Question for Classical Music *fans* and *experts*!

[Karl O'Neill]

This is probably a silly question. But i don't ask many questions in this music sub-forum so i'll take my chances.

Are the themes and meanings in classical songs a learned experience or are they based solely on how the listener hears them and feels them and appreciates them?

In our day to day lives we know rock,pop and rap songs can have a specific meaning and sometimes multiple meanings.

Let's take *Für Elise* for example.

Is this song supposed to evoke a particular emotion for a person or many emotions? Is the intention somber or happy?

[bebop]

I´m not an expert nor a musician but as one person who really likes classical, I can tell you it´s "on the eyes of the beholder". There´s music like opera who obviously has a concrete meaning for it has lyrics. But in most of it since you don´t have reference of the meaning it should have it´s really open to interpretation. Für Elise may evoke some feelings in you, others in me and maybe Beethoven meant for it to evoke feellings wich none of us may have, because of individual experience.