Singer/composer Billy Joel appeared on Charley Rose' interview show late last week and commented on classical music in the context of a typical music listener. In effect he put the knock on classical listeners as too elitist and out of reach for ordinary mortals. He called us too nerdy, technical and arcane to paraphrase his descriptions. Ordinary listeners are put off by too much insider discussions with key signatures and opus numbers, etc. Fortunately he credited most 19th century composers with creating tuneful and recognizable music. High praise went to Beethoven for memorable themes. He credits commercial success with mere competence, not greatness. On his creative process he highlighted the pain involved with much of his output. However, when the muse is kind tunes sometimes occur over a span of minutes. Bernard Gregoire Hingham, MA