Didrik Schiele replies to Ed Zubrow:

>>Just for the heck of it I looked up the From the Southland, a  piano medley
>>by Harry T.  Burleigh that I was listening to the other day and the store
>>had it.
>>
>>Burleigh, by the way is an interesting case.  An African American, he was
>>a protege of Dvorak when the latter was in America.  The piano  sketches are
>>evocative and idiomatic.

>I don't understand the point in listening to a composer who nobody
>else takes interest in.

"Nobody else?" You mean, of course, you.  I happen to take an interest
in him, mainly because I've heard and performed his music.  What I don't
understand the point of is dumping on music you haven't heard.

There's also in this reply a nasty whiff of "we should listen only to the
very best." Well, if that floats your boat, fine.  I, on the other, don't
live at a high pitch all the time and furthermore don't use music to become
a Better Person (very difficult, in my case, whatever the means).

>I don't understand why another spends time to even think of Harry Burleigh
>when there are Mozarts, Bachs, Beethovens and Mahlers around. I  would never
>listen to Harry Burleigh. And I could go on for ever here!

Here's a question for you:  Why listen to Mahler when you can listen to
Beethoven? Why listen to Beethoven when you can listen to Mozart? Why
listen to Mozart when you can listen to Bach?

Obviously, you should be listening only to Bach.

Steve Schwartz