Taruskin is writing in the context of the western literate (i.e. classical) tradition of music, and he was very sceptical about the mainstream, hyper-intellectu

Taruskin is writing in the context of the western literate (i.e. classical) tradition of music, and he was very sceptical about the mainstream, hyper-intellectual way of composing as represented by who adhere to serialism and other structured devices which eschew immediate pleasure. He is saying here that those other composer (mainly minimalists who wrote what he called pattern-and-process music) who have more immediate appeal do not necessarily represent a panacea for the woes of modern classical music. The western literate tradition has a long history of emphasising the co-existence of intellectual understanding and the immediate appeal of the notes. Beethoven is the most famous (or notorious) example, but scholars have traced it back to as early as the turn of the 16th century[1]. Like food and sex, which can be enjoyed with different amounts of complexity and intellectual involvement, it's reasonable to say once in a while, "this time, we can do a better little better than mere animals". [1] https://www.routledge.com/The-Crisis-of-Music-in-Early-Modern-Europe-1470--1530/Wegman/p/book/9780415964746 https://www.routledge.com/The-Crisis-of-Music-in-Early-Moder... The