How We Listen To Music Aaron Copland Analysis

In his article “How we Listen to Music”, Aaron Copland (1988) states that music is listened to on three different planes. Copland describes them as the sensuous plane, the expressive plane, and the sheerly musical plane. The reasoning for listening to music for the pure rhythm and harmony is the sensuous plane. The sensuous plane is where “one turns on the radio while doing something else and absent mindedly is engendered by the mere sound and appeal of the music” (Copland). People who apply this plane to their life tend to listen to music as a release. They turn the music on to drift away into a place that is comfortable to them. The sensuous plane is a vital component to the musical feel but it does not provide the full picture. The second …show more content…
Music is powerful and can cause people to dig deep in order to find its true meaning. However, two people may never agree on the meaning of a song because they interpret it differently. Another point is that “themes or pieces need not express only one emotion” (Copland). People can grab multiple emotions from a single piece. These emotions can allow people to go different places in their head and even to reflect on their life. In the end, music can give many meanings that simply cannot be put into words. The third plane is the sheerly musical plane. This is the plane on which music exists in the notes and their manipulation. Most composers spend too much time dwelling in the third plane. When a someone is playing on the corner, the listener “either hears a pretty melody or he/she does not, and he/she generally lets it go at that” (Copland). Composers pay too much attention to the specific details that an average listener may not even notice. Copland compares the third plane to the plot and plot development in a …show more content…
For example, Asimov has no idea when it comes to fixing his automobile. Asimov’s auto mechanic fixed his car every time it was not running properly. Although the auto mechanic could not score well on an academic exam, he was intelligent in his own trade. Asimov states that “in a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something indicate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly” (Asimov). Asimov explains that if he had to take an intelligence test for carpenters, farmers, or anyone but an academician, he would prove to himself that he is a fool. The intelligence that one possesses is relevant to his or her career field. For instance, a scientist does not need to know how to defend a building against a threat. It is not in the scientist’s job description. Just how the security professional does not need to know how to run lab tests. It is simply not possible to learn every different type of trade. That is why different people specialize in different trades. At the end of Asimov’s article, he explains that the auto mechanic always told his jokes. The jokes were simple but Asimov could not understand them and answer correctly. The auto mechanic states that he caught him because he is too educated. The auto mechanic could be picking on his street intelligence. Many people who have high degrees of