I've had this article saved in my reading list for over 3 months now. I finally got around reading it and it's great.
I think music is always pushing forward toward the essential – the history of music is largely a process of reduction, and it is a beautiful process to observe. Listeners are increasingly savvy, so the same old gestures become obsolete, and a composer can telegraph a lot of musical intention with very little actually music.
I always enjoy hearing Gonzales' analysis of music.