John Adams gave at talk at a local university about why people don't like modern, atonal music. He blamed John Cage, claiming that Cage moved as far away from expression as possible. He opened his talk by stating that people flock to modern art but not modern music for this reason--human expression is sorely lacking.

If you listen to Schoenberg, his music is actually quite expressive. Dissonant and unpleasant, but at least it still is MUSIC, even if it is serial. Oh and I actually like Weber more than Schoenberg. I find the latter's music to be melodramatic and the former's to very subtle.

But atonal academics running with Cage's tradition I find very difficult to listen to because it seems they are trying to do math on music paper instead of creating listenable art. That's not to lambaste every music academic, of course. However, my experience with my alma mater's music department that was heavily into atonal music compositions. I detested most of their music.

So as to the article's point? I don't know if it's the lack of pattern (there are patterns in serial music for sure). I wonder if the reason is because (Western) people like a tonal center to their music. Twelve tone, atonal, serial music moves as far away from that as possible and *that* could be what drives the typical listener away.