Classical itself has progressed, because the composers who grow up listening to it in any one generation get familiar with what has been done so far, and then i

Classical itself has progressed, because the composers who grow up listening to it in any one generation get familiar with what has been done so far, and then inject novelty into it to satisfy their own tastes. Repeat every twenty years over centuries, and you find that the older pieces are the most approachable for most people, while the newer pieces are the least. But… If you listen to classical music and follow the historical progression along, you end up enjoying the newer stuff. Our tastes are elastic. If you don’t enjoy Beethoven today, you may find that by following the historical progression along, you may enjoy it next year.