Edgar W Beach Jr wrote:

>Karl Miller wrote:
>
>>Somehow he seems to be one of those composers we take for granted.  He
>>is was not a trend setter, nor is his music "intellectual." Happily,
>>it is performed, however, not as often as I would like.
>
>I'm intriqued by your statement "nor is his music "intellectual"."
>Could you give me an example of music that is "intellectual".  Perhaps
>then I will better understand the difference.  For example, Is Beethoven's
>music intellectual?  If so, why?

I used the word intellectual in quotes since I do believe his music is
intellectual.  While we have recently discussed this term on the list,
my understanding of the term is as it is often used in a negative way.
In some circles the notion of an intellectual is considered a negative,
in other circles, a positive.  My experience of the use of the word in
music is to suggest that intellectual music speaks mainly to the mind
and not to the spirit.  For me, Poulenc was a great intellect.  For me,
his music speaks to both the mind and the spirit, but, it seems to me,
that his craft (intellect) is likely to be lost on many, since the music
will have, for many, and direct appeal to the spirit.

Hope this helps.

Karl