Ron Chaplin wrote:

>Perhaps I haven't listened to it enough, but I don't understand the music,
>either intellectually or emotionally.  I know there is something "there,"
>but I don't know what.  Rather than dismiss the music out of hand, I would
>appreciate it if anyone could help me "get into" the music.

Remarkable!  The other day I was taking some preliminary aptitude tests
to try to get admitted to a conservatory to study theory.  There was an
example of a score with a few questions including "who probably composed
this piece?" Ugh.  One of the choices was Carter, but I am relatively
unfamilliar with his work.  (I picked Messiaen:  I think it WAS Carter
now.) I was so dissapointed with myself that I got back to work and read
the Carter article in the New Grove's.  Then, randomly, a new Phoenix USA
CD came in with 2 Carter pieces, the Cello Sonata and the Piano Sonata.
So now (as of yesterday) I am just discovering Carter too, and would
appreciate a discussion about him.

I'm finding the Piano Sonata to be very intriguing, a curious blend of
noises, with no real melody/accompany difference between the hands until
about halfway through.  I almost found it more formally interesting than
aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes 20th century CM takes a few times
over to appreciate the "sound".  I need to give it another listen today.
Anybody else's impressions of this piece?

Bob K.