Music begins with a composer; passes through the medium of a interpreter; and ends with you, the listener. Everything in music may be said, in the final analysis, to be directed at you-the listener. Therefore, to listen intelligently, you must clearly understand your own role but also that of composer and interpreter and what each one contributes to the sum total of a musical experience.
SOURCE
McGraw- Hill (1939, 1957) Chp. 18 pg 211-220