Bill Pirkle writes:

>Could you complete this sentence to the satisfaction of everyone on this
>list -
>
>Classical music is music that...

I doubt that I could complete any sentence that would satisfy all members
of the list, given that we are a rather contrary and independent group of
individuals.  Besides, how can you satisfy close to a thousand persons at
one time? Send each one some money.

Just the other day, a small record company offered to send me a
complimentary copy of one of its recent Bach releases; I assume it has
something to do with the prevalence of postings I write concerning Bach
recordings.  No definition of classical music was or is necessary to effect
this product transfer.  I love Bach's music, the company records Bach, and
the rest will soon be history.  My preference is to leave definitions of
classical music to the academic community; in all other venues, a
definition offers little and just tends to elicit a bunch of different
opinions.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]