General > General Music Discussion
How does the context in which it was created affect your perception of music?
Sigz:
Something I've been thinking about lately is how my perception of music is colored by the knowing the context of it's creation. Probably the most striking example of this for me is Four Rooms by Jacob Kierkegaard. From his website:
--- Quote from: https://fonik.dk/works/4rooms.html ---This work is a sonic presentation of four deserted rooms inside the 'Zone of Alienation' in Chernobyl, Ukraine, recorded in October 2005.
The sound of each room was evoked by an elaborate method: Kirkegaard made a recording of 10 minutes and then played the recording back into the room, recording it again. This process was repeated up to ten times. As the layers got denser, each room slowly began to unfold a drone with various overtones.
--- End quote ---
On it's own, it's a pretty good ambient drone album. However, knowing the process and work that went into making it gave me a new appreciation for it, and certainly evokes a lot of the rather powerful imagery that accompanies Chernobyl. And to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that. My first instinct is that music should be appreciated on it's own merits, and whatever goes on behind the scenes should be irrelevant, however the very fact that it's changed my opinion of the album tells me that it isn't irrelevant.
What are your thoughts/experiences?
SPNKr:
Most of the time I become interested in how an album was recorded and where. Machine Head was recorded in a hotel room and it sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic.
sneakyblueberry:
--- Quote from: SPNKr on December 22, 2010, 05:44:43 PM ---Most of the time I become interested in how an album was recorded and where. Machine Head was recorded in a hotel room and it sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic.
--- End quote ---
I like the recent plays on your Last FM, BBRRRROOO!!
In answer to the OP, I think knowing the circumstances around the making of an album alters the listening experience drastically. The most recent example I can think of is the Toby Driver solo album, with that little link you posted with the background behind the songs. If I went into that album not knowing that information, it would've just been a weird ass album. As unorthodox as it sounds; its almost essential that you know the context behind the creation of it in order to appreciate it fully.
Jamesman42:
--- Quote from: Sigz on December 22, 2010, 05:42:06 PM ---Something I've been thinking about lately is how my perception of music is colored by the knowing the context of it's creation. Probably the most striking example of this for me is Four Rooms by Jacob Kierkegaard. From his website:
--- Quote from: https://fonik.dk/works/4rooms.html ---This work is a sonic presentation of four deserted rooms inside the 'Zone of Alienation' in Chernobyl, Ukraine, recorded in October 2005.
The sound of each room was evoked by an elaborate method: Kirkegaard made a recording of 10 minutes and then played the recording back into the room, recording it again. This process was repeated up to ten times. As the layers got denser, each room slowly began to unfold a drone with various overtones.
--- End quote ---
On it's own, it's a pretty good ambient drone album. However, knowing the process and work that went into making it gave me a new appreciation for it, and certainly evokes a lot of the rather powerful imagery that accompanies Chernobyl. And to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that. My first instinct is that music should be appreciated on it's own merits, and whatever goes on behind the scenes should be irrelevant, however the very fact that it's changed my opinion of the album tells me that it isn't irrelevant.
What are your thoughts/experiences?
--- End quote ---
Yeah, but we all have experiences that affect our future experiences. There were many other things that led you to that album, all of which were past events, and some of which instilled in you new perceptions/biases/approaches to what you experience next.
A music-listening experience cannot escape that fact. Nobody listens to music without some sort of preset in their mind, due to what they already know. Plus, there are far too many factors to consider (all of the environmental, plus the possible biological prejudices for sound).
I think that that is great, though. We can shape our experiences or gain perspective to gain appreciation for a musical effort. Who knows if previous experiences (maybe previous albums that you hold in a higher regard in that genre) have made your perception of that album the way you saw it before finding out the information behind the process of making it?
Damn good question, Sigsworth.
SPNKr:
--- Quote from: sneakyblueberry on December 22, 2010, 06:00:06 PM ---
--- Quote from: SPNKr on December 22, 2010, 05:44:43 PM ---Most of the time I become interested in how an album was recorded and where. Machine Head was recorded in a hotel room and it sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic.
--- End quote ---
As unorthodox as it sounds; its almost essential that you know the context behind the creation of it in order to appreciate it fully.
--- End quote ---
Agreed with this.
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