How We Listen Aaron Copland Summary

“How We Listen” by Aaron Copland. Listening to music can be split into three parts to be analyzed better: “(1) the sensuous plane, (2) the expressive plane, (3) the sheerly musical plane” (Copland 939). The sensuous plane is the pleasure the music itself gives off onto people. It’s why many people put music on while doing other work, as it’s enjoyable without even thinking about it. There is no thought about it, because it’s natural and innate. The next part is the expressive plane, which is the emotion and feelings that the piece of music provides. Arguably, all music has this plane, although some songs have more of it than others. It also involves the meaning the song as well. There is a meaning to music, but expressing this idea

Emotion, tone, and mood exemplifies the expressive plane, “Music expresses, at different moments, serenity or exuberance, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of subtle shadings and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language” (Copland 940). Thirdly, music finally exists in the actual notes, rhythm, melody, harmony, and tone that the song is composed of: the musical plane. While many, if not most, of the consumers of music are not actively aware of this plane, musicians are notorious for being too obsessed with it. The reason that Copland split up music into these parts is for better understanding. People don’t exactly differentiate between them when listening, they combine the three, without thought, effortlessly. Ideally, listeners would actively understand, enjoy, and appreciate the work of art; the standard that people should aim for. Bohemian Rhapsody contains many intricate parts, but it can be analyzed through the lens of Aaron Copland's "How We Listen", discussing the ideas that music allows an escape from reality, music creates emotion and moods in numerous ways, and music is listened to by combining