Some Sunday Beethoven

The greatest invention has been made, declared a man. This invention is more wonderful than the pyramids, better than the light bulb, greater than the printing press, more amazing than the automobile, and greater than the invention of the airplane. It is the most fantastic invention ever seen by Man, he said. Greater than the Industrial Revolution, he said. What was this invention? “It is the Internet,” he replied.

The year was sometime in the early 1980s. We thought the man mad. But let us look through that man’s eyes. The greatest library of Mankind is said to be the Library of Alexandria, correct? Well, the Internet dwarfs it. Printing press? Telegrams? Internet has them beat too. Television? Radio? Internet has them beat as well.

The Internet can be a host of so many great things. A poor kid now has the opportunity to read the Great Books without going to a library. He can sign in on university webpages and very much get the professors’ lectures without spending a dime at the school. He can get in contact and learn from scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and realize things that his parents and ancestors never had a chance of knowing. A new world was open.

Like all things of technology, it very much depends on the person’s character of how they are used. A library can be used to expand one’s mind and enrich oneself with history and science and art. But a library can also be used to keep one’s mind hidden in the shadows of fantasy and running away from reality. The computer before you can be used to do many things like create a business, access the classics, or it can be used to play World of Warcraft days if not weeks if not months if not years at a time. If only young people understood the opportunity that is before them.

If your ancestors had the Internet, would they be using it to post ‘lol’ cat gifs and try to be the smartest person on a message forum?

So in this post, let us pretend we are using the Internet in the way how the pioneers envisioned. Let us, for this brief moment, pretend we are using for something better than how we usually use the Internet.

Music is a great fascination to me. As Shakespeare said, “How strange that sheep’s guts can hail souls out of men’s bodies.” And I’ve always wanted to listen to music with the ear of the great musician. Since I will never become a great musician, I will be unable to do so but I will try anyway.

How do musicians listen to… say… Beethoven? Read this article from the Wall Street Journal that talks about Beethoven.

Then listen to this:

Does it sound different to you?

It did for me.