A genuine discipline?
If one is involved in Music, even as a keen listener without the added pleasure
of performing, one's attention should be fully engaged. 'Yes', you may say, 'what else?'.
Should we not also agree that listening in this keen sense is a genuine discipline?
Allow the merest distraction and things immediately dip below the level of perception
that properly receives music during every phase of its development.
The sadness -- tragedy even -- is the readiness of people other than the
musically inclined to talk during music in performance -- except usually in
a room or hall designed for music-making. Elsewhere, music takes second place.
Some may argue that this distinction is understood and acceptable.
We music lovers sometimes need to be firm with the less caring in the less
obvious situations. Some readers may care to contribute to this matter of
opinion.
Copyright © 20 February 2006 Basil Ramsey,
Yorkshire UK
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