Topic: Buxtehude

Baroque era music, specifically contrapuntal compositions by masters like J.S. Bach and Buxtehude, requires the listener to process multiple independent melodic lines simultaneously. Farrell explains that playing instruments like the pipe organ, which involves using hands and feet in coordination, literally rewires the brain to think on several levels at once. He contrasts this multidimensional horizontal and vertical listening with modern music, which he characterizes as one-dimensional and "dumbed down."