Meeting at the border of music and humanities
The most intelligent journey

"Why We Listen to Music" is a humanistic journey that looks into human life through the window of music.
It covers almost everything about music surrounding the humanities, from the history, culture, and philosophy of music to the impact of music on humanity.
Why are we so drawn to music? Whether we're sad or happy, we often seek out music to listen to.
Music is at the heart of our lives and has been a part of human history for a very long time.
"Why We Listen to Music" awakens us to the mysterious power of music, which is so closely connected to us and sometimes so powerfully draws us in, and explores its principles together.

This book is structured to flow organically, like a symphony.
The content flows naturally, like a symphony being played, from the influence of music on human emotions, to the order and form of sound, to the diversity of music across cultures, to the essence of life.
Basically, it introduces background knowledge about music and classical masterpieces, but above all, the essence of this book is to deal with the human being who listens to music and his or her life.
While existing music education books mainly introduce classic masterpieces or cover background knowledge and theory of music, "Why We Listen to Music" stands out in that it focuses on the humanities surrounding music.
Reading this book will be an intellectual journey that explores the meaning of life at the intersection of music and the humanities.
Let's enjoy and savor the moment when the pleasure of listening changes to the pleasure of understanding.

Music isn't just for the ears.
The moment we listen to music, a wonderful phenomenon unfolds in our brain.
When a melody begins, the brain begins to move like an elaborate orchestra.
Sound first stimulates the eardrum, and the vibrations of the eardrum are transmitted through three small bones (ossicles) to the cochlea.
Mechanical vibrations are converted into electrical signals that travel to the brain via the auditory nerve, activating multiple areas of the brain simultaneously.
--- p.26 From “How does music move emotions?”

Classical music is essentially the art of time.
It naturally draws out the audience's breathing and emotions through an organic flow of strength and speed.
It is far from the mechanical repetition of rhythm.
The tempo slows down and then accelerates.
The rhythm varies unpredictably, creating countless layers of time-lapse within a single song.
--- p.66 From “What is the difference between classical music and popular music?”

The music flows continuously.
It changes every moment and never goes back.
But in it we remember certain sounds and follow certain structures.
Form is the framework that gives order to the flow.
Form is the invisible framework that makes up music and the point where it meets the listener's memory.
The reason you can feel where the melody repeats, where the tension builds, and when it releases is because music has structure.
--- p.
115 From “Why Does Music Need Form?”

Music is invisible.
It cannot be grasped in one's hand, nor does it remain anywhere.
Music is an art that exists only when it flows.
The music we listen to requires that moment to pass before the next sound arrives, and that the next sound must continue to flow to create a melody.
--- p.207 From “What Does Music Want to Say?”

In Symphony No. 9, 'Choral', Beethoven undertook an experiment that went beyond the conventions of the time.
The last movement introduces a 'chorus'.
It was unprecedented for human voices to be added to a symphony that had previously been composed solely of orchestral music.
The passage Beethoven chose was Friedrich Schiller's poem An die Freude.
The phrase “All men shall be brothers” was a symbol of freedom, solidarity, and universal humanity that Schiller defended throughout his life.
--- p.274 From “Is pain a gift or a curse for artists?”

Some art continues to move us through the ages.
Some art, no matter how beautiful, leaves us with a sense of distance.
Art cannot be completely free from ethics, nor can ethics completely dominate art.
It is up to the viewer to ponder the subtle boundaries between them.

--- p.304 From “Should an artist’s life and work be viewed separately?”