Response for 10-31-11

For Nietzsche, "good music" seems to be very different from the heavy German and Italian operas. He mentions how the music is "light," "rich," and "precise." It has a beginning, a climax, and an end, unlike the "infinite melody" of Wagner. Another aspect of good music is that it makes one feel like a better person, a better musician and listener, in a completely unconscious manner. While listening to "good music," a person doesn't notice the effect the music has on them until it is over with and they are done listening. Bizet's music is very different from the currently popular music in Western Europe. Nietzsche describes it as "African" and "Moorish." I think that he's implying that the music is very pure, very much in-tune with the true emotions and the reasons behind those emotions. He mentions how good music is allowed to "redeem," even though that has been a common thread through Wagner's operas. Good music relates directly back to nature, unlike the "actors" and "theatrics" of Wagner's opera.