Chris Parles wrote:

>Barrett, I, too, am a young (14) classical music enthusiast, and have
>been listening seriously to classical music and opera for almost 2 years
>now.

Chris, I'm amazed! I hope I don't sound impertinent for saying this, but
I'm very impressed with the apparent depth of your knowledge of classical
music, at such a young age, and after only two years of listening. Also,
my compliments for giving such good advice (and having written it so
well).

>Second, if you hear a piece you don't like, don't automatically denounce
>the composer and never listen to any of his music again.

Absolutely! One very interesting thing I discovered when I started
exploring classical music (I was 13 I think) was how it usually took
several listenings before I started enjoying a piece music. Somehow,
though, there was enough reward in the first hearing to keep me listening.

Now I'm 43, and have been listening to classical music for 30 years, and
I still need to listen to a new piece several times before I feel like
I really appreciate it.

Here's one explanation of this phenomenon, which I often enjoy sharing
with people: If you compare music with painting, you can see the whole
painting at a glance. To "see", or rather hear, a whole piece of music,
it takes time. By the time you're listening to the end of the piece,
you've kind of forgotten the beginning. To get a mental picture of the
overall structure of a piece of music, you need to listen to it a few
times.

Mike