How We Listen to Music by Aaron Copeland

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The subject of this reading log is the article How We Listen To Music by Aaron Copeland. Copeland sets out to analyze the way we listen to music. In order to do so, he deconstructs music listening into three distinct categories. These categories are the sensuous plane, the expressive plane and the sheerly musical plane. He claims that this mechanical and hypothetical division of the listening process will provide readers with a clear deconstruction of how people listen to music. Then, he proceeds to define these artificial-hypothetical planes and applies them to the realities of actual music listening. Finally, he admits that his hypothetical analysis is difficult to grasp and so he applies his analysis by way of example to a play so that it might be better understood by the readers.

The only advantage to be gained from mechanically splitting up the listening process into these hypothetical planes is the clearer view to be had of the way in which we listen (Copeland 2) In this sentence he admits that his division of the listening experience is for the purpose of better understanding the music listening process. For lack of better terminology, one might name these: (1) the sensuous plane, (2) the expressive plane, (3) the sheerly musical plane. (Copeland 2) These are the major categories that he uses to divide the music listening process. There is no need to digress further on the sensuous plane (Copeland 2). The sensuous plane is the easiest to understand because it deals principally with the senses. It is simply how a person feels listening to music. Somewhat more complex is the expressive plain according to Copeland “My own belief is that all music has an expressive power, some more and some less, but that all music has a certain meaning behind the notes and that the meaning behind the notes constitutes, after all, what the piece is saying, what the piece is about (Copeland 3)”. This section is debatable because many musicians hold that music exists for itself and does not necessarily have to evoke any hidden message. Finally the sheerly musical plane. If the expressive plane was hard to define, it is even harder to define the sheerly musical plane. This plane involves the interplay of notes and themes to form a kind of story behind the music. To better understand these planes he applies them to a theater. In theater, the sensuous stage is the stage and the actual physical trappings of the play. The expressive plane is the feeling that the play evokes and finally the sheerly musical plane for a play would be the plot.

Copeland has an amusing and deep understanding of what music is. Understanding his themes is a good way to improve the intelligence of the listener. However, I find it technical and abstract as I tend to stick to the sensuous and sheerly musical planes when I listen to music. Perhaps to better appreciate the music I should delve into the expressive plane. After all, music is a window into the soul of the compose and the message that he intended to impart upon the listener and it would be a pity if my own treatment of music was limited to merely that of one who listens to noise.

References

Copeland, Aaron. How We Listen To Music from What We Listen For in Music 1998.

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