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If you want to be popular, you'll just have to sacrifice whatever would make you un-popular in favor of things that'd make you popular.
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Absolutely not! I don't see how the majority of the variations on a theme of Paganini could be classed as clamouring for popularity. Now the bit that everybody loves, the 18th variation, is certainly not a sacrifice of compositional ability when it is placed alongside complex, exciting, enthralling music. Even in it's own right, it is highly competent, near flawlessly exectuted, and incredibly moving. I doubt that there are many people who wouldn't be moved by it.
Now is my perception of what is incredibly sophisticated based solely on my environment? I'm not so sure to be honest; I prefer the idea of clever melody
and clever harmony in tandem, as opposed to one or the other. However my idea of what a clever harmony and what a clever melody is very subjective so I'll agree with you to an extent.
Also, Rachmaninov, early Scriabin, Rimsky Korsakov and the rest of the Russian composers of the time, were hardly only writing works that the public wanted to hear. There's no way I can except that Rachmaninov knew he was selling out with his piano concertos. He wasn't throwing out complete rubbish just to put food on his table.