it ia difficult to distinguish between the composer and the performer, particularly if you are unable to read a score. The usual listener has not got the ability to distinguish between the score and the performance.