Listening to Music serves as the textbook for Yale University's music appreciation course. Since the beginning of this year, I've been studying alongside Yale's open course, completing all lectures and course materials while listening to the accompanying online music references. The experience has proven highly rewarding.
This book primarily explores Western classical music, with introductory and concluding sections covering foundational musical knowledge and a global overview of music. The open course doesn't strictly follow the textbook. The first dozen or so of over twenty lectures focus on music theory, paired with appreciation and analysis of representative musical works. Some sections are quite challenging, and those without musical background might find parts difficult to grasp. Later lectures trace the history of music development based on the textbook. The course also features guest artists performing live instruments or opera excerpts related to the topics, which are truly spectacular. It makes one envy Yale's teaching resources.
For the average person, appreciating classical music presents certain barriers. Music can be viewed as a language that evolved independently across regions. Western music later adopted notation, effectively giving music a written form. This standardized and theorized development facilitated easier transmission. Non-Western music, however, relied primarily on oral transmission and heart-to-heart teaching, leading to the potential loss of much knowledge over time. Western music established standardized systems for pitch, tempo, and rhythm. While this imposes certain constraints—unlike the greater freedom and improvisation found in non-Western music—it allows for gradual development upon previous foundations. This knowledge is preserved through sheet music, shaping today's mainstream musical traditions.
Everyone's musical preferences are unique. The benefit of studying this course is that when you encounter music you enjoy, you can use your knowledge to identify its origin, era, and composer's style. This allows you to explore similar works and discover more music you'll love. Of course, AI can now recommend music based on your listening habits, but its accuracy remains limited. Discovering music independently undoubtedly offers greater satisfaction. Another benefit is gaining insight into music's expressive language—such as how major keys convey joy and minor keys convey sorrow—which enhances your appreciation of how film scores advance narrative.
Textbooks primarily cover music's historical evolution, but to truly master appreciation, you'll need to watch lectures and actively listen to relevant music. This course's core purpose is to help you discover music's beauty and cultivate a lifelong love for listening.