Jim Tobin responds to me:

>>The individual creates the criteria for greatness and identifies those
>>composers, works, and artists who meet or exceed the
>>criteria.
>
>Fine.  Are these criteria explicit and can you articulate yours?

I think most people simply "feel" the criteria and never give it any
thought.

I'll provide my criteria for greatness in a work, then add two to cover
greatness in a composer.  Further, there's one step up from great - a
master composer or work.

Great Work:

1. I want to immediately listen to it a second time.

2. The work and its emotions enter me.

3. I consider the work to be structurally excellent.

Great Composer:

4. For me, a great composer in one who wrote more than an isolated one or
two great works, but who wrote at least a few.  Also, a composer who
displays a consistency of excellence.

Master composer/Work:

In addition to the above, listening to the work automatically creates
within me images which are connected into a story.  Also, superb melodies
which I would think can not be surpassed are immediately followed by an
even better ones.

Who are these master composers? Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert,
and Shostakovich.  And I have the feeling that Mahler will soon be joining
them.

Don Satz
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