Sean, the view isn't all that widespread, but some academic music types appear to get upset with the fact that they or their students can't compose anything the classical audience finds appealing. Works that are melodious and/or thrillingly dramatic and are loved by the public can indeed sometimes be dismissed as simplistic(e.g. Bolero and the others that I mentioned).
One example involves Rachmaninoff(probably my favorite composer)and the Oxford music dictionary edition shortly following his death in which a "modern" composer commented that his music was of no real distinction and wouldn't likely be of lasting interest. Of course 60 years later Rachmaninoff's music is highly popular and it'll live forever with listeners who appreciate beauty and emotion. The music of the composer who wrote the criticism is just as dead as he is.
