Your listening habits – listening with full attention or while occupied?

[Kullervo]

Its difficult to fall asleep while listening to Beethoven's 3rd Symphony wouldn't you agree??

Funny, I listened to that last night despite being dead-tired. No, I didn't fall asleep.

[Grazioso]

Most of the time, with full attention because it's more enjoyable, and classical music, like any serious art, demands full attention to be fully understood and appreciated. If I wanted background music, I'd listen to Kenny G

[Wanderer]

Both, depending on the music I'm listening to and the amount of free time I have.

If it is an unfamiliar piece/composer, I let it play in the background a few times and start to pick bits and pieces of it as well as the general atmosphere of the music.

That's my method, as well.

[greg]

Its difficult to fall asleep while listening to Beethoven's 3rd Symphony wouldn't you agree??

Funny, I listened to that last night despite being dead-tired. No, I didn't fall asleep.

I must be insane then.

[Kullervo]

I must be insane then.

Do you not like Beethoven?

[MN Dave]

Do you not like Beethoven?

Of course he doesn't. He worships MAHLER.

[Kullervo]

Of course he doesn't. He worships MAHLER.

Does... not... compute...

[The Ninth]

With full attention, if at all possible.

Background music in restaurants and in stores annoys me. I don't like music to be on if I can't concentrate on it properly.

[Greta]

Well, I usually listen to much calmer things than Beethoven symphonies at that hour...

[greg]

Do you not like Beethoven?

Only when he sounds like Brahms! 

[Earthlight]

I used to have music on a lot of the time, but I gave up because I was wasting electricity and not really hearing anything. Occasionally I'll put on something I downloaded and/or burned off of eMusic or someplace while I'm working, just to find out if there are any dropouts or obvious flaws.

I do most of my serious listening late at night.

If I want or need "background music" (like if I'm in a lousy mood, or there's construction going on outside, or somebody got shot in our driveway and I want to drown out the anguished cries), I'll put on a jam band or Jefferson Airplane.

Background music in restaurants and in stores annoys me. I don't like music to be on if I can't concentrate on it properly.

I once quit a job because I didn't want to be forced to listen to some crappy "soft rock" station that had ads from a local used car dealer every twenty minutes. One person got to decide what we were all going to listen to for eight hours, and I had philosophical problems with that. The job was terrible anyway.

[Symphonien]

Of course he doesn't. He worships MAHLER.

But... isn't it possible to like both? I certainly do.

Anyway, most of my listening is done at night with full attention on the music, or else I set aside some time during the day. Other than that, I will sometimes listen to it in the background while on the computer - but never while studying or doing work.

[Kullervo]

But... isn't it possible to like both? I certainly do.

Me too. Actually I was remarking last night on the similarities (and also the great differences) between the funeral marches from Beethoven's 3rd and Mahler's 5th. I wonder if Mahler had that movement in mind when he wrote the 5th.

[MN Dave]

But... isn't it possible to like both? I certainly do.

Of course. I was joking. 

[Renfield]

I like/prefer listening to music with rapt attention. I want to take in every note and every nuance, and that's that!

But in practice, that only happens for about 70-80% of my listening time. The rest is spent listening to familiar (usually symphonic) classical works while doing household chores, or thinking something over, or starting my day; I also enjoy this.


For new recordings of familiar pieces that I expect a lot out of, and especially for music entirely new to me, the "isolated" approach is the only one that can properly "do it" for me. But otherwise, it depends on my mood and the circumstances, as well.


Edit: Oh, and I generally listen "raptly" only during the night. But since I'm also generally awake throughout most of the night, that's doesn't pose much of a problem. At worst, I listen to a full symphonic work before going to sleep, unless I'm completely exhausted.

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

Actually I was remarking last night on the similarities (and also the great differences) between the funeral marches from Beethoven's 3rd and Mahler's 5th. I wonder if Mahler had that movement in mind when he wrote the 5th.

And B3/M5 make the only funeral march of Sibelius, In Memoriam, op.59. Sibelius uses all ingredients a funeral march needs, still it doesn't get as deep as the Adagio of Eroica. Very enjoyable music though. Snippets are here.. The revised version is much better, the original version too "chaotic". The Lahti/BIS recording has a very good sound.

[Kullervo]

And B3/M5 make the only funeral march of Sibelius, In Memoriam, op.59. Sibelius uses all ingredients a funeral march needs, still it doesn't get as deep as the Adagio of Eroica. Very enjoyable music though. Snippets are here.. The revised version is much better, the original version too "chaotic". The Lahti/BIS recording has a very good sound.

Interesting disc, Wurst. I don't know any of these pieces, and I haven't heard the original Lemminkäinen in Tuonela. I've added it to my wishlist.

[greg]

Me too. Actually I was remarking last night on the similarities (and also the great differences) between the funeral marches from Beethoven's 3rd and Mahler's 5th. I wonder if Mahler had that movement in mind when he wrote the 5th.

Probably, since usually composers have in mind a type of "model" (although i think the march from the 1st symphony is even closer of a model).
I do like that march from Beethoven's 3rd, just most of the other stuff (like the Finale)...... 

[Renfield]

Probably, since usually composers have in mind a type of "model" (although i think the march from the 1st symphony is even closer of a model).
I do like that march from Beethoven's 3rd, just most of the other stuff (like the Finale)...... 

Ever tried Karajan's last recording with the BPO, or Furtwängler's war-time live concert recording with the same orchestra?

[greg]

Ever tried Karajan's last recording with the BPO, or Furtwängler's war-time live concert recording with the same orchestra?

Nope, though i have tried 2 different recordings (although i doubt they are really that GOOD). It's more a matter of his use of harmony, that's the only way i could explain..... the overall feeling you get when you just know that the music doesn't connect with you....

It mostly has something to do with major key works in the classical period- more specifically, both Mozart and Beethoven. If it's a major key work, I'm almost surely not going to like it unless it's written by Schubert or maybe a late Haydn symphony. Minor key works by Mozart or Beethoven are kinda like..... hm, maybe i might like it. Maybe not. Such as the Mozart Am piano sonata, which I love. And then there's Beethoven's 5th, which doesn't do anything for me.

When I hear it, it's like, wow.... this motif is really repetitive and monotonous, and then the second subject is in a totally unrelated, calm, major key, wtf!? Why doesn't he do something like a built-up death march and have sirens and when it goes into something major-ish, it could be distant instead of right after the first subject. Just sounds very bad to me, maybe some type of explanation would help.