| Fantastic discussion!
I knew nothing about Miller before these olympics and still claim ignorance about most of his reputation but your post, Mazzrick, begs some questions.
What was the level of his "rebelliousness" and unhealthy behavior the last time he won all valuable minerals? Has it changed and was he more like the kind of olympian trumpeter we're talking about when he actually won? I don't know the answers; these aren't rhetorical questions.
I believe composers write based on who they are as people. So, no, Bruckner couldn't have been the composer we know if he were lecherous. If he tried to write the fourth symphony it would not have been that incredibly sincere piece of music it is. He would have been a totally different composer. So, he likely would have been a composer but not the one that we know. Maybe he would have been more of the passionate Wagnerian rather than the minimalist he became. Yes, I believe that Bruckner was the first minimalist composer.
Babe Ruth was a reckless boozer but not at the developmental parts of his life. His worst year, 1925, was his worst year as a reckless boozer. When he changed his behavior he became the great ball player the public knew again. 1925 was also a significant year because it was Lou Gehrig's first year and he, like Cal Ripken, was a Steady-Eddie: solid, no bad habits or scandals. He remained that way for all of his short life.
Again, very interesting discussion.
ML |