Re: GG: Mistakes on Well Tempered Clavier ???!!!

[jerry and judy <jerbidoc@zianet.com>]

>> Have you heard Gould's Brahms recordings? They are about as romantic as
>
> No, and this is a good point to comment a problem that I have (I
> think).
>
> It's a bit "off topic" ...
>
> I don't like many music composers, except Bach, Chopin, Schummann, and
> before-baroque composers. Brahms is a unknown composer for me, and the
> works I listened from him are very boring, IMHO.
>
> I like some works of others composers, like Beethoven, Delibes, but
> only some works from them. And what I like more is piano music. I
> don't like many of orchestra works. I am boring when I hear Wagner or
> Beethoven (among many composers) orchestra works.
>
> And specially (here I don't want that some people be angry with me) I
> don't like Mozart. I don't like his music, I think it is very simple,
> with no special feeling. Sometimes I think if Mozart thinks that
> people is stupid and that he wants to be tricky with us. I think about
> his music (please, don't be angry with me...) as stupid music. It is
> simple, too simple, like Vivaldi. When I finish hearing a Mozart
> recording I think "what differenc are beetwen this and the rest?".
>
> Summarizing I only like baroque composers, Chopin and Schumman, and
> some piano works from Beethoven. My musical taste is very limited, I
> don't want this.
>
> I want that I like other composers, but I CANNOT !!!
>
> What can I do ?
>
>			Xavier

The short answer is listen to a greal deal more mature Mozart, works with
Kochel numbers higher than K. 400 or so, and try to imagine what his point
was, beyond the melodies.  What aspect of life was he attempting to
describe in the musical language of his day.  The late string quartets and
quintets are much less *simple* and they contain a world of *special
feeling*, so don't give up on Wolfie too soon.

You make a valid point, audiences of Mozart's time were less sophisticated
overall and they could be positively influenced by musical tricks and
gimmicks.  Mozart had to deal with popular tastes and *stupid* people
because he never had a long term patron, as was the case with Haydn and the
sons of Bach.

You do seem to have a minor disadvantage which is fairly rare among music
listeners.  Your ability to quickly recognize themes is working against
your more underdeveloped sense of perceiving a big picture view of a piece.
Most neophytes cringe at the complexities of baroque music, nor are they
ready for the 'trenchant' Romantic musical style of Schumann.  Many people
start out with the more melodic sets of works (in Mozart and Vivaldi) and
only later, graduate to Bach and Handel.  Now pre-baroque composers are
even more of an acquired taste because you have to have quite a perspective
to be able to discriminate between the superior and the merely mundane of
pre 1650, you've been lucky here?  As for Wagner and his ilk, if you keep
listening over the decades the late romantics will become familiar enough
so that you can relate them back to Bach and Chopin! that's the way it
works as you gain the experience.

One of the lasting joys of music involves the recognition of the full
historical sweep of musical development and how each (famous) composer had
a intergral part to contribute.  You're well on your way, keep this as your
goal, but have fun with it.  You'll formulate many more opinions along the
way and they will change and grow inevitably.

Jerry
Amateur pianist
Part time piano tuner
Retired meteorologist