This is the dilemma facing the parent of the young girl who plays at home but who does not practice her lesson: the question is one of elegance, the development of taste--not mine, as that is already formed (and constantly changing, thank God) but hers, of course.

At present she thinks that Classical music consists of reliable downbeats and patterns--that's how she plays it. I find it boring and encourage her to notice when she is bored. So elegance has something to do with playfulness, with wit, with options to do it this way or that way. It commands attention.

This is the essence of style in any period; it is only the terms that vary.