>>i changed my mind.
>>
>>i think the difference is that the most popular classical
>and
>>jazz (until the smooth jazz era) was by really good
>composers
>>and performers;
>
>Is this necessarily true? It seems like the truly great
>figures rise to the top over time but in the middle of it I
>think there are always mediocre figures that develop
>popularity in the short term.

i'm not denying that part (in fact, what i'm saying is the same about electronic music and now), but do you think we'd know what listeners and musicologists consider the all-time greats of classical music (not just Classical but all pre-recorded western music outside folk) if they weren't embraced during their time? as for jazz, make an informal mental list of the 10 biggest figures in the genre; chances are they were or are all popular in their lifetime and probably not just fleetingly.


>Since we only remember the
>greats it sort of romanticizes the past into a time where
>there only seem to be legends.

be specific about classical (pre-1950), jazz (pre-1980), and electronic music (up until a few years ago perhaps): who are the equally or more popular mediocre talents i might be overlooking?