Robert Peters writes:

>Can you imagine Beethoven or Wagner laugh? Well, I can imagine them
>Laughing about someone else (especially Wagner was very good at that)
>- but the both of them just laughing, in good humour, just because life
>is good, the weather fine and love a reality?

Sorry, I join this discussion late and apologize if this has been said.
But I don't believe you can actually express the depths of despair and
tragedy without the capacity to laugh and otherwise experience the other
end of the emotional scale (sometimes within the same piece, like Mahler).
I believe all my favorite composers laughed, and I hope they laughed often.

But then I also believe that it's performers and performances totally
devoid of humor that are making so many concerts the thunderous, crashing
bores they are.  So what do I know?

Making music with a smile,
M Morgan