Do you find music to be more meaningful with words in general or without?

[Ren]

For me it was John Williams, recently it was Mozart's piano concertos (I can read while listening to them), but I'm looking for other artists (can't just listen to one, limits my horizon). Any suggestions of brilliant pieces?

Here are some suggestions for you.

Rachmaninov: Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Prelude in G Minor, Piano Concertos 2 and 3
Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata, Appasionnata, Tempest, Symphony 5-7-9
Chopin: Ballads 1 and 4, and all the rest really
Lizst: Mazeppa
Dvorak: Symphony of the New World
Smetana: Moldau
Malher: Symphony 5

This could go on forever, really ^^ If I had to choose, one, it would have to be Piano Concerto 2 by Rachmaninov. 7:00 to 8:00 below is my favorite minute in the history of music:

To speak about more "recent" stuff, are you familiar with the work of Philip Glass? I love this man very much.

 

[Eventhorizon]

For me it was John Williams, recently it was Mozart's piano concertos (I can read while listening to them), but I'm looking for other artists (can't just listen to one, limits my horizon). Any suggestions of brilliant pieces?

Apparently my mind doesn't work that way. I have sat in bars where they have trivia games with friends and family on various occations and astounded at how much information about a mish mash things they have in their heads. I suck at trivia. Give me a problem to solve, ask me to figure out how something works and I can do that. I can vastly improve the efficiency of processes. Figure out exactly where and why things fail. I can name a few wines or scotches that I like. I hardly ever remember the names of songs especially the long names they attach to classical composition. I generally just find a classical station and leave it on. It's all good.

 

[Ren]

@Eventhorizon I actually relate to what you're saying by "I suck at trivia". I believe I know a few things really well, obsessively well probably, and from many angles. But I've never been interested in "looking for information just for the sake of it". I've never ever won at Trivial Pursuit, which is kinda frustrating. Maybe this is partly evidence that I don't possess Ne. I usually engage with stuff for a purpose, and as long as I can fit it within a broader purpose, even if that purpose is only obvious to me. Not a good improver of processes though - I guess that's the Fe instead of Te

Now, to answer your thread's question. I think I enjoy music with words and music without words equally. I like how classical music is 'pure' music, in a sense, how it does not intend towards a particular object, it has no 'aboutness', it's very abstract and yet at the same time, very moving. Sometimes though, I do enjoy my tortured lyricists, because their words can capture some deep truths too. I'm big into John Darnielle at the moment. Do you know him? He's the founder of the Mountain Goats.

 

[Eventhorizon]

@Eventhorizon I actually relate to what you're saying by "I suck at trivia". I believe I know a few things really well, obsessively well probably, and from many angles. But I've never been interested in "looking for information just for the sake of it". I've never ever won at Trivial Pursuit, which is kinda frustrating. Maybe this is partly evidence that I don't possess Ne. I usually engage with stuff for a purpose, and as long as I can fit it within a broader purpose, even if that purpose is only obvious to me. Not a good improver of processes though - I guess that's the Fe instead of Te

Now, to answer your thread's question. I think I enjoy music with words and music without words equally. I like how classical music is 'pure' music, in a sense, how it does not intend towards a particular object, it has no 'aboutness', it's very abstract and yet at the same time, very moving. Sometimes though, I do enjoy my tortured lyricists, because their words can capture some deep truths too. I'm big into John Darnielle at the moment. Do you know him? He's the founder of the Mountain Goats.

Are you sure? Mountain goats have been around for a really really long time.

 

[Ren]

Okay, I laughed, even though I was expecting a little more engagement with my thoughts x)

 

[Ginny]

I suck at trivia.

I hardly ever remember the names of songs especially the long names they attach to classical composition.

It has nothing to do with why or how I remember whose music and what pieces it is that I like. I concede that your mind does work differently, and you may not value it the same way I do. But my knowledge of which pieces I like has nothing to do with trivia, because for me it isn't trivia. I remember what I like for 3 reasons:
1. Emotional investment helps me remember. (I guess this is why you don't, we value information differently)
2. I see the name of a piece or song every time I select it (or when I look at it to see what it is once I hear a snippet I particularly like, so I can find it later and listen to it again).
And seeing something very often tends to keep it on my mind, if I value the information.
3. It has to do with discerning what I (don't) like and why I (don't) like it in the grand scheme of my taste, not just in music.

Maybe this is partly evidence that I don't possess Ne.

You do, you don't use or value using it. And please, do correct me if I'm wrong, but Ne has nothing to do with being good at Trivial Pursuit.

 

[Ren]

@Ginny You're right, I don't really think Ne has much to do with being good at Trivial Pursuit.

I guess I'm just sore that my INFP brother always crushes me at it, so I'm desperately looking for functional reasons why this is so

 

[Eventhorizon]

It has nothing to do with why or how I remember whose music and what pieces it is that I like. I concede that your mind does work differently, and you may not value it the same way I do. But my knowledge of which pieces I like has nothing to do with trivia, because for me it isn't trivia. I remember what I like for 3 reasons:
1. Emotional investment helps me remember. (I guess this is why you don't, we value information differently)
2. I see the name of a piece or song every time I select it (or when I look at it to see what it is once I hear a snippet I particularly like, so I can find it later and listen to it again).
And seeing something very often tends to keep it on my mind, if I value the information.
3. It has to do with discerning what I (don't) like and why I (don't) like it in the grand scheme of my taste, not just in music.


You do, you don't use or value using it. And please, do correct me if I'm wrong, but Ne has nothing to do with being good at Trivial Pursuit.

I wasn't suggesting it's trivia only that I can't think of music to recommend to you because i do not attach names to it in a way in i can remember. I would like to remember names...hell I don't even know the names of some of the people I've been working in the same building with for years.
So this was in no way suggesting negativity, only that I am not really capable of suggesting music to you.

 

[Ginny]

I wasn't suggesting it's trivia only that I can't think of music to recommend to you because i do not attach names to it in a way in i can remember. I would like to remember names...hell I don't even know the names of some of the people I've been working in the same building with for years.
So this was in no way suggesting negativity, only that I am not really capable of suggesting music to you.

It's okay, then we just don't remember things the same way. Memory itself is just so damn hard to get a hold of for me, I'm happy if I remember what I did today a week from now.

 

[Misty]

I was going to say with.. But... These days I am finding my Ni and my Fe are really being pulled much harder by music without words. What I mean to say is that music with words forces you in the direction the writer wants you to go, which doesn't leave much room for personal interpretatons.. And for me I am discovering that the words, have become a distraction.. a barrier or wall of sorts that block the true depth of intense emotions that I can glean from what spills forth from those notes alone.. A story I cannot listen to over preselected lyrics. A story that unfolds if you sit still and truly listen. Here is an example. A song I just found and love.. Listen. Do you hear what I hear? Such depth of emotion.. An entire story being told.

 

[Happy Phantom]

EH, great thread topic! Your poll could use a few more choices but whatever.

I like both. Classical music is an obvious choice and as for music with lyrics, I’m a sucker for a song that tells a story.
“Before Eric was ready to leave for Miami to record Layla, Pattie asked me to get her some pairs of these jeans we used to wear called Landlubbers, which were hipsters with two little slip pockets at the front. She had asked for flared rather than straight bottoms, so I had written Bell Bottom Blues for her.”

Here’s one of my favorite modern day composers.

And here’s my favorite song that tells a story.

And another with meaning.

The question for me primarily stems from a noticeable effect that a lot of classical music has on me. To some extent I liken it to reading as opposed to watching a movie about the same story. Reading allows me to imagine my own version of the world the story takes place in. Music seems much the same way. I like to try to imagine how the composer came up with the music. What source did they draw on to create it? Whereas with words, it seems to trap you into a specific story in accordance to whatever is said.

Right on EH! There are countless ways to interpret music which is why many musical artists won’t share song meanings and prefer to leave the listener to draw their own conclusions.