Perhaps ones childhood exposure to music forms a lifelong reference. It was important to my parents that their children were exposed to music as it was for most parents of their generation. My early recollections are that every household had a piano and at least one family member who could play well. Social gatherings often centered around the piano. Even if there were no accomplished pianists present, there was a piano bench full of sheet music, there was someone who could read music well enough to play the chords, and everybody sang along. When I was growing up, every school had an orchestra, band, and choir. The students were frequently bussed to the city for special concerts at the symphony. There were also school assemblies were students performed. Those days are gone. (Note: I attended regular public schools in New York and Los Angles, not a private music academy.)
For me, the sound of live music is very special. I moved to Berkeley in 1967 and lived on the Northside. On warm summer evenings, I’d walk through the neighborhood listening to the sounds coming from the open windows. The most common sounds were of a TV or a Beatles LP. Occasionally, I’d hear someone practicing the cello or flute and I’d stop and listen. Sometimes I’d hear conversation and the human voice, live, is easily identified compared to TV voices.
I remember attending an open house at a very high-end audio salon. Every room had a very expensive audio system playing music and the guests were walking around, consuming the free food and drink, and talking. I was standing outside a room listening. The music was a live concert and, as with many concerts, there was some talking interspersed with the music. (Some performers do a lot of talking; Arlo Guthrie, for example.) There were also two guests talking in the room. For me, the differences between the live and recorded voice was striking. I learn more about the sound of an audio system listening from outside the room where I can concentrate on the essence of the music without being distracted by the audiophile special effects.