Richard Tsuyuki asks:

>For those of you who regularly seek and enjoy "modern" music (whether
>it be labeled "contemporary", avant-garde", "atonal", "evil and corrupt",
>etc.): Is your emotional reaction immediate, upon first listen?  Or does
>it take a while to "sink in"?

Any musical style new to listeners will likely take some time to sink
in.  That's why those who merely listen to some new music once or twice
and go away not satisfied haven't really given the music a fair trial.

>Does it depend on the mood you're in, time of day, color of the sofa, etc?

An adverturous and open mindset is all you need.

>Does it change dramatically over long time scales?

Let's hope so.

Also, reading up on the composer's life and psychology can be very helpful
in giving the reader insight into what makes the composer tick.

At this point, it's time to listen to some challenging music and stop
speculating about the results.

Don Satz
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