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In what ways does Classical music positively effect people spiritual, mentally, etc?

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7K views 85 replies 30 participants last post by  dieter 
#1 ·
In what ways does Classical music positively effect people spiritual, mentally, emotionally, etc? It seems to me that people who listen to Classical music regularly tend to be more spiritually inclined, emotionally stable, intelligent and witty, more romantic, less prone to violence and aggression, etc. The positive nature and beauty of this music must have a profound effect on the soul of a person.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I don't really agree with this, and I don't see how it could be proved. Listening to music of any sort would suggest that a person is patient & has intellectual interests - and listening to classical music probably goes with having a good education, as it's a minority interest that people don't usually pick up from their environment.

Certainly the people I know and knew who like classical music are nice, kind spiritual people - but so are many of the people I know and knew who don't or didn't.

Also I hesitate because I wouldn't like people to think that because I like classical music I consider myself more spiritually inclined, emotionally stable, intelligent and witty, more romantic, less prone to violence and aggression than the woman on the Clapham Omnibus.

Although I am, of course - and more modest, too. :rolleyes:
 
#5 · (Edited)
Have to agree with the above comment, because I was thinking the same, about Hitler's Wagnerian obsession, and he obviously liked art also, Arnold Böcklin's the Isle of the Dead being his favourite if I remember it right. Then there's Lavrenty Beria who loved classical music and his favourite composers were Rachmaninov, Chopin and Berlioz. The Roman emperor Nero loved a musical chord or two as well, and although it wasn't calssical music per se, it was not a dubstep either. Which leads to conclusion that classical music has its benefits and effect on some people to the extent of being spiritually uplifting, because churches and religion use it for a reason, but it is not a panacea for moral ambiguity, depravity or psychotic tendencies..

Edit: If that were the case churches would simply play music and dispence with all the extra-curricular teaching and ten commandments:)
 
#6 ·
My own character has been changed by this music. The depth of emotional expression, the sublimity, the majesty. This music expresses my feelings in a way that I cannot reproduce alone. It allows my mind to think from positions that, alone, it wouldn't otherwise. There's a kind of "wisdom" in this music.

I would like to add that Vladimir Lenin was a huge fan of Beethoven, Joseph Stalin's favorite work of music was Mozart's 23rd piano concerto, and Adolf Hitler was a big fan of the German greats. There's even a video on YouTube of Beethoven's ninth Symphony being performed for Hitler's birthday, a symphony about universal brotherhood and divinity.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Not sure I agree that classical music has this effect on it's listeners: "tend to be more spiritually inclined, emotionally stable, intelligent and witty, more romantic, less prone to violence and aggression, etc."

Whereas I believe that some classical music, if studied can "elevate" the human condition which is what art used to be a large part about (no longer these days, instead the scatological and vapidness seem to be dominant themes in much of modern art), but I'm not sure it has a definitive influence of all the above virtues to the listener.

Music is often a very personal thing, and there are few people that aren't moved by SOME genre of music whether it be classical, jazz, rock, heavy metal, rap, bluegrass, etc. Which is why one of my favorite quotes about music is, "Music is a higher revelation than all the wisdom and philosophy" - LVB.

Music has an ability to reach and touch something in our souls like nothing else can. Bottom line is I have met some angels who love rap and heavy metal, just as I have met some real b@$tard$ who love classical.

V

PS: Let's not forget that Hitler was a big animal lover too. What one likes and dislikes is a poor indicator of what kind of person one is.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I personally think classical music has been a particularly major influence on my life out of all the influences on my life. However, I think what actually happens is a reverse causation/reaction, that classical music doesn't necessarily make people sensitive or thoughtful individuals, but rather classical music attracts people who are already sensitive or thoughtful. Think of how people say musicians score better on the SATs than non-musicians. No, I think it's people who score well on the SATs also tend to like music-making. The correlation is more associative than cause/effect.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Then you have weirdos like me who do poorly on standardized tests, have terrible academic credentials, who don't even work yet still are drawn to things that people think are 'smart.(classical music at the forefront) It's been fooling me all these years and I've been fooling others sometimes, till they figure out I start cussing in frustration when learning how to tie a simple knot. All I have anymore is being eccentric, which apparently is trendy in some dominant circles that most people hate. Hooray for theoretically being able to fit into hipster 'liberal' culture, where all there is for me is to be a meta hipster(hipster) .

How can such a person have been made more intelligent by listening to classical music?
 
#27 ·
Universally speaking, I think classically-based music has a calming effect, and is easier on the nerves than, say, rap or metal music. This is based on the formal aspects of the sound itself: absence of a strong, repetitive beat, lush textures, no persistent drum or cymbal crashes, no excessive deep bass which repeats incessantly, in many cases no voices. You could make a case that these characteristics attract an older, more centered listener, who is in search of calming and centering effects rather than incitements to action.
 
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#30 ·
Classical music's strengths lie in what is not there...no incessant beat, etc. This doesn't necessarily mean that all music with these absences is going to be relaxing. John Cage's Variations IV, with an amplified contact mic being scraped over the strings of a piano, is rather unsettling, similar to nails on blackboard, or like scraping the strings of a piano with a contact mic.
 
#34 · (Edited)
OP: I would say one has to be of a certain sensitive and emotional type to love classical music. If you aren't receptive to it, you will never "get it". I was watching a flick an hour ago starring Maggie Smith as an elderly homeless woman who used to be a fine Chopin pianist, with a budding concert career. The slow movement of Chopins's Piano Concerto No. 1 adorned the movie throughout. Everytime I heard it, tears would well up. However, there was no effect on my companion and she couldn't understand the music's effect on me.
She's just not emotionally sensitive to classical music.
However, she's a great cook, so it's not like it's a total loss!
 
#35 ·
Varick: PS: Let's not forget that Hitler was a big animal lover too. What one likes and dislikes is a poor indicator of what kind of person one is.[/QUOTE]

I will jump into the fire for this.... no person or living being is TOTALLY depraved/"evil"/whatever word you choose to substitute.... something of "goodness" always remains. IMO
 
#36 ·
Varick: PS: Let's not forget that Hitler was a big animal lover too. What one likes and dislikes is a poor indicator of what kind of person one is.
I will jump into the fire for this.... no person or living being is TOTALLY depraved/"evil"/whatever word you choose to substitute.... something of "goodness" always remains. IMO[/QUOTE]

No, humans are totally depraved. Monuments to our depravity are all around us.
 
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#55 ·
I like to see sometimes the value of classical music by seeing what things would be like if the world was devoid of it. What if we only had the popular music of each generation barely passed down to us today? What if today there was only that and the current top 40 hits? We would be left with sea shanties, barroom songs, and those 1940s hits. Anyone ever check out the sheet music from the 1920s?
 
#58 ·
I certainly find quality classical music truly uplifting mentally and emotionally. That is to say when I listen to a Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven for example, I find it very re-assuring that fine art music exists and that I can feel inspired to feel positive about art and art aesthetics. Good art is about building appreciative art sensibilities, not that of degradation.
 
G
#59 ·
I certainly find quality classical music truly uplifting mentally and emotionally.
I certainly find quality pop/rock music truly uplifting mentally and emotionally. In fact I'm pleased to declare that pop/rock has had a positive effect on me for much longer than classical, causing me to do good deeds, be nice and lovely to all, especially fluffy kittens and small children, and refrain from declaring war on Iraq and other Bad Things.
 
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