It is a mistake to reason that belief can be mistaken. WC
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I'm content to repeat it: It's a mistake to believe > there is a "the" meaning > of 'understand', and certainly when "appreciating" > "art". The notion that > being able to sing the tune is a good guide to when > to use the phrase > 'understanding the music' strikes me as ludicrous. I > don't know who that speaking > aesthetician was, but she sounds dismally > uninformed, or, more likely, irremediably > stupid. > > One of the running giggles in my family -- including > giggles from my wife -- > was the way she has never been able to sing a note > or hold a tune or repeat a > tune -- but no one was more appreciatively seized by > Pavarotti at his best. > If the aeshetician had ever been in a hall and > experienced the moments when, > at the last note of one of Pavarotti's good arias, > 99% of the audience would > spring exultantly to their feet, levitated and > throbbing with what his voice had > just done to them. It had noting to do with THEIR > being ble to hum the > "tune". In truth, the word 'understanding' would > never have come to my mind to > describe my feelings at those times. It's not a word > that I would expect to stir in > someone else's mind anything like what was in mine, > but such stirring is what > using words aims at. > > I WOULD -- and did -- use the word to convey my > sense of what was in > Pavarotti's mind (and I found that the other music > professionals around him agreed): > Luciano "understood" "where the music is" in a given > passage. I sat in on some > of his one-on-one teaching sessions as he led > students to where the "music" > was. His accompanist once said this to me of > Luciano, who was mediocre at > reading scores: "'Musicianship'? -- not so much. But > musical, musical, musical!" The > accompanist and I were, so to speak, "talking about > the same thing", and we > both knew we were, and yet it wouldn't occur to him > to use the word " > understands". That 's not because there is any right > or wrong about the usage. Where I > might say Luciano "understood" where the "music" is, > the accompanist would say, > "Luciano SEES where it is, he HEARS it!" > > > ************** > Get trade secrets for > amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" > on AOL Food. > > (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
