Kevin, you are in big trouble now, bub: >kindly list me 10 compositions since Britten's War Requiem (1962) that >are as significant, well constructed and original as said same. Admittedly, you set a fairly high bar, and I cannot intelligently speak about how "well constructed" a work is. But, as Duke Ellington said, if it sounds good, it is good, and while I think I am overall rather sympathetic to your view of the musicality of randomly opened zippers and various wall scrapings (particularly when it is paid for by tax money, grumble, grumble), I think there must be 10 pieces post "War Requiem" with a claim to originality, that are significant and that "sound good". The number "9" comes in my mind. Let's see, start with Beethoven- oh, but you are going to quibble that LvB preceeds Britten. OK, I'll see you and raise you: Simpson Symphony #9 (1987). One of the great symphonies of the 20th century, which is curiously neglected by the listening public and orchestras alike, at least in the USA. Simpson's ninth symphony is well, if it's not atonal, it pushes the limits of tonality- and it's certainly quite dissonent. Dissonant and atonal- and it somehow manages to even work well. This one movement work has extremely effective climaxes but some moving quiet moments, including an the final minutes of the piece. Simpson was probably first and foremost a symphonist, and some of his other symphonies probably also deserve more consideration than they have gotten, but the 9th strikes me as a work on the cutting edge of music that is as good as it gets. And speaking of Simpson and #9, his mighty ninth string quartet is a work that particularly appeals to me. At close to 60 minutes, this quartet is longer than many romantic symphonies (I realize that length was not one of your criteria, but you chose a lengthy work as your benchmark). As a collection of 32 palindromes, it get's a nod on originality right there (what other composer in his right mind would have attempted such a project?). You may cavil how "original" is a set of variations on a theme by Haydn, but it passes the Duke test, at least when I'm in the right frame of mind. Shostakovich's string quartet #15 must have come after Britten's War Requiem, and I suspect that, when the Book of Life is written, is a work that will justify the latter half of the 20th century. And Schnittke's fifth symphony and string quartet #2- from the 70's, I would guess. Well I've mentioned several off the top of my head, and I've only dealt with the S's. Perhaps you unconciously but implicitly restricted your universe to vocal works, in which case I won't give you an argument. Larry