Reclaiming the lost art of listening to music

[usonian]

3. Lots of things going on here.

I grew up listening to Dad's stereo. Much as he was a "big bands" guy (who also got some comedy records from his brother, who worked at a radio station), he had a knack for classical music. Mom had some faves. Perhaps, she attended some symphony concerts (BSO, of course) and especially loved Handel's Largo from Xerxes (Serse), The Last Spring from Grieg, The Dream Pantomime from Hansel and Gretel, Brahms' 4th symphony, Sibelius' second symphony ...

Also stuck in my memory are Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, Respighi's Fountains and Pines of Rome and Church Windows. Probably Afternoon of a Faun. Scheherazade and Russian Easter Overture are rattling around my memory banks. AND (this is big) Rosenthal's arrangement of tunes from Offenbach, titled "Gaité Parisienne", featuring the Can Can, and countless memorable tunes.

This is heavy nostalgia!

Mom would put the BSO and Tanglewood concerts on the FM, and of course, the third part of the concert would be popular selections chosen and conducted by Arthur Fiedler, conductor extraordinaire and honorary member of the Boston Fire Department. I can see his "BFD" hat, and the urban dictionary meaning came through.

And that's why I am so familiar with the works of Leroy Anderson, composer of "Sleigh Ride" and so many others.

OK time to grow up, and get work to buy stereo gear. Started simple (and kinda cheap ) with KLH and AR stuff. Fortunately for me, I was strongly interested in the music itself, piano and electronics, so I know exactly where this guy is coming from. Since speakers and electronics were really expensive on the high end, I never broke that "audiophile" barrier (thank goodness, I wanted electrostatic speakers so much).

And my go-to music, besides some lovely Richard Strauss, was often pieces that I wanted to play on my own, and my first "Music Minus One" was a record (still have it), later one cassette (thank goodness only one) and later CD's, now downloads.

But the point here is that I engaged at all levels (not quite to playing against the orchestra-only track), hearing, seeing the score and later taking a stab at playing. It was a deep experience to both see and hear, and I even got some opera vocal scores, though life was often too busy to sit and read an entire opera.

My speaker journey was modest, things like KLH Model 17's, some JBL L-100's.

It wasn't until much later that I found some Klipsch Heresy speakers at the thrift store for $50 the pair, and have not ventured from them for decades. Try the Klipsch legacy line if you can afford it. They are still being made. Your listening experience will be transformed. There is so much art in speaker design and manufacture that I have avoided DIY speakers.

I never went off the deep end with amps. A Dynaco Stereo 35 tube amp and 120 solid state amp were as sophisticated as I got. A Crown amp is still serving today.

All in all, it's the music, and I always favored things I could play (or try to). Even with my limited skills, to touch the keyboard knowing that Brahms touched those same keys is a spiritual experience. And Mozart? Fuggedaboudit!

Some symphonies, concertos and operas demand an undivided sit and listen, though classical pieces run longer than the ones mentioned. I have posted pieces on DU, the likes of Brahms concerti, Rachmaninoff (and Bernstein) symphonic dances both for symphony and piano transcription. (two players/pianos).

Recordings, regardless of format, vary wildly in sound quality and equalization. Such is life in the "listening" lane.

Gotta have fun, too.