Bob Stumpf wrote:

>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.  That is, why is it when I listen to Bruch or

I liked the quote and think it accurately - in general - describes what
a 'good'composer does to/for the listener.

But at the same time, I ask, how many times have you listened to Bruch
as compared to Mahler, Tchaikovsky, or Brahms.  I happen to like the
Bruch symphonies and return to them often with pleasure.  On the other
hand, I'm not a particularly avid fan of Beethovan - and certainly he
would be in mind when the author wrote the passage you quote.

My experience is there is music that gives me great pleasure which did
not especially inpress me on first hearing - Hohavness - or some Reger
or moderns like Imbrie or Ruggles - but which yielded their treasures
on repeated listenings.  Certainly if you had asked me after the first
hearing if I thought the passage you quoted applied to thise composers,
I would have said no.

SO, how much listening should one put into a piece of music to discover
for oneself if it has the 'tease and drama' that your quote says a good
composer has?

Dave Harman