Good music is defined by its capacity to change the listener unawares
Evidence
My dad, a musician for much of his life, says that this is actually the definition of good music: music that “sneaks up on you” and changes you. — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 471
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Popular music reduces listening to effortless recognition rather than new understanding — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 267; Sound perception is shaped by the listener’s expectations and context of use — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2494; Listening well demands openness to being transformed — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 224 (+3 more)
- yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Popular music reduces listening to effortless recognition rather than new understanding — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 267; Sound perception is shaped by the listener’s expectations and context of use — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2494; Listening well demands openness to being transformed — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 224 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Listening well demands openness to being transformed
#corroborates(0.92) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 224 - Popular music reduces listening to effortless recognition rather than new understanding
#complicates(0.85) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 267 - Under standardized musical production, liking a piece reduces to recognizing it.
#complicates(0.82) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 68 - Mass music’s regressive listening confirms rather than merely diverts its audience
#complicates(0.80) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 96 - Approved musical charms make listeners reject unfamiliar sonorities as dissonant
#complicates(0.72) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 97