Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I’m currently reading Aaron Copeland’s 1939 guide What to Listen for in Music. The admission is funny, I know. Haters are welcome to make lacerating jokes at my expense.
The composer’s reference to his "Piano Variations” compelled me to study the 1930 piece. Its revolutionary disjunctions shook me. If I hadn’t previously absorbed “Piano Variations,” what other fundamental milestones are unknown to me?
The penalties of being an autodidact are severe. I’m upset that “Piano Variations” has been concealed by the classical establishment, although I confess to not properly registering the piece on Daniil Trifinov’s 2024 interpretation.
Even worse, I’m now obligated to reassess my deeply felt opinions of the work of artists including Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor. I guess I need to relearn what to listen for in music.