I think that I would like to be the one that sticks up for serial music.
I am not going to admitt that it is the most gorgious music, the most
cleverly constructed, and by far it is the hardest to listen to.  But all
the same it does arouse a bit of a curiousity in me.  It kind of forces me
to listen to what the composer did.  And I mean that to say, that when I
listen to Henze or Webern, I find curiosity in the different combinations
of sounds.  It is like these combinations of sounds are all layers of
musical thoughts.  It just depends on what combinations of sounds that
you hear, which determines the thought or emotion that is transmitted.
Apart from the thoughts transmitted from combinations of sounds; I also
just enjoy hearing instruments in different combinations that I wouldn't
normally hear.  For example, in a webern piece for orchestra there is
a combination of brass instruments; several trombones being overblown,
trumpets screeching with the harmon mute, and tubas blaring in the very
low register, that just caused me to sit there and listen and listen and
listen to that one section untill I new what was going on...it was the
oddist, and most overpowering thing that I have ever heard..and it was
something that I could only imagine hearing in this realm of composition.
I also like listening to a composer trying to being some semblence of
identity to where there really is none.

I only say this becuase I have toyed around with the serialistic idea
for awhile, and I see it more as puzzle to be solved.  Like, here are the
parameters that I am able to work with and within, now what can I do to
create some idea of musicality..or thought or emotion in the music.

I am not sure if I am making any bit of sense here, but oh well.

jeremy