4 ms·

I am not a musician the calibre, or even near it, to Gould but I completely, utterly disagree about live music. Maybe he preferred the recording studio, but why

by marquis 12y ago

I am not a musician the calibre, or even near it, to Gould but I completely, utterly disagree about live music. Maybe he preferred the recording studio, but why would you want to take away live music from the tradition! It's like watching a chef make food on TV instead of being where you should be when it comes to food: in the kitchen and dining room, smelling all the smells. Edit for those not agreeing: try sitting under or near a grand piano with your eyes closed. Your body experience is completely, utterly different than listening to the same music over even a very good stereo sound system. Being in the same room as an orchestra or even small chamber ensemble gives you a fully physical experience. It's not just your ears being involved, when listening to music.

gcv 12y ago
As far as "classical" music goes, I can definitely live without the synchronized audience coughing between movements. Or the fact that you can only applaud at the end of the piece, no matter that a prior movement might have ended on an energetic forte and the last movement on an introspective pianissimo. Or the upraised eyebrows you inevitably draw if you're under 70.
evanlivingston 12y ago
I have to disagree. When listening to a recording, you hear all the music. A more fitting analogy would be tasting and eating the food without seeing the chef prepare it.
- nkuttler 12y ago
  No audio system comes close to sitting in front of a symphony orchestra with a hundred or more different sound sources.
  - oalders 12y ago
    This is absolutely correct, but for choral music Janet Cardiff's 40 Part Motet might actually come close. http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/inst/motet.html http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/inst/motet.html
    - rspeer 12y ago
      Better than close. When in real life would you get to hear a choir of that caliber, and just walk into the middle of them singing?
      - oalders 12y ago
        Yes, I suppose that's usually frowned upon during the performance. :)
deleted 12y ago
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by marquis 12y ago

gcv 12y ago

As far as "classical" music goes, I can definitely live without the synchronized audience coughing between movements. Or the fact that you can only applaud at the end of the piece, no matter that a prior movement might have ended on an energetic forte and the last movement on an introspective pianissimo. Or the upraised eyebrows you inevitably draw if you're under 70.

evanlivingston 12y ago

I have to disagree. When listening to a recording, you hear all the music. A more fitting analogy would be tasting and eating the food without seeing the chef prepare it.

nkuttler 12y ago
No audio system comes close to sitting in front of a symphony orchestra with a hundred or more different sound sources.
- oalders 12y ago
  This is absolutely correct, but for choral music Janet Cardiff's 40 Part Motet might actually come close. http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/inst/motet.html http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/inst/motet.html
  - rspeer 12y ago
    Better than close. When in real life would you get to hear a choir of that caliber, and just walk into the middle of them singing?
    - oalders 12y ago
      Yes, I suppose that's usually frowned upon during the performance. :)

deleted 12y ago

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