I used to listen to classical music all the time when I was younger. My mother loved classical music, so I am pretty familiar with a lot of the composers and their pieces. However, as I got older, my taste in music changed, and I started enjoying other types of music. But classical music holds a beauty that, to me, no other music can.
Beethoven’s 9th symphony is one I’ve heard a few times. Generally, I listen to classical music when I am reading or studying. I find it soothing, calming, and it helps me to focus. But Beethoven’s 9th is a bit different, and I find it difficult to focus when I listen to this. It is difficult for me to find a clear meaning in this piece. At first, I thought of it as mysterious. Then dramatic. Then happy. Then sad. It is a nice piece, but difficult to place a clear, intended meaning on.
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was different. From the beginning, I thought of a swan, probably because the title of the piece subconsciously forced me to do so. Yet the meaning was clear nonetheless. Tchaikovsky’s song intended to paint a picture of a swan in a lake. Graceful, tall, elegant – a simple beauty surrounding it as it stood in the lake. A peaceful environment. At times, the music got louder and faster, and I pictured the swan being hunted by carnivorous animals, or perhaps human hunters. I am not sure if others interpreted it the same way.
Beethoven’s piece held beauty in its mystery. Tchaikovsky’s was a beautiful picture in itself.
