To my thinking the parent comments too easily blur the notions of "is not" held in high esteem", and "was not". In his day it's acknowledged his work was appre

To my thinking the parent comments too easily blur the notions of "is not" held in high esteem", and "was not". In his day it's acknowledged his work was appreciated, the article mentions his patronage. However, imagine present day people in your field who are respected as luminaries. They take time to publicly disparage your work. Despite his supporters, it could have easily been traumatic to him personally and professionally. Could he have been more successful or inspiring to young composers otherwise? In general it's quite a sad theme. I hate to see this same story so recurrent throughout history. In the 21st century we've finally simplified the concept to one word: "haters". Criticism is just as important as praise, but not when it's unbalanced or done unproductively. Why as human beings must we treat each other this way and close our minds to things that are don't fit a mold? The damage to individuals is never fully visible and the cultural price is never fully known.