A classic music textbook that has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.

What does it mean to listen to music? There are as many and diverse music listeners around us as there are types of music, but few of them would consider themselves good listeners.
Except for a few experts or those who have already trained their ears for many years, most people have experienced a kind of huge wall in front of music, especially classical music called 'classical', at least once or twice.
If you have ears to hear and you just need to listen quietly, why do you find it so difficult?

Here, we have a wonderful person who not only kindly explains the reason and comforts us that it's natural to struggle, but also generously shares his expert know-how to help us listen better.
The voice of American music, the world-renowned composer representing the United States, Aaron Copland (1900-1990).
He left behind works such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning ballet “Appalachian Spring,” “Billy the Kid,” and “Rodeo,” and actively participated in composing film scores such as “The Heiress” and “Our Town.”
Copland devoted his life to music, not only as a composer but also as a performer, teacher, committee member, and aspiring conductor.

What to Listen for in Music (original title: What to Listen for in Music) (1938, 1957) is a masterpiece that he left behind as a composer, teacher, and music lover, to help more people feel more familiar with music and enjoy listening to it.
This classic work, which has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1939, is based on a series of 15 lectures of the same title given at the New School for Social Research in New York.
The book's value is demonstrated by its still-sparkling vitality, even after nearly 80 years.
Although various people working in the music field, such as educators and critics, have written various works from their own perspectives, this book is significant in that it is the first attempt to explain the "art of listening" to the general public and music students from the "composer's perspective," an insider in music, and is also a systematic introductory book.

He was a composer who represented the uniquely American spirit of enterprising spirit.
He was also the heartbeat of New York.
It is not fair to dismiss him as just a figure who adorned a page in American history.
Even in a country full of innovators, Aaron Copland was a pioneer and a trailblazer who stood out.
If you were to name a composer born in the United States who has left a distinct mark on the world of music, not many names would come to mind.
That's about all there is to it: Ives, Gershwin, Barber, and Bernstein.
But the top spot on this list rightfully belongs to Copland.
--- p.6 From “Leonard Slatkin (Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra)”

This book is a collection of lecture notes on "What to Listen for in Music" given at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan. It is a book that contains an enormous amount of value that is difficult to measure in its small size.
Copland's book was not the first attempt to translate the experience of writing and listening to classical music into words, but it was the first, unprecedented attempt, to express the way a so-called "insider"—a person who actually makes music for a living—viewed the art world around him.
That is precisely why it has produced so many passionate readers.
--- p.12 From "Alan Rich (music critic)"

During the winters of 1936 and 1937, Copland gave several lectures that laid the groundwork for the publication of this book two years later.
The title of the lecture, like the book, was 'What to Hear from Music'.
The expression 'to bring out' may sound somewhat grammatically awkward, but it carries a nuance that cannot be captured in the boring phrase 'how to listen to music', making it a more accurate expression.
“These are the decisive reasons why this song is so surprising to me,” says Copeland, using beautifully chosen words to constantly remind readers.
--- p.17 From "Alan Rich (music critic)"

Thanks to Copland's teachings, we understand the structural specificity of a Sibelius (1865-1957) symphony, the dramatic impact of a Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) little prelude, and the way a Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) symphonic poem connects storyline and music.
You will learn to apply the lessons you have learned from your heart to other equally excellent works, though not mentioned in this slim book.
When we immerse ourselves in the world of great composers' works, we too become great listeners.
It's not a big deal if you're a little late for dinner.
--- p.27 From "Alan Rich (music critic)"

We musicians are accustomed to reading about technical issues in music from composers who also worked as critics and writers.
(…) There were quite a few composers who were equally proficient in both music and writing.
However, Copland was the first to attempt to explain composition techniques to the general public.
This book is one of a kind, truly unique.
Suppose Rembrandt wrote a book called 'What to See in a Picture'.
Then the status of Copland's book will be assessed.
--- p.38 From “William Schuman (former director of the Juilliard School, first president of Lincoln Center)”

The fate of a single work is fundamentally in the hands of the composer and performer, but it is equally influenced by the attitude and abilities of the listener.
Ultimately, the responsibility for deciding whether to accept or reject a piece or performance lies with the listener.
Musicians know from experience that even when the same piece is performed by the same performers, the response to it varies greatly depending on the audience.
In other words, the quality of music that people perceive fluctuates depending on the level of the listener who receives it.
It's a shame, as music goes, that so many people settle for a sensory response, simply sitting in a bath of emotions and surrounded by sound.
But we must not forget that music has order and structure, that it has not only a sensory appeal but also an intellectual appeal.
--- p.35

The purpose of this book is to 'establish the most clear foundation for intellectual music appreciation.'
'Explaining' music is not an easy task.
I'm not in a position to boast that I can do that job better than others.
However, books on music appreciation tend to approach the issue from the perspective of an educator or music critic, so much so that it could be said that there are many of them.
On the other hand, this book is written from the composer's perspective.
For a composer, listening to music is a very natural and simple process.
There's no reason why other people shouldn't feel that way.
Yet, if I had to explain what the listener should get out of it, who better to do it than a composer who knows every detail of what went into the composition process?
--- p.39

It means that there is no reason to be humble just because you don't understand music.
If you have any feelings of inferiority about your own reactions to music, try to shake them off.
This is because such feelings of inferiority are often unfounded.
--- p.48

What readers should aim for is a more active type of listening.
Whether listening to Mozart or Duke Ellington (1899-1974), a deep understanding of music is only possible when you have an awakened attitude to broaden your perception.
Just listening isn't enough.
You have to try to get down there.
--- p.63-64

If contemporary music, without exception, sounds like a series of dissonant sounds that continue without a moment to breathe, it would be safe to conclude that it is due to a lack of experience listening to contemporary music.
Isn't that the case in most cases?
It's rare to find people who listen to more music these days than they did in the past.
--- pp.123-124

In music, structure is the way the creator of a piece organizes the material logically.
It's no different from other arts.
However, the difference from other arts is that the materials of music are fluid and somewhat abstract.
Because this is the nature of music, the composer's responsibility to build structure can be seen as doubly difficult.
--- p.163

First and foremost, it's important to remember that most creative artists approach their work with serious intentions.
What this means is that it is rare for someone to write a song just to tease the listener.
Therefore, from the listener's perspective, it is necessary to have an open mind and believe in the composer's good intentions.
Composers' inclinations vary greatly in temperament and expression.
That is precisely why contemporary music also offers opportunities for diverse musical experiences that cannot be categorized into just one.
--- p.308

Most people seem to be uncomfortable with music being controversial.
I also don't want to shake up the habits I've built up listening to music.
They want music to be as cozy as a sofa.
I want to roll around on it like a fluffy pillow.
I try to relieve the stress of my daily life and find solace in music.
But serious music has never functioned as a mind-bending hypnotic.
Contemporary music, in particular, is not meant to put you to sleep, but to wake you up.
It is music that is meant to shock and excite the listener, and to make them feel as if their whole body has been shaken or even as if all their strength has been drained after listening to it.
If you think about it, isn't that the very stimulation we expect when we go to see a play or open a novel? Why should music be the exception? --- p.316

What exactly does it mean when we listen to a composer's music? Composers aren't like novelists, feeling obligated to tell a story.
There is no need to 'copy' nature like a sculptor.
A musician's work, like an architect's drawings, has no practical function.
So what does the composer offer us? To me, there seems to be only one possible answer.
What the composer gives is himself.
Of course, the works created by every artist are his own expression.
But in the case of music, the relationship between the work and the creator is much more direct.
The composer, without relying on external 'events', reveals to us the essential part of himself - the most complete and profound expression of his experience as a human being and as a being living in the world.
--- pp.333-334

To be able to freely surrender yourself to music, you must first broaden your tastes.
It's not enough to love music by only focusing on the aspects you've traditionally liked.
Taste is similar to sensitivity, so it is to some extent an innate quality, but it is also a quality that can be developed with purposeful and consistent practice.
That is, we must give equal opportunities to all styles of music, without discriminating between old and new music, or between conservative and modern music.
What is required is listening without prejudice.
As viewers, each of you must take seriously your responsibility.
Whether we're professionals in music or just ordinary people, I hope we all have the attitude of always striving to understand the art of music a little more deeply.

--- p.343