Note that my reference to the theory books was not a suggestion that anyone should or needs to study theory. David expressed a contention that this was of necessity an expensive pursuit, and my reply was to the effect that it need not cost a whole lot of money. Remember that I also said that studying theory is neither necessary nor sufficient to enjoy or otherwise appreciate any piece of music. Any music worth hearing has more to offer than it's theoritical workings, be it the Art of Fugue or any of Xenakis' statistically driven excursions. Freedom of expression is a right that many countries have fought for long and hard. In many places it is still reserved for those that are wealthy enough to afford it. Giving composers permission to write is a patronizing (i.e., talking down to) exercise at best, even if it comes from someone who will potentially patronize (i.e., buy tickets to) those composers presentations. It may be someone ironic, especially to those who think that there is no life beyond economics and marketing, that a composer can often serve his audience best by ignoring their limitations and taking them somewhere that they have never been. By way of a postscript, note that Puccini's inspiration for Madama Butterfly came from an English-language performance of Belasco's play in which he (Puccini) understood few if any of the words. Aaron J. Rabushka [log in to unmask] http://www.cowtown.net/users/arabushk/