Len Fehskens wrote: >Would someone care to explain to me what we gain by knowing that a >given composer is or is not "great"? Not a heck of a lot. It's difficult to have a worthy question-answer discussion when a major word in the question, "great", can not be defined with any degree of precision. I think it's just based on individual preferences. A "consensus" can not prove greatness; it can only confer greatness. Perhaps what we most gain from this type of thread is some insight into the person who considers a particular composer great. Whether that's something you want to gain is another matter, but I think it has some benefits. Don Satz [log in to unmask]