Richard Taruskin in the New Republic:

There are two ways of dealing with the new pressure that clas­si­cal music go out and earn its living. One is accom­mo­da­tion, which can entail painful losses and suffer from its own excesses (the “dumbing down” that every­body except manage­ment deplores).…Orchestras have accom­mo­dated by modi­fy­ing their program­ming in a fashion that favors the Itzies and Pinkies and little divas. Composers have accom­mo­dated by adopting more “acces­si­ble” styles. Love it or hate it, such accom­mo­da­tion is a normal part of the evolu­tion­ary history of any art.

Oh, right. It’s not that I just happen to like triads and melodies and pulse, or anything. It’s just that I’ve gone and caved to the market’s demands. Sure. Acces­si­ble. Thank you, Mr. Taruskin, for calling me (and the rest of us) out.