Bob asks:

>I have been wondering what makes some composers, such as Bruch, on a
>lower tier as compared to many of his contemporaries such as Mahler,
>Tchaikovsky and Brahms.

Bruch was the BBC Music Magazine's Composer of the Month a few months
ago (March, April?).  The author of the article asked that question,
in essence if not in form.  The answer he came up with is that Bruch,
a staunch musical conservative, kept writing in the same style he grew
up with, and did not go in any new directions.  (snipped)

You make much the same point later:

>This seems to me to be at least part of the answer to my question.
>Listening to Bruch is eventually not involving because of the predictability
>due to the relationship with the tonal center.  He fears to travel far
>from it.  Mahler, on the other hand, has no such fear and takes us on a
>more interesting journey.

Mitch Friedfeld