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[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by David

When I was still a teenager, I preferred the French impressionists Debussy & Ravel (little did I know then that Ravel was equally a neoclassicist). It wasn't until I reached adulthood before I understood & loved Viennese classicism. As I learned more & more about structure, development of motive, harmonic evolution, & characteristics of form (rondo, variation, etc.), I realized that virtually no music written since Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven lived up to those elements of craft. Plus, to kids taking music lessons from little old ladies whose homes smell like pot roast, the Beethoven myth & the heroic ideal is a powerful pull. A certain type of personality continues to idolize Beethoven into adulthood & beyond. Mozart lovers sometimes say they "grew" out of B. into M., which exemplifies their own personalities & inclinations.

That's cool. I love Beethoven too but don't really get into Mozart. A lot of classical I hear reminds me of the quote of Tony Wilson's quote about jazz that jazz musicians enjoy themselves more than anyone listening to them does. But Beethoven's music has a different effect when I hear it and those that say you grow out of Beethoven to appreciate Mozart sounds like pathetic musical snobs. That's all bull****.