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Re: Best American Composer.
USS Kenterprise (wkl@hopper.unh.edu)
Tue, 16 May 1995 08:27:37 -0400
On Mon, 15 May 1995, David Sternlight wrote:
> There have been only two near-great American composers: Aaron Copland and
> Roy Harris. There have been several good ones, including Charles Ives,
> Leonard Bernstein, and Alan Hovhanness. There's also a long list of fairly
> good ones who don't rise to the level of good, and quite a few who rate
> "fair" though their work may be considered ear candy rather than good
> music.
>
> "Great" means at the level of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Maybe even
> Prokofiev or Shostakovich.
>
> As for the various pop tunesmiths mentioned here, don't make me laugh.
For the most part, I'm inclined to agree with that, but greatness is
rather in the ear of the beholder, methinks. I happen to think that
Stephen Sondheim is great, but you do not, perhaps you even consider him
a pop tunesmith.
Fine. He's still great because I say so.
> (I don't understand what this thread is doing in this newsgroup.)
Which one? As near as any of us can tell, it's way off subject in any
group in which it is currently being seen.
--Ken
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