even tone?

[A440A@AOL.COM]

 >-Mike writes: 
>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.

Greetings, 
   I will agree that new tonal resources may help composers create music they 
otherwise would not have created.  I don't know that we can blame the 
temperament, but there is another aspect that needs to be considered.  
   In my reading, it appears that theorists of 200 years ago were more aware 
of their intonational "DNA" than those of today.  Composers of Mozart's time 
seemed to have been aware of at least two tempering schemes,  the restrictive 
and non.  This is a somewhat more educated milieu than today's average 
pianist operates in, or even the majority of today's "famous' concert 
artists.  So yes, the restoration of temperament awareness may move us one 
step closer to musical greatness again.  (Though Gershwin is going to be a 
long haul hitter from the ET era!)  Ravel may even mark a limit of tonality's 
lifespan in the composer ranks, but I am not musicologist enough to know.  
Somebody take it from here.......
Ed