How to Listen to All Music Like a Composer

In audio lecture, you will learn to perceive, think about and understand music from the craftsman's perspective. We carefully listen to excerpts of first-rate songs and compositions from various eras and styles, analyze them, and build up to a practical understanding that will let you approach many aspects of music, music making and music enjoyment that are typically only accessible to (some) trained musicians. No prior musical knowledge is needed.

We start out by focusing on pieces written for the original instrument – the voice. What are the characteristics of the voice? What do they imply when it comes to writing for it? Why do vocals in popular music often sound much closer to normal language than in classical compositions? What kinds of factors make great vocal music great and subpar vocal music so uniquely irritating?

Using knowledge gained from these analyses, we reflect on the driving forces behind music history, on what musical styles are and why they exist, and connect the dots between seemingly distant musical phenomena in a manner that will enable you to hear and understand nuances in classical as well popular music which you perhaps not only didn't think about before, but likely never noticed. On the way, we are bound to discover old and new music you will love for the rest of your life.

Who am I, and what do I know about listening intelligently?

I am a German composer, currently based in Athens. I began my music education as a baritone in a number of choirs across different countries. Before moving to Greece, I lived in Venezuela for several years, performing and recording music with the musicians of El Sistema's world-renowned choirs and orchestras, as well as the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela.