I grew up listening to classical music because of the influence of my parents, and I was heavily involved in the classical music subculture because I shared a house with a music student.
I gradually stopped listening to classic music as I realized I didn’t really enjoy it and I merely associated it with high status. Now I almost exclusively listen to chiptunes and 90s electronic dance music. This music is much simpler than music I previously listened to (I also listened to metal and jazz), but I’ve made a conscious decision to listen to music purely for enjoyment. I now spend far less effort on thinking about music, but I’m equally happy with it, so I think it’s a win.
Were you listening to classical music of all periods, or just to “modern” classical music? I personally believe that the latter doesn’t cause much pleasure in most people who listen to it, and its (limited) appeal is instead explained largely in terms of self- and public signaling. At the same time, I find that certain works of a few classical composers of earlier periods (such as Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Vaughan Williams [click for examples]) induce in me intensely pleasant experiences.
IIRC, J.S. Bach wrote his keyboard pieces for the harpsichord, which, unlike the modern piano, can’t change it’s volume based on how the performer presses the keys. MIDI is usually played with a similar constant volume, so the MIDI version may actually be closer to how it was intended to sound than the same piece being played by a concert pianist.
If you are fond of synthesized versions of Bach, you should check out Wendy Carlos’s “Switched-On Bach” albums. (Wendy Carlos was formerly Walter Carlos and you might possibly find old copies under that name.)
I grew up listening to classical music because of the influence of my parents, and I was heavily involved in the classical music subculture because I shared a house with a music student.
I gradually stopped listening to classic music as I realized I didn’t really enjoy it and I merely associated it with high status. Now I almost exclusively listen to chiptunes and 90s electronic dance music. This music is much simpler than music I previously listened to (I also listened to metal and jazz), but I’ve made a conscious decision to listen to music purely for enjoyment. I now spend far less effort on thinking about music, but I’m equally happy with it, so I think it’s a win.
Were you listening to classical music of all periods, or just to “modern” classical music? I personally believe that the latter doesn’t cause much pleasure in most people who listen to it, and its (limited) appeal is instead explained largely in terms of self- and public signaling. At the same time, I find that certain works of a few classical composers of earlier periods (such as Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Vaughan Williams [click for examples]) induce in me intensely pleasant experiences.
All periods.
I still like some of J. S. Bach’s keyboard works (especially as MIDI played with FM synthesis), and some minimalist compositions (Steve Reich etc.).
IIRC, J.S. Bach wrote his keyboard pieces for the harpsichord, which, unlike the modern piano, can’t change it’s volume based on how the performer presses the keys. MIDI is usually played with a similar constant volume, so the MIDI version may actually be closer to how it was intended to sound than the same piece being played by a concert pianist.
If you are fond of synthesized versions of Bach, you should check out Wendy Carlos’s “Switched-On Bach” albums. (Wendy Carlos was formerly Walter Carlos and you might possibly find old copies under that name.)