He was such a great musician that after his death, the elders, seeing MINAMOTO no Hiromasa the musician of the day enjoy the popularity at court concerts, lamented, 'we never thought a mediocre musician like him could ever be respected in the way of music while Atsutada was alive.'
管弦では、敦忠の死後、同様に管弦の名手であった源博雅が音楽の御遊でもてはやされるのを見た老人たちが、敦忠の生前中は源博雅などが音楽の道で重んぜられるとは思いもしなかったと嘆いた、という。