Steve Schwartz writes, in reply to D. Stephen Heersink:

>>Its logic escapes me, and its ability to please or entertain is always
>>absent.  Whatever its merits and its continued "life," it shall always
>>be marginal for most listeners.
>
>What strikes me as odd is this syllogism:
>
>     1.  Not many people like it.
>     2.  (an implied "therefore") It's not very good.

I don't see anything in Mr. Heersink's words that says or implies anything
about goodness.  All there is is the pretty much correct observation that
within the (admittedly small) group of classical music listeners, not many
of them like atonal music.  Indeed, his prefatory clause, "Its logic
escapes *me*", qualifies his judgement about its ability to please or
entertain.

Further, your inference that because classical music, though good, is
"marginal" for most people in general, it should also be the case that
atonal music, because it is marginal for most classical music listeners,
must also be good, is just as odd a syllogism.

I, like many other classical music listeners, admit that my ears and brain
have limits, and the "logic" of some music exceeds them.  That doesn't make
that music bad, any more than it makes me closeminded.

len.