Re: Best American Composer.

Kublai Ken (wkl@hopper.unh.edu)
Tue, 18 Apr 1995 11:46:04 -0400

On 17 Apr 1995, Lane Singer wrote:

> In <Pine.OSF.3.91a.950417102219.9331H-100000@hopper.unh.edu> Kublai Ken <wkl@hopper.unh.edu>
> writes:
>
> >On 15 Apr 1995, Lane Singer wrote:
> >
> >> Not a personal thing for me, unless one can consider it personal that
> >> his lack of talent is so incredibly glaring, and yet he seems to
> >> be wildly successful.
> >
> >I guess this is a bad time to say I own the soundtracks for "Phantom of
> >the Opera," "Cats," and "Evita," isn't it?
>
> Yikes. I've heard 'Evita' is great, I've just never heard the
> music. I can assure you that I listen to some things that would
> make many another cringe :) and that I think are quite wonderful.
> Country music, now and again, for instance.

Country music and musicals? Really? I'd better not tell my girlfriend,
she'd be getting jealous right now.
I have a Paul Overstreet tape in the car right now. Wow.

> >> I believe he came up because at one point the topic was light opera,
> >> or musicals, and he seems to be one of the only games in town right
> >> now. But look back at the composers of 30-70 years ago, and it's
> >> enough to make one weep that all we have to show for ourselves at
> >> this point in that genre is Weber. (Not entirely true, I realize -
> >> I make no complaint about anyone else.)
> >
> >Isn't Sondheim still around (my nominee for best composer, anyway?).
> >"Into the Woods," and the like are better in my mind than the Webber
> >things.
>
> Yes, he certainly is around, and very good :) You have excellent
> taste.

Thanks. Actually, "Man of La Mancha" is probably my favorite musical,
but Sondheim is more consistently wonderful.

> >Ah, well. Different tastes, I guess. I never knew that so many
> >people dislike Webber's work that much. Truth be told, I like his work,
> >but I have seen lots of people who cringe at the very mention of his
> >name, and I have always wondered why.
> > Oh, well. Thanks for the answer.
>
> Thanks for not flaming me for being presumptuous about something
> so personal, and important, as music.

Hey, why flame? It's not like you're going to conficate my tapes, so why
should I care if you don't like what I do? Now, if you'd said "He has a
glaring lack of talent and only a complete idiot would consider paying a
nickle for anything he ever wrote," that might be worth getting defensive
over.
As it is, the only person I see flaming should be Andrew Lloyd
Webber himself, and I don't think he frequents any of these groups.
(But I could be wrong.)

--Ken