For Listening Pleasure, Skip the Program Notes?

To fully enjoy your next trip to the concert hall, you may want to listen to the music before you read the notes in your Playbill. Research results suggest that reading program notes before hearing music can significantly lessen a listener’s enjoyment. 

University of Arkansas music theorist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis presents her findings. Also joining the conversation are Ben Finane, managing editor at Playbill and editor-in-chief of Listen magazine, and Emil de Cou, an associate conductor at the National Symphony Orchestra, which has offered program notes using Twitter. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck.