This brings up an interesting point.  I have always wondered how someone
with no musical knowledge or 'education' can listen to a large structure
of say the first movement of Brahms first piano concerto (24 minutes or
something?) or the first movement of Mahler 3 without getting completely
lost.  I am sure if my music teacher had not explained sonata form to me
it would have been a big barrier to my CM appreciation.  Having said that
however, the piece which got me into CM was Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.
Didn't really understand what all the fuss about the 2nd movement was
(though I do now) and always thought the 3rd was flippant (though I don't
now), but I could hum from beginning to end the first movement (and the
cadenza!) and form was never an issue, and it shouldn't be if the piece
makes sense structurally.  Of course, knowing 'what' sonata form is and
actually being able to pick out the elements while you are listening to
it are very different things.  Probably took me a year and a half before
I really knew how sonata form worked.  My education has also taught me to
listen to things better.  Some people have the ability to hear a piece of
4 part harmony and just write it down but just being able to hear a bass
line was difficult enough for me.  I think I solved that by listening to
the LH of the Goldberg Variations a couple of times.  Only experience can
really teach you to 'appreciate' though.  Hours upon hours of listening to
things that you don't understand until it clicks - I don't think I really
get the nuances of ANY CM piece until I have listened to it 3 or so times.
That is the difficulty and the reward that comes from listening to CM.
Sorry, this seems to have turned into one of those 'stream of conciousness'
emails.

David Stewart
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