Pablo Massa wrote in response to me (hey, we two guys seem to have too much time): >Robert Peters: >>Yes, but the point is that Beethoven was restricted by the aesthetics of >>his day. It would be very interesting to know (alas, it is impossible) >>how he would compose today given all the artistic freedom contemporary >>composers have. > >when poor little artists were kept in a cage by an infamous giant >named (fill the blank). He dictated them the laws of aesthetics, and >if anyone of them dared to defy his canon, the giant ate him without any >consideration. When the giant was young he was a real tyran, but he became >much more kind as years passed by. So, the more you go back in time, the >less creative freedom allowed to poor little artists. As all we knows, >that explains many things in art history. Hey, welcome in the Land of Polemic Posts. - I answer seriously: most artists have never had the courage to stretch the limits of their art. Some have. But even these are restricted by the times they live in. I think the idea of a Beethoven living in our time is a thrilling one. Would he make use of the new musical means (electronic instruments, sampling, dissonant harmonies, etc.)? I bet he would. Robert Peters [log in to unmask]