Does it help? Does it hurt? Does it matter? Our minds so love to put things in boxes. We can’t help it. And it can be satisfying in an innocent, enjoyable way....
As for Schönberg, our local music announcer once threatened listeners that if they didn't cough up X amount of dollars in the next hour we were going to have a Schönberg festival.
And Theory was one of those things that Artur Schnabel considered it doesn't hurt to know.
SW here. I also don't listen to Schoenberg when I listen for "pleasure" to music or when I need a good cry because a composition of music is so beautiful, even though it is complex, it rips my heart out. But I do listen to Schoenberg when I try to understand the chaos of reality. Not beautiful, but it gives me a sense of control over the results of chaos. BTW, Schoenberg did write a book called "The Theory of Harmony."
As for Schönberg, our local music announcer once threatened listeners that if they didn't cough up X amount of dollars in the next hour we were going to have a Schönberg festival.
And Theory was one of those things that Artur Schnabel considered it doesn't hurt to know.
SW here. I also don't listen to Schoenberg when I listen for "pleasure" to music or when I need a good cry because a composition of music is so beautiful, even though it is complex, it rips my heart out. But I do listen to Schoenberg when I try to understand the chaos of reality. Not beautiful, but it gives me a sense of control over the results of chaos. BTW, Schoenberg did write a book called "The Theory of Harmony."