Everybody has a musical blind spot.  Most people do not like every genre of music.  Even though this class and many of my other classes are based on classical music and opera, I have yet to find any interest in it.  Sure I know a lot about it because of the classes I am taking but I don’t find myself listening to it on my free time.  Composers like Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart and hundreds more were super intelligent to say the least.  Their music is very complex and sounds nice but I just don’t feel anything when I listen to it.  When I hear opera I know how talented you have to be to sing that way but again no emotions come through me.

The author Tom Huizenga says that you are supposed to like some types of music but I disagree with that.  I am not supposed to like anything.  No one can make me like any type of music even though I know how talented this people are.  I do respect them and their music but that’s about it.  He uses Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 in his article.  As soon as I listen to this piece I want to turn it off.  In class we were talking about vocal and instrumental music and which one is more superior to you.  This makes me realize that vocal music is more superior.  I feel the music much more when someone is singing (not opera).  This piece has a lot of energy and is very happy.

I agree with the critic when he says, “The Haydn bug has yet to bite me.”  Many people love Haydn’s music and especially because he is basically the father of the symphony and string quartet.  It’s hard for me to identify pieces of classical music if someone is just playing it.  I can easily identify mainstream music or artists like Lady Gaga, Adele, and other pop or electronic music.  Yes I said it.  I can compare to this music, the beat and melodies make me feel excited and not bored.  How can I compare to Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 or any others for that matter.  The only way I can is if I’m in class and have to listen to it.  I’m sure my professor wouldn’t be happy about this but the truth is better than pretending, right?

I feel like most of our generation want to listen to music that can make you get up and dance.  This symphony doesn’t do that at all.  In the video I was watching, the Berliner Philharmonic is performing the Symphony No. 98.  In the front of the crowd you see a little girl falling asleep and it just proved my point even more.  This genre is slowly dying.  I feel terrible saying it but Haydn isn’t the man anymore, Jay-Z is now.  Many people may disagree with me but I believe I am speaking for the majority.  Classical music and opera will always be my blind spot no matter how much I learn about it or write about it.

This is the article by Tom Huizenga.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/02/03/146365081/where-are-your-musical-blind-spots