How to Appreciate Surrealist Music

For many, surrealism conjures images of dreamscape paintings and Salvador Dali's melting clocks. However, painting was not the only medium which adopted the techniques and philosophy of surrealism. Musicians and composers were adapting music to fit the surrealist mold as early as the 1920s.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Learn about the surrealist movement in general. Knowing about all aspects of surrealism, especially the artistic, can help you fully understand the concepts. It's hard to appreciate the subtleties of music if you don't understand the philosophy behind it. Andre Breton is considered the leader of the Surrealists. He believed it to be a revolutionary movement above both art and music.

2. Know that many famous ballets and works by composers were inspired by surrealism, including "Parade" by Erik Satie. During the 1920s, Erik Satie and George Anthiel were the two composers most closely associated with the Surrealist movement.

3. Listen to music, sounds and voices in different ways than you normally do. Listen to a group of people talking through a wall rather than going in to the same room with them. If you've ever done this, you know that it gives you a completely different understanding of the conversation. Other options of listening in new ways can include simply playing music while putting your head under water, throwing a blanket over the speakers or other ways of distorting sound.

4. Forget all preconceptions when it comes to music. Try to let go of your expectations about what music should give you, such as a good beat or pleasant melody, and open your mind. Surrealist music is based on philosophical experiment, not the pleasure of the masses, so its intent is completely different. Juxtaposition, automatism and collage are three of the main surrealist techniques which are used frequently in its musical form. Familiarize withe these techniques.

5. Immerse yourself in surrealist music. It may be hard for your senses to adapt to something so different if only listened to briefly or in small bits. To truly develop a sense of surrealist music, indulge wholeheartedly.