Scott Peterson writes:

>One of my oldest friends is a fan of New Age piano music.  She heard
>me playing some of Debussy's piano music recently and commented that
>it was beautiful, and asked what it was.  She was surprised that it
>was considered classical and not New Age, then asked what the difference
>was between Debussy and George Winston.  I started to sputter something
>about the advanced harmonies and revolutionary use of....
>
>Can anyone here help me out?  What SHOULD I have said?

It probably isn't a good idea to answer her question from a technical
perspective as that approach works best when all parties have technical
knowledge.

I'd key on the 'breadth/range of emotions' aspect.  New-age music has
a primary intent of soothing and comforting the listener.  It basically
is "time to space-out" music.  Debussy's music certainly has comforting
properties, but it also has a much greater range of emotions than new age
music.

Scott could draw a tiny little circle to reflect the emotional range of
Winston and a big one to represent Debussy's range.  Then, have her listen
to the 1st Piano Etude which is loaded with sudden and abrupt changes in
tempo, dynamics, and emotional themes.  That should do the trick, and Scott
can then congratulate his friend on how quickly she has picked up on the
distinctions between Winston and Debussy.

Don Satz
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