The centuries wherein we had the great composers were far more interesting for popular music than the seventy years since WW2, do you agree?

I think music has changed and is more ubiquitous, but we haven't had history sweep a lot of the cruft away from the towering pile of the modern...

Not at all. If anything there is far more music creativity out there than ever. I might not LIKE it all, but it's out there.

Did the great composers actually make music for the common people? Or primarily for the upper class, royalty, and the church?