Musical Aesthetic

This is a post I wrote as an assignment for my class on the culture and history of American music. Since I haven't posted anything on here for quite a while, and have wanted to blog about music for some time, I thought I would go ahead and post it here as well. I hope you enjoy!

I listen to two types of music and my aesthetic for each is quite different. The first is hymnody, which I listen to and sing not so much for enjoyment as for prayer, confession, and/or consolation. When it comes to hymns the lyrics are of utmost importance to me. Meaningful and profound hymns which truthfully confess what I believe are my favorite songs of all. If the musical setting is pleasant, that is a bonus, and if it fits and uplifts the words, that is even better. Ultimately, though, the words are of far more importance to me. The tune is simply a nice, but not absolutely necessary means of uplifting words which are beautiful on their own. Some of my favorite hymns are Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (written by Johann Olearius and translated by Catherine Winkworth), Christ the Life of All the Living (written by Ernst Christoph Hormburg and translated by Catherine Winkworth), Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands (written by Martin Luther and translated by Richard Massie), O Love, How Deep (written by Thomas à Kempis and translated by Benjamin Webb), Thy Strong Word (written by Martin H. Franzmann), I Bind unto Myself Today (written by St. Patrick and translated by Cecil F. Alexander), Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared (written by Samuel Kinner and translated by Emanuel Cronenwett), and Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart (written by Martin Schalling and translated by Catherine Winkworth). For those who may be interested, these hymns can be found at either cyberhymnal or http://lutheran-hymnal.org/

The second type of music I listen to is secular music, which of course encompasses quite a lot. I have grown up listening to a wide variety of music, and have developed a taste for music from many genres, periods, and regions. As eclectic as my tastes are, however, my mood really plays a huge role in determining what sort of music I like to listen to at any given time. When I am simply relaxed I prefer mellow music that is emotional but not necessarily "exciting." This could include classical or modern instrumental music, such as Beethoven or Explosions in the Sky, pop rock such as Coldplay, U2, The Killers, or Muse, some country, such as Steve Azar, Big & Rich, Halfway to Hazard, Tim McGraw, or Keith Urban, or some softer songs by rock artists, such as Jet, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Staind, and Demon Hunter. On the other end of the spectrum, when I am working out on my own, running errands, or simply needing to relieve some stress, I prefer the strong beat, powerful vocals, and screaming guitars of harder rock and metal, including Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, Black Stone Cherry, Audioslave, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Seether, as well as any number of rock artists from the 70's and 80's, including AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, and Bon Jovi. When I'm traveling I enjoy just about anything with a good rhythm and good vocals which will keep me awake without requiring my full attention.

Regardless of my mood, a few things are almost always true about the music I am drawn to. First of all, I am usually far more interested in the tune and other musical qualities than the lyrics. In general I do not even care much what words are set to the music, as long as the music is great. If the lyrics of a song are very offensive, or simply ridiculous, that will usually be enough to turn me away, but whether I can relate to them or not really does not matter much to me. If I find that I can relate to the words or that they are particularly interesting that is for me, like a good tune for a hymn, little more than a nice bonus. I suppose I just tend to prefer other forms of storytelling. However, I do usually prefer music with vocals. The human voice is perhaps my favorite musical instrument, so to speak, and I love to sing along with songs. In fact, vocals are often my favorite aspect of the songs I am drawn to, and catch my attention more than anything else. After vocals string instruments, including especially the piano, guitar, and violin are my favorite instruments, but I also love many others, including wind and percussion. I like some simple songs, but I often find that the more instruments and harmony a song has, the more I like it.

There are a few other common features which I find in most of my favorite music. I usually tend to prefer songs with some sense of seriousness or gravity to songs which are more carefree or lighthearted (though not always). I also usually prefer songs in minor keys, or songs which progress from minor to major chords. I don't always like songs which are melancholy or "angry" in tone, but I do prefer songs which seem contemplative on some level, and have a sense of depth to them. Again these things are not always true--I do occasionally really enjoy simple, upbeat songs, but that is the exception rather than the rule. There are essentially no genres which I will completely rule out, as I have found at least some music from every genre I have heard which I like. However I rarely like music played on the radio, and even when songs by artists I like are played on the radio they are not usually my favorite songs by those artists. My favorite genres, however, are those represented by the artists I listed above.

This post has been a bit long, and I apologize for that. I am not particularly pithy, but I hope that I have at least given a fairly thorough and understandable verbal explanation of my person musical aesthetic. Below I have posted a link to one song by each of the artists I mentioned, which should help to demonstrate my aesthetic a bit further, for anyone who may be curious.

Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven
Your Hand In Mine by Explosions in the Sky
Amsterdam by Coldplay
Miracle Drug by U2
All These Things That I've Done by The Killers
Undisclosed Desires by Muse
Empty Spaces by Steve Azar
Deadwood Mountain by Big & Rich
Takin' Me On by Halfway to Hazard
Comfort Me by Tim McGraw
Stupid Boy by Keith Urban
Move On by Jet
Cat and Mouse by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Epiphany by Staind
The Tide Began to Rise by Demon Hunter
One by One by Alter Bridge
Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin
Blind Man by Black Stone Cherry
Gasoline by Audioslave
Edge of the Earth by 30 Seconds to Mars
Fallen by Seether
Thunderstruck by AC/DC
Flying High Again by Ozzy Osbourne
The Trooper by Iron Maiden
You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi

-Zachary Stuckwisch