even tone?

[Michael Jorgensen]

Allen,
     You're right,   so please forgive me for judging the capabilities of my
own generation.  Actually, I think humans have more capabilities now than at
any time past because of the tremendous technology , knowledge, time, and
freedom available to them.  In addition you rightly say that I have not heard
all modern music and therefore have no basis to make an all inclusive
subjectivly broad statement.  Please accept my apologies for that.    My real
general curiosity is if the use of unequal temperament is in fact an asset to
composition which encourages creativity that modern composers are being denied
because of lack of sufficient exposure to it.  The idea being that it gives a
new demension to music which therefore results in more to work with.
Just  a thought.
-Mike

Allen Wright wrote:

> --On Fri, Apr 16, 1999 12:42 PM +0000 "Michael Jorgensen"
> <Michael.Jorgensen@cmich.edu> wrote:
>
> > no composers today born of ET
> > who rival or even come close to the old masters?
>
> I really dislike broad statements like that that are by definition purely
> subjective - for one thing, are you sure that you've heard all the music
> being written out there by composers right now who may be getting very
> little exposure at the present, because of the general hostility or at least
> skepticism towards new and difficult music? And for another, often it takes
> a generation or two for new music to be given the sort of hearing it may
> deserve, and also for people to be able to put it in the kind of context
> that would enable it to be appraised more reasonably.
>
> I've heard plenty of modern music that seems completely brilliant and
> beautiful. I won't get into a name game, but to say that no modern composers
> rank with "the old masters" seems like a sort of musty and conservative
> antiquarianism.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Allen Wright
> Oberlin Conservatory