As one of the great unwashed, I don't really know if what I am listening to is dodecaphonic or not, so I fall back on the cliche, if I like it, I listen to it. So probably someday I will realize one of my favorites is of that class!
Believe me, you do not have to be either great or unwashed, let alone both, to be unable to determine with any certainty whether or not a piece to which you're listening is a dodecaphonic serial one!
This is a further area where I find [
their] musings to be wrong and ignorant.
The extremely wise theatre director, Peter Brook, famously said that if you feel you need to explain in a programme note what your work means - then you've failed. "The longer the note - the greater your failure".
If [
people] can't write their music well enough - and have to give lectures or notes about "what it means", then this means they have failed.
The music has to stand or fall on its own merits. It should not require the audience to attend classes given by the composer, in order to "understand" his ideas. This is the very definition of professional failure.