source file: mills2.txt Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 09:49:59 -0700 Subject: Elitism From: Paul Rapoport Seems like Neil Haverstick and I pretty much agree on this subject in what he wrote recently. A few additional comments. First, I'd say there is a great deal of humanity and passion in Schoenberg's serial music. Also, complexity may not have as much to do with the issue as it seems, because at least so far as I know, there are no measures of it in music. And, to go out on a limb--so far out that Neil may be sharpening his saw--I will say that for me, classical music is what I want to hear most. In some aspects I think that it is often superior--in some aspects only. BUT that is my upbringing and preference only; it does not invalidate others' preferences and abilities, and it is not absolute. Classical music is also not what I listen to 100% of the time, and I have been vigorous in my support of other music. For Neil and others are surely right that the division into kinds of music, flaky at times, has in any case nothing to do with quality or importance. Inherently I don't deal with things that are in any sense popular, but that is my choice. Xenharmonics certainly fit that choice and probably always will, even when Neil and others bring other tunings to the rest of the world in the way that is certainly most important--performance. ========================== ================================= Dr. Paul Rapoport e-mail: rapoport@mcmaster.ca SADM (Music) tel: (+1) 905 529 7070, ext. 2 4217 McMaster University fax: (+1) 905 527 6793 Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Wed, 31 Jul 1996 21:07 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id MAA27656; Wed, 31 Jul 1996 12:07:54 -0700 Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 12:07:54 -0700 Message-Id: <2.2.32.19960731190613.00677328@adnc.com> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu