[The Atlantic] What It's Like for a Deaf Person to Hear Music for the First Time
  • a1437053a1437053
    Posts: 198
    With new hearing aids, Austin Chapman is listening to music for the first time in his life, and it sounds glorious.
    The first thing I heard was my shoe scraping across the carpet; it startled me. I have never heard that before and out of ignorance, I assumed it was too quiet for anyone to hear.

    I sat in the doctor's office frozen as a cacophony of sounds attacked me. The whir of the computer, the hum of the AC, the clacking of the keyboard, and when my best friend walked in I couldn't believe that he had a slight rasp to his voice. He joked that it was time to cut back on the cigarettes.

    That night, a group of close friends jump-started my musical education by playing Mozart, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Elvis, and several other popular legends of music.

    Being able to hear the music for the first time ever was unreal.

    When Mozart's Lacrimosa came on, I was blown away by the beauty of it. At one point of the song, it sounded like angels singing and I suddenly realized that this was the first time I was able to appreciate music. Tears rolled down my face and I tried to hide it. But when I looked over I saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the car.


    http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/what-its-like-for-a-deaf-person-to-hear-music-for-the-first-time/260890/
  • a1437053a1437053
    Posts: 198
    There's more music suggested in those comments than it seems possible to consume in a lifetime. Chapman says he's going with the recommendation of one GiraffeKiller: "This is like introducing an Alien to the music of Earth. I wouldn't know where to start. Once you're through your kick on Classical, I might start with music from the 50's and progress through each decade. You can really see the growth of modern music like that." Except he's going to start earlier -- way earlier -- with Guillaume de Machaut's Agnus Dei which dates to the 14th century.
    Thanked by 1E_A_Fulhorst
  • E_A_FulhorstE_A_Fulhorst
    Posts: 381
    When Mozart's Lacrimosa came on, I was blown away by the beauty of it. At one point of the song, it sounded like angels singing and I suddenly realized that this was the first time I was able to appreciate music. Tears rolled down my face and I tried to hide it. But when I looked over I saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the car.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1-TrAvp_xs&feature=player_embedded#!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Hearing aids are great inventions and when the technology developed sufficiently, my father was able to hear all the things we take for granted. However, I have a loud choir member who badly needs one, but is too stubborn to wear one.
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