Why you should listen to classical music and how to love it

What are the benefits of classical music

Helps manage stress

The obvious fact is that stress is dangerous. He physically affectedHow stress and experiences physically change our brain / Lifehacker on the structure of the brain, causes tension in the sympathetic nervous system and mental problems. In this state, a person's muscles are overstrained, the heart beats more often and the sense of danger is heightened. Of course, classical music will not relieve you of severe chronic stress in an instant - in this case, you need to contact specialists. But it can lower blood pressure and levels of the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for stress. Moreover, two weeks of regular listening is enough to feel the effect: an experiment by Taiwanese scientists showedListening to classical music ‘can relieve pregnancy stress’

that in pregnant women with a high level of stress in the company of classical music, all indicators of anxiety are reduced in 14 days.

Increases productivity

Listening to your favorite music, regardless of genre, is in itself raisesWhy music affects your productivity / Quartz at work productivity of any kind of work. All the magic lies in the hormone dopamine, which is released during this process. It affects mood, attention and motivation. At the same time, the effect of classical music is even higher. According to the University of Maryland, Baroque music raisesBaroque Classical Music In The Reading Room May Improve Mood And Productivity / American Roentgen Ray Society mood and concentration. In particular, they studied the influence of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. And the experiment of French scientists showedMusic during lectures: Will students learn better?that classical music contributes to the memorization and assimilation of information. Experts from the University of Helsinki noteKanduri C, Raijas P, Ahvenainen M, Philips AK, Ukkola-Vuoti L, Lähdesmäki H, Järvelä I. The effect of listening to music on human transcriptomethat to achieve the result, you can listen to the classics for only 20 minutes a day.

Improves sleep

Classical music in the evenings will help you forget about daytime worries and tune in to sleep. It's all about the same ability of the classics to have a beneficial effect on the sympathetic nervous system: your heartbeat normalizes and blood pressure decreases. To achieve the effect need to listenMusic improves sleep quality in students / PubMed music for 45 minutes before bed, while choosing relaxed and calm compositions rather than victorious marches and symphonies.

Relieves pain

Classical music activates the reward center in the brain, which releases the hormone dopamine. It will not only help you be more productive, but also ease pain syndromes. In the company of your favorite instrumental concert, you will be easier to bearEffect of music on power, pain, depression and disability / PubMed migraine, muscle pain and even depression. But, of course, you should not replace listening to Mozart and Bach by going to a specialist: music can do a lot, but it cannot eliminate the cause of the disease. Therefore, if you are concerned about chronic pain, then you need to get qualified treatment.

How to start listening to classical music

Start with familiar tunes

Even if you think you don't know anything about classical music, you don't. "Spring" by Vivaldi many people know from ringtones on smartphones, and absolutely everyone heard the famous beginning of Ludwig van Beethoven's fifth symphony (this is the very disturbing “Ta-ta-ta-ta-a-a-m!”). Not to mention Mendelssohn's wedding march, which is just one of the many musical compositions he wrote in 1843 for his production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Remember what tunes you have already heard, find their full recordings and listen to them. For you, this will not be something completely new, so there is less risk that you will quickly get bored.

Watch movies and series

Many classics have long been part of pop culture. They are used in movie soundtracks. This, for example, is the famous "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola, in climax scene which sounds "Valkyrie Waltz" by Richard Wagner, and even Franz Liszt in Tom and Jerry. You can also listen to them in full, in order to at least understand how the works of the classics are used by modern directors.

Listen to small format songs

Wagner's hours-long symphonies will scare away any beginner, so start small: nocturnes by Chopin, sonatas by Scarlatti and Mozart, Vivaldi concertos. These works are not much longer than the hits of Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. Gather your favorite short pieces into playlists - melodic to listen to before bed (Bach and Chopin will do), driving ones to increase productivity (Scarlatti, Beethoven and Vivaldi). Pay attention to opera compositions - primarily Mozart. Arias, as a rule, are also not very long, but nevertheless they are able to impress even a modern listener. Start with a virtuosoArias of the Queen of the Night» Mozart - you have probably heard it, but include it in your playlist as the first instance of a vocal classic.

Pay attention to the composers of the twentieth century

It can be difficult for a beginner to immerse themselves in the world of classical music, starting with Renaissance, Baroque, or mature Romantic pieces. They generally require a trained ear and often use instruments now only seen in museums and conservatories. And it is also believed that in order to understand them, you need to know the historical and everyday context of the era, as well as the biography of the authors. Although this is also a myth in a sense. But if you are still afraid to go straight into the depths of centuries, then start with the modernist composers of the 20th century. They are more familiar to our ears, as their findings have become the basis for the same soundtracks or modern pop musicians.

Your main guideline isSacred spring» Igor Stravinsky. The 40-minute work sounds absolutely modern due to the broken structure and dynamic orchestration - you won't even notice how you listen to the end! Next, take a look at the American Minimalists − Philip Glass and Stephen Reich (begin with his essay "different trains»). You probably know them too: the works of both are very much in demand in Hollywood films.

Go to concerts

The main thing is not to be afraid! You can start with the reporting concerts of the city philharmonic society or the conservatory. Usually it's free. And students, as a rule, play familiar small-format works of the same Tchaikovsky, Bach or Mozart. During the New Year holidays, finally, go to the Nutcracker ballet - it will add both a festive mood and musical erudition.

A good way to get used to the atmosphere of the orchestra and the academic hall is to go to symphonic performances of soundtracks from hit films: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones. After several such trips, you can safely switch to Tchaikovsky and Mozart. To do this, follow the city poster. Just don't hesitate: tickets for concerts of top performers and bands sell out very quickly.