Listening to classical music – experiences and attitudes.

Abstract

Why do we play music? Why do people listen to it? What does it do to us? This master thesis is an attempt to get a clear yet diverse picture of the effects that classical music has on a listener. It is a broad subject that has been discussed in philosophy and psychology for centuries. In the first chapter this work briefly goes through the history of the question, starting in the ancient Greece and finishing in our time. Its second chapter is an experiment with a small group of people that share their experiences in listening to classical music. The subject is looked into considering different points of view.