John Smyth:
>I wonder if it is even possible to designate a 20th-Century artist as a
>"Master" so soon. Shouldn't we at least wait and see if what he or she
>planted makes it through the Winter?
Of course it's possible. The question remains whether it's a fool's game
to anticipate posterity. People go in and out of and back into favor all
the time, and this includes people like the three Bs. I don't know of any
composer (although someone else probably does) who retained favor from the
time he or she died until now, unless it's someone very recently dead. The
exhibits inside the Temple of Great Art continually change. Rather than
try to pronounce for posterity, we should enjoy what we enjoy. As far as
I'm concerned, Jimmy van Heusen's a master.
Steve Schwartz, who leaves his worries on his doorstep