So we’re currently having to read this beastly book for out anal(ysis) tutes. The initial idea of this was pretty daunting. This is because I find most of what is loosely termed as ‘classical’ pretty boring. To me, the experience of listening to classical music is similar to the experience of having a conversation with someone that just agrees with everything that you say. It’s pleasant, yet uninspiring. I’d probs rather listen to like, Rihanna, or something like that. This is the kind of opinion that most of the academic world of music would quite happily categorise as juvenile, and probably incorrect. Don’t get me wrong, if you like Mozart, that’s totally cool and fine, listen to it and love it and I’m very happy for you all. But seriously, reading this book is basically just, step by step, totally validating my opinion. What real purpose is there in sitting and listening music that is so specific to a certain period’s society that it is essentially completely detached from our culture. I mean, the average 21st century listener has nothing like the same kind of insight into the different ‘schema’ (as Gjerdingen calls them), the topical harmonic patterns that the composers employed over and over again in different guises (hence the all sounding the same part). It’s sort of like if you just landed in an 18th century courtly dinner or something, there’s no way you could really appreciate and interact with what was going on because their mode of interaction was completely different. I kind of see it in the same way. I feel like I miss so much of the intricacies of this kind of music just because I wasn’t brought up with them, because they are stale and old and we live in a totally different world now with a completely different artistic approach. This is probably the most interesting stuff I’ve read on ‘classical’ music, and I respect the music all the more for that. But It’s the similar kind of objective historical respect that I might have for a cave painting or something bizarrely archaeological like that.  So I don’t understand why as a music student and a music lover, I am obliged to like it.  Anyway, rant over. If anyone actually reads this please argue with me because that’ll make it more interesting. I’m only really writing this because I can’t read anymore since there is a guy with a circular saw outside me window. Blargh.