Can one critique from the point of ignorance? “When the music (or art, or writing) moves you, it is good.” That is pretty much the basis of judgement. Knowledge changes the level of appreciation. We can criticize from the point of ignorance, but we cannot critique without knowledge.
Listening to a recording of myself reading for the first time was a startling experience. The voice was a monotone, expressionless and boring. My own criticism did not make me a better reader. Rather, it was through realizing the lack of rhythm and tonal variations in the voice that I began to make improvements.
A critic said about Philip Glass, that all his music sounds the same. Glass replied, “You have to listen. You have to pay attention.”
