[Nicolai P. Zwar]

I’m rather reductionistic at times, I believe complex things can and should be understood by breaking them down into their simpler parts. So I take a look at the most basic components.

When it comes to music, it’s quite interesting. No one really even knows why some people enjoy music so greatly, others don’t. Basically all cultures have some kind of music, though Western Classical music is rather unique (and learned), as you can write hour long compositions with precision that allows a hundred musicians, singers, etc. to coordinate exactly what they are doing and when. But since the music is quite sophisticated, it seems the appreciation of that music is something that may be at least partially “learned”.

Anyway, why do people listen to music? Lots of reason, of course, but they basically all come to to one thing: because they enjoy it. So basically, music is there to be enjoyed.

So I have a guiding principle I find often “true”: if there are two people arguing about the value or worth of a piece of music, one who enjoys it, the other does not, I tend to think the one who enjoys it is “right”, because that’s what the music is for. If I don’t enjoy a piece of music (and obviously, there’s a ton of music I don’t enjoy at all), well, that piece of music may just not be for me, if someone else enjoys it, well, good for them. That’s a bit how I think about these things.