I am in agreement with the above two posters (and certainly others on this thread).

As to the degree of 'complexity' one can develop in music, it makes mathematical sense that the more instruments you use the greater the range of 'theme and variation'. However, that does not diminish the beauty of songs like "Maggie" or "The October Winds" when they are done with just voice and guitar.

To me, genius could conceivably be defined as the creation that takes place within a set of parameters. Listening to people like Monk or Davis, we know that other than the 'structure' of the song (12 bar; 16 bar and the time--7/8 or 11/4, there are few boundaries. That of and by itself does not a genius make. A 'genius' performance maybe, but genius creators, maybe not.)

If we listen to the early music of someone like Stockhausen, we may not like what we hear, but therein one can find inspiration. I think the term 'genius' is thrown around loosely. Anyone sufficiently smart would rewrite most IQ tests before he/she finished--and by doing that never achieve measurable scores to be CALLED a genius.

I do not think that certain folks named are geniuses in either their music or their mentality; but, many others do, and I understand by that that they see/hear things in the music that I don't. Cool by me.

BM