I once had a discussion like this with my brother who was involved in sacred opera (rare, I know). The opera was atonal and my brother felt that it sounded "evil," not sacred as the opera claimed. He had trouble with the quality of the libretto too, but that's another story. While he isn't so small minded to end the discussion on a first impression like that, it poses an interesting question. Is how a person reacts to music based solely on culture (learned), or is it innate? I suppose this goes back to the whole "nature vs. nurture" arguement, but I'm interested in the list's opinion. My brother ended up having to quit the opera because of some bad directorial calls and he didn't want to be associated with an opera he felt would fail miserably. He told the director as much when he left. On opening night, people left before intermission. My brother had a much better time playing Gianni Schichi (Puccini). Personally, I wasn't raised in a musical family and never knew what temperment was until college. However, when I heard perfect intervals for the first time my body experienced and instant relaxation. Just the experience of a first generation musician, I don't know if it's worth much. Heather Barson _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
