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. . . I like the sense in
which mathematicians and
physicists use the word ‘elegant’ when they apply it to
a process of reasoning,
a hypothesis or a proof. There is nothing frivolous in that kind of elegance,
which is simply the ultimate manifestation of a difficulty mastered, the
easy grace that conceals the very existence of difficulty. Elegance in
this sense is a proof of ‘good taste’ that we can willingly
accept, since
it is in fact simply an extreme form of precision.
. . . According to Rousseau, ‘One listener will value melodic simplicity while another will attach importance to signs of unusual workmanship: and each will give the name of “elegance” to his favourite “taste”.’ . . . [he] says that differences of opinion ‘come sometimes from differences in the dispositions of the individual’s organs of perception, sometimes from his character—which inclines him to be more aware of one charm or one shortcoming than another—sometimes from differences of age or sex, which incline his interest one way or another. . . . ’ . . .
Pierre Boulez
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