Bob replies to Gerardo, who answers:

>>Since when is homosexuality a transcentally accepted handicap? Does this
>>also mean that Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten,
>>and countless others cannot be deemed "Maestro" because of your authority
>>on the Transcendental?
>
>I think i already spoke enough on this topic.  I am really too lazy to
>make once more the explanation of the whole thing.Just as an example,i
>love maybe the 80% of Horowitz playing,despite of.....,and i consider him
>a Maestro since the musical point of view, but not from the trascendental
>one.  By the way, i don't consider miself an "authority on the
>trascendental",i am just speaking about meaning of words into a different
>contexts.  Cordially.

And so on.  Since I have no idea what "transcendental" means in this
context, perhaps I should shut up, but I can't resist sticking my nose in.
Gerardo seems to be plugging into a very current notion, at least since
the 19th century, that great artists are great souls - in short, secular
saints.  Since religion has less hold over educated people than previously,
they tend to turn to art as a substitute.  I myself think it an expectation
unreasonable at least and pernicious at worst.  Furthermore, this
particular reason to deduct transcendental points leaves out a lot of
folks, from ancient Greece on.  I don't claim spiritual authority, any
more than Gerardo does.  However, I have yet to hear anyone explain to
me exactly what is so bad about homosexuality, other than its Biblical
prohibition.

Steve Schwartz