Steve Schwartz, replying to me:

>I tend to ignore, say, Raff, because I haven't heard
>most of his work and have no desire to do so.  On the other hand, at least
>historically, a lot of people enthused over Raff.

I don't know Raff's music well either, althought I've enjoyed what little
of it I've heard (the 3rd and 4th Symphonies, on a Hyperion CD).  It's
possible that those people in the last century who enthused over Raff knew
something we don't.

>>What does have to be justified is the decision to allocate time in concerts
>>and on the radio, and space in reference books, to one composer rather than
>>another.
>
>Why in the everlovin' blue-eyed world does this have to be justified?
>Either you agree with it or you don't  ... So write your own book.

And run my own radio station? In principle, I and the sixty million or so
other citizens of the UK collectively do just that; it's called the British
Broadcasting Corporation.  One of its five channels, Radio Three, covers
"The Arts", and since painting and sculpture don't make good radio, there's
quite a lot of CM broadcast.  It also sponsors concerts and commissions new
pieces.  IMO (and I suspect that of several others) they do a pretty good
job for music up to and including the 19th Century, but their assessment of
what's important in the 20th Century is distinctly partisan.

1) How do I find out if others do indeed share my tastes and opinions
unless I make them known?

2) The BBC spends our money on broadcasts, concerts and new works.  Do you
not agree that if they spend it in a manner we, collectively, would not
have chosen had we been consulted, they should justify their choice?

>Or are you suggesting that by you Rubbra's music is better than
>Messiaen's? I've no problem with that.  I'd also have no problem with
>the reverse.

I certainly prefer what I've heard (which isn't all) of Rubbra's music
to what I've heard (which isn't all, and may not be representative) of
Messiaen's.  Like you, I have no problem with people whose tastes differ
from mine.

I do have a problem with public resources, such as air time on the BBC,
being allocated in a partisan manner.

Peter Varley
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