V.com weekend vote: How much do you know about the history/context of the music you play?

October 12, 2025, 3:49 PM · It's easy to get so involved in learning how to play music, that one forgets to learn or to even think about its history, context and background.

To be fair, "it sounds nice and I like the way it makes me feel" is certainly a good enough reason to learn a piece of music.

Or, "we're playing it this week in orchestra, I need to learn the notes, lickety-split."

But knowing the history and some contextual facts not only can enhance one's feeling toward the music, but also inform one's approach.

I admit, I can be guilty of "not-knowing." I get very busy, learning orchestra music. Sometimes I just get the chart, look for the difficult passages and start sawing away. Not always, of course, when I have more time I usually create a playlist and listen. Since I've been doing this for decades and have a music degree, I come to the table with a lot of information about the "classics." But for completely new or seldom-played pieces - I often discover these details closer to the day of the performance, as they are revealed in rehearsal or when I actually get a view of the program notes.

With my students, I feel responsible a their guide, so I'm more proactive about dropping historical context into their lessons as they learn the fingerings, bowings and other techniques required. That said, it's easy to forget to do that, when a piece requires a great deal of focus on technique.

So I will throw the question to you: How much do you typically know about the history and context of music you play? Do you find yourself learning music without having the benefit of a wider context? Are you a longtime musician who simply knows a lot from past education and experience? Are you proactive about looking up the history and notes about pieces that are new to you? Do you have a teacher, conductor or mentor who is especially good about sharing this information? Do you actually find it a distraction, to go into history and context? Please participate in the vote, and then share your thoughts!

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Jim Hastings

October 12, 2025 at 09:42 PM · I usually know a lot about the music I play - and the music I listen to. Even before the 2 years of music history I had as part of my degree program, I already had a curious, inquiring mind and had done considerable reading on this subject before high school.

The symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms are examples. I learned a good deal, on my own, of the composers' whereabouts and life experiences when they penned these masterpieces.

The Tchaikovsky 6 (Pathétique) is another example. I first heard this piece at 7 y/o and got hooked on it fast. Some details I remember reading soon afterward: The composer was dissatisfied, initially, with how the orchestration was shaping up. Audience reception at the premiere was mixed. The composer died about a week after the premiere. Later I read that he made some post-premiere tweaks to the score, and that this retouched version is what audiences now hear.

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V.com weekend vote: How much do you know about the history/context of the music you play?

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