I'm not sufficiently trained or experienced enough to pontificate "atonal"
music as an oxymoron, but I can attest to mine and great many others' total
dislike of this "style." I don't deny that atonal compositions may be
well-crafted, but so can many other things without necessarily reaching the
appellation of "music." Perhaps its just crafted "noise," appreciated on
the level of its form, order, technique, and complexity. Its logic escapes
me, and its ability to please or entertain is always absent. Whatever its
merits and its continued "life," it shall always be marginal for most
listeners.

D. S. Heersink
San Francisco