A couple of years ago, Glen Branca wrote a list of 25 questions related to modern composition and composers. For no real reason other than I feel like it, I'll write briefly on them, beginning of course, with the first...

1. Should a modern composer be judged against only the very best works of the past?

Yes. Music, especially with the resources of storage, processing, and streaming we have available to us today is more available, and available quicker than ever in history. And with more works available, it makes choosing amongst them more challenging than ever. You're not just fighting for market share against other contemporary composers, you're competing against just about every work ever written and recorded. So whether you think it's fair or not, a listener is automatically judging you against Beethoven, Mozart, and just about anything else they've heard. If anything, a "trained" listener who specializes in modern music will have a more accepting and welcoming ear than most. But really are you writing for that specialist? If you crave the attentions of the general public, then perhaps you shouldn't allow a work to simply be good enough, but really prepare to battle for space against the finest music in the world. Afterall, that's what you're really fighting for download sales, concerts, and iPod space with...not to mention Charlie Parker, the Rolling Stones, Brooks and Dunn, and Lady Gaga. Expect your listeners to already have 95% of the memory already filled with those plus the great music of the western cannon..you're fighting for the remaining 5%. And before you assume, you're not in fact competing to fill some niche of weirdness, you're trying to be just as pleasurable to the listener as the other things on that iPod are.

That said, you can't cater, you can't 'dumb' anything down, and you can't try to mold to the tastes of "The People". Artists make what they like; We're makers, dealers, and distributors of taste. If you try to make something that isn't a true reflection of your voice, even the most naive listener will know it's a fraud. There's plenty of room, so while you're fighting Mozart, it is a fight you can win, of sorts.