Listening Preferences

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke May 11, 2006

Last week, I decided to find out what readers of the Classical Music section at Suite101 prefer when it comes to listening to music. The majority of you voted for the live performance, and I must say that I am sympathetic to that choice myself. The live performance allows the audience not only to experience the music itself, but also to interact with the performer. Every performance will be just a little bit different, since the performer feeds off the reaction he or she senses in the audience.

The next most popular choice was the recording. A recording offers the listener a polished version of a work of music, and you don't have to strain to hear the pianissimo sections over the coughing of the person seated next to you.

The least popular choice was the iPod. Apparently most classical music listeners prefer to experience their music interactively. However, as perhaps those brave two voters who chose this option might have realized, the iPod lets you experience music in a space of your own. You don't have to worry about disrupting other people's aural space and you can travel quite easily with this small, portable device.

Thanks all for your participation in this poll, and stay tuned for upcoming opinion and preference polls in the future.