Jocelyn Wang replying to me replying to her: >>>And what better guide to to the composer's intent do we have? >> >>Probably none. > >There you go. In these two words, you have shot down your entire case >about not knowing what the composer intended, only what he wrote. I still don't know what he intends and, I submit, neither do you. >>But you assume that the composer always writes what he or she intends. >>I myself always intend to write a masterpiece. > >He DOES always write what he intends. Whether the result is a masterpiece >remains to be seen. Then why do composers revise if they always write what they intend? Sounds to me like you're positing composer as demigod again. I don't know any music by divine personages, only by mostly fallible human beings. >>If you ask me how many I've actually written, I'd have to admit I don't >>know. > >Tell you what, send one of them to me. I'm not the only one who decides >what we play, but, if we like it enough, we'll try to program it. And you >can believe we won't cut any repeats unless you consider them optional. Tell you what, play what you want. Send me the results. If I like them, I may tell you, if you can trust me to say what I mean. >You never know until you try. Give me a break. I imagine that first sentence as Beethoven's motto. Steve Schwartz