ABSTRACT
By the point of view of the listener I mean the point of view of someone who listens to music for its intrinsic rewards. Accordingly, there are two aspects to the listener’s attitude to music. Firstly, the listener listens to music. He does not merely hear the music while he is engaged in some other activity that occupies all or part of his attention and which the music is an adjunct or stimulus to or a distraction from or an enhancement of-as when music is danced or marched to or accompanies rhythmical labour or provides a background to a social gathering or is used to induce a mood appropriate to a ceremony. The listener’s attention is focused on the music. Secondly, the listener listens to music in the knowledge or hope that he will find the experience of the music intrinsically rewarding and not solely with some other end in mind.
