The Complete Music Listener: The Next Level of Comprehension, Appreciation, and Sophistication

Many avid concertgoers continue to grapple with questions about how to enjoy and actively listen to music. How can I tell if this was a good performance? Should I be doing more homework to prepare myself for the performance? How can I judge the quality of the ensemble giving the concert? Is there a special way to listen to modern music? This class is designed to answer these questions and more, helping participants to appreciate the artistry of great performers and composers.

Stephen Kleiman holds an M.M. in music composition from the University of Michigan and was an orchestra conductor in Europe and music director of the National Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

Materials List

Recommended:
Adorno, Theodor. Essays on Music. Ed. Richard Leppert. Trans. Susan H. Gillespie. University of California Press, 2002. ISBN: 0520231597.
Bernstein, Leonard. The Joy of Music Leonard Bernstein. Amadeus Press, 2004. ISBN: 1574671049.
Copland, Aaron. What to Listen for in Music. Signet Classics, 2011. ISBN: 0451531760.
Dewey, John. Art as Experience. Perigee Trade, 2005. ISBN: 0399531971
Hanslick, Eduard. On the Musically Beautiful: A Contribution Towards the Revision of the Aesthetics of Music. Trans. Geoffrey Payzant. Hackett Pub Co, 1986. ISBN: 0872200140.
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics. Ed. Michael Inwood. Trans. Bernard Bosanquet. Penguin Classics, 1994. ISBN: 014043335X.
Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaning in Music. University of Chicago Press, 1961. ISBN: 0226521397.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program.