John Dalmas reports:

>An article in the NY Times today (2/28) asks who were the giants of 20th
>century composition? The writer, David Schiff, then offers a shortlist of
>them (although admitting it is glaringly incomplete).

I read the article as well, and aside from showing us the preferences of
David Schiff, it suffers from the same thing that most lists suffer from.
I read it and said, "So what?" My list would be different, as would my
reasons.  I don't quarrel particularly with any of the entries - except
possibly Jerome Kern and Cole Porter - but any larger point Schiff may have
made sailed over my head.  I did enjoy his "then and now" judgments, which
showed yet again that a canon of artistic greats is almost always as
permanent as a shopping mall.

Steve Schwartz