George Marshall wrote:

>Yes I have a few - much of Bartok and Prokofiev for example.  But what
>still surprises me, after more than fifty years of being obsessive about
>music, is how few my blind spots are.  I enjoy almost all works by almost
>all composers.  I could attend symphony concerts and recitals at random
>and without fear of boredom.  This is not true of novels, poems, plays
>or paintings, and least of all of films.  Music is different.  Does
>anyone know why?

I think a lot of it has to do with "readiness" as it is referred to in
education.  There was a time I didn't appreciate Brahms' 4th, any of
Bruckner and Stravinsky to mention but a few.  The change in attitude
can have many causes.  In some cases I have read an analysis of the music
(for example in Michael Stienberg's book) gained an insight and then
returned to the music with a new facet to look at.  In some cases it is
"hearing a piece for the first time".  I thought Schubert's 9th was long
until I happened to hear Furtwangler conduct it.  I was listening in the
car, pulled over and damn near cried it was so moving.  After that I
listened to several other recordings with new insight.

I hesitate to say I don't 'like' a piece of music.  I merely don't
appreciate it at this time in my musical education.  I find Bartok's
Quartets impenetrable.  I keep going back to them but just haven't hooked
up to them as yet.  I will keep trying.

The same is true of literature.  When I was in undergraduate school
I couldn't stand "Moby Dick".  I kept thinking about Ahab and Ishmael.
Then I was reading the Torah and realized that Ishmael was the son of
Abraham that was sent away, an exile.  This was reason enough for me to
get the book out and reread it.  Now I can appreciate it much more since
I realize Ahab is a Don Quixote with an attitude.  In this case the
catalyst seems remote but it worked.

So it goes.

Stumpf