Actively Listening to the Classics

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/arts/music/30tomm.html?pagewanted=all

I found this delightful article in the New York Times about how the appreciation of classical music may be coming back (slowly, but surely, of course). The author discusses how those who do listen to classical music seem to be so captivated and fascinated but what it does. My favorite line in the article is as follows: "Structure in classical music is the easiest element to describe yet the hardest to perceive." I absolutely adore this statement because it is so true. For an individual, it is easy to feel the emotions and movement that classic music presents, but the real challenge is trying to understand what exactly these feelings signify and what story the composer is trying to tell with the music. The article analyzes what the listeners probably goes through when actively listening to a piece of music so I figured it would be nice to share. Enjoy!