Krishan P Oberoi <[log in to unmask]> writes:

>A few years ago when I was an undergrad at the New England Conservatory
>in Boston, there was a composition major who insisted on handing in pieces
>written in the style of Mozart.  His submissions were consistently rejected
>by his professors on the basis that they were essentially pastiche, however
>skillfully written.

If those professors accused the works of this boy of being "pastiche", then
it's possible that they were not too skilfully written after all.  Writing
in Mozart's times style (or anybody's times style) is very hard: It's not
just about imitating the mood, the melodies or some harmonic customs of the
period.  The real point is to obtain a perfect stylistic copy that could
even "ingannare poi tutti", or at least, that could deceit a well trained
listener.  Such enterprise can't be reached but through an absolute forget
of yourself.  As an excercise in composition, I think it's superb,
especially in order to get "your own voice".

I throw a glove: whom among listers would like to write or play a perfect
stylistic copy of any period?.  I'm open to interchange MIDI files and
commentaries.

Pablo Massa
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