Does music make you a better person?

[andrewmoquin]

Just curious. We are talking about classical music. If yes, in which sense? If no, why?

Any thoughts and ideas guys? Thanks!

[Enzo]

What is this, some kind of topic for a class?

Does music make me a better person? What is "better?" How is that judged and by whom? And what about the music? Listening to it? Playing it ourselves? Playing alone? Playing with others? Listening while doing something else like studying?

Why classical music specifically? Real "classical" music or just symphonic music in general? Dreary violin and oboe noodling? Or manly stomping Wagnerian stuff? Tinkly Bach crap or "Night on Bare Mountain?"

[Steve Conner]

I heard that Hitler liked classical music, so it must be a force of pure evil.
But then I heard Deepak Chopra likes it too, so maybe it's not that bad after all.

Also how apt, a Gibson Robot Guitar for a robot with advertising links in his signature. Consider this the start of your Turing test.

[Enzo]

If Deepak Chopra likes classical music, does that mean classical music is mindless psychobabble nonsense?

[Mark Hammer]

Music is so fundamental to the human experience across both culture and human history, that anyone who could not appreciate music in some form would likely come up short with respect to understanding people.

Not a question of being a "better" or "worse" person, but certainly a case of being a more functional or less functional member of a social species.

I highly recommend this book: The Origins of Music - The MIT Press I've only read a half dozen or so chapters in my copy, but one comes away from it with a profound sense that music is as basic to our species as smiling or speaking or pointing.

[mbratch]

It's been said that music sooths the savage beast.

But does it make someone a "better" person? Better in what way?
The answer is probably not, at least not in all cases, since there are examples where it hasn't. At least not in any observable way (the "better-o-meter" when held up to the peson didn't register a higher number). Hitler liked Wagner's music in particular. Both people were race supremacists. Wagner's music served to arouse Hitler's notions, if anything.

"Tinkly Bach crap"?? Wow.

[Enzo]

Oh please, it was just a little colorful rhetoric.

Often misquoted:

William Congreve (1670–1729)
Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak

[mbratch]

Originally Posted by Enzo

Oh please, it was just a little colorful rhetoric.

Often misquoted:

Hey, I only said "wow". No worries Enzo. It's just hard to tell what a person is thinking when it's blithely stated in a post.

And thanks for the correction on the quote. Still supports the point.

[Enzo]

Yes, the quote still works.


I am an old fart, and while I don;t care if others use them, but I just can;t bring myself to use smilies and other emoticons. To me, they make me think of young girls drawing little hearts to dot their "i"s. I know that the world has moved on, but in my head... well I just can't use them. SO I take my chances someone may misread my intentions.