I have reflected on the question of beauty in music quite a lot recently and concluded that for me it isn't a very useful criterion for evaluating pieces by, without further qualification. I prefer either the objective (complexity, dissonance etc.) or the subjective (the effect particular pieces have on me). I think there is a popular usage which I sometimes find myself slipping into, which privileges melody and calmness. Nevertheless, I can find beauty in other aspects of a piece, such as orchestration, without requiring a piece to be beautiful in this sense. Virginia Knight [log in to unmask] Personal hompage: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/~ggvhk/virginia.html