Some interesting points coming out here. I believe that life's too short to listen to music that you don't enjoy.... I've no intention of trying to appreciate Mahler or Stockhausen, for instance. Same with a lot of Sonny Rollins stuff. Bach, for all his brilliance in structure, is rather boring for me.
No my mind's not closed, it's wide open, and watching Leonard Bernstein take a youth orchestra through Stravinsky's Rites of Spring on TV a couple of years ago opened up what was previously completely inaccessibe. So I will change. Who knows, I may finally appreciate bebop and the later works of Coltrane one day, but I'm not optimistic.
But I don't believe anyone can play music well unless the music really sings to them internally. It's what makes great musicians. And makes popular musicians sell so well, even if technically what they perform is junk in a purist's eyes.... And the really skillful musicians can play junk music in such a way that it pulls the public, but without any emotional involvement on their own part.... Anyone remember Sugar Sugar by the Archies? Or Tie a Yellow Ribbon?
Yet as we progress, we need more understanding of the music, of it's structure and phrasing, and ultimately of the technical skill of the composer and performers. as we learn our instuments better we become more aware of thesefactors.
But... For me technical mastery is only half the story - and the less important half. Compare a recording of Beethoven's 5th Symphony conducted by Herbert von Karajan, with one conducted by Leonard Bernstein.... They'er incredibly different, despite the rigidity of the classic medium and orchestral performances. One has life and soul, the other sheer technical mastery, but little spirit, the music is missing.
Simple folk music, played on simple instruments, really moves many people.
One of the greatest pianists of the 20th century was Vladimir Horowitz - but he was also famous for the clangers he made during performances...
On the blues front, Robert Johnson was, for me, one of the greatest - not so much for his technical skills, but for the way he conveyed the emotion in his recordings.... And he's been an inspiration to many current greats...
I guess what I'm saying is that music is about heart to heart.... and the hearts must match. Like picking a partner... It's not about technical brilliance. If it was, we'd simply put the scores into a synthesiser. Or buy our spouses at Tescos (or Harods for the affluent).