I don't see 'lines of force' as being destructive, except to the extent that they are exclusively traceable through observance of the path of distorted material left in their wake.

I assume that relative ratios between different-length measures are to some significant degree appreciable in and of themselves.

I am certainly not arguing for the de facto autonomy of the individual work, even though there is much to be said for making the attempt to see it in that light as one facet of the reception process.

Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of its stylistic 'family' in the world outside.

From a previous generation, Zimmermann comes to mind as someone who took a lot of conscious risks upon himself in battling the Angel of History.

Composers dialogue - and obsessively, bitterly argue - with other composers, often over the span of several centuries.