And our greatest musicians, the star virtuosi, are more than infrequently notorious for their cruelty, faithlessness, arrogance, selfishness, and stupidity. And in all of these areas, Mozart s music only makes matters worse. His work is so technically demanding and his textures so lean that little less than a perfect performance will do. Almost any musician would prefer the gymnastics of Rachmaninoff to the delicacy of Mozart since with Mozart you always perform without a net. In short, musicians the ones who know Mozart best are cantankerous, egotistical, selfish, stupid, cowardly, generous, even tempered, compassionate, intelligent, humble, and kind in about the same proportion as Teamsters who, for the most part, hardly know any Mozart at all.
Music can do many things.
A work song can coordinate physical labor. A march can keep an army in step. A bugle call can signal retreat and a melodic phrase can assist in the memorization of Torah. And art music, or that music which is intended to be primarily listened to for its aesthetic content, can be a powerful means for emotional self reflection, self illumination, and expression. But the one thing that music most certainly cannot do is overcome the will.