while doing my music A-level
I was thought strange
because I enjoy the music of Anton Webern

Mrs Higgins told us of his early death
he was shot by a cook
by accident.
Ellie, a talented hipster with a breathy voice,
said: Good.
everyone laughed in approval

Webern’s music is at the outer limits
of human enjoyment
and human comprehending
his motivation was grief
for his dead mother

he adopted a system of equality between the notes
contrived, but no less mathematic
or limiting
or oppressive
than tonality
and no less romantic

there is only one way to enjoy this art
this degenerate art
trying to understand it is no good
what would you understand it with?
your usual musical language?

no, the only way
is to let go of expectation
of what music is supposed to do

“It’s not even music!” — fine
then don’t imagine it to be music
we like music to be an amount of surprising
that we can still predict

Observe just how unjust the context is,
How brave, how natural to be outside;
or, imagine there’s no context
that you’ve never heard music
and let go
and listen

18/1/19. For Shu Ning. Source of the featured image