I write:

>>Prokofiev's music is lumped together with the fine arts and yet he dumbed
>>his aesthetic down, among other things, to accommodate the supposed
>>intellectual capacity of The People.

Richard replied:

>I was tempted to advance a possible interpretation of this statement,
>but I'm not quite sure what John's getting at.  So, John, your move.

Prokofiev smoothed the edges of his technique after returning to his
homeland, don't you think? Gliere's music was tailored for the masses as
well.  So shouldn't the masses over here like it?

I'm suggesting that our culture is limiting this music's appeal in some
way, not intellectual capacity.

John Smyth