Why do we love music that critics once called a dreary and cacophonous mess?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We often equate musical value with immediate pleasure, yet our deepest connections are frequently forged through challenging, tense, or even painful sounds. From the Beatles to Beethoven, history shows that today’s masterpieces were often yesterday’s critical failures. Why does our taste shift, and can we ever truly define good music?

Musical value is notoriously slippery. While we often equate 'good' music with what provides immediate comfort or pleasure, the most profound listening experiences often require effort, endurance, and time. This 'acquired taste' suggests that our initial reactions are unreliable guides to long-term worth. Our preferences are heavily influenced by cultural exposure, personal history, and the 'reminiscence bump'—a psychological phenomenon where our musical identities are solidified during our early teens to early twenties. This often leads us to mistakenly believe that the greatest music in history occurred during our own formative years.

The history of music criticism reveals that even the most celebrated composers were once dismissed as talentless or offensive. Nicholas Slonimky’s Lexicon of Musical Invective documents a long tradition of scathing reviews. In 1855, the London Times called Chopin’s Concerto in E Minor 'trivial and incoherent,' while in 1913, the Musical Times claimed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring had 'no relation to music at all.' Even legendary figures like Tchaikovsky were not immune to poor judgment, famously labeling Brahms a 'giftless bastard' in 1886. These critiques were not just the work of outsiders; they represent the inherent instability of musical consensus.

To move beyond subjective bias, we can analyze music through its 'flavour'—the interplay of rhythm, timbre, and intervals. Milton Mermikides suggests using the 'interval vector' to measure the harmonic 'bite' of a piece, treating harmonies as 'handshakes' between pitches. This technical approach helps explain why we might feel repelled by certain sounds, whether due to a lack of emotional resonance or the triggering of unwanted associations. Ultimately, because musical taste is constantly ebbing and flowing, the most rewarding approach is to listen widely and deeply, maintaining curiosity rather than relying on rigid, judgmental opinions.

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