Jump to content

Underappreciated Composers/Works?


Qmwne235

Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Has anyone heard of Alexander Mosolov's 'Iron Foundry?' Mosolov is definitely a composer who deserves to better known.

============================

Buxtehude I think is quite underrated. I think he has written some fabulous organ music. Dvorak's fifth symphony deserves more attention in orchestral repetoire. Salieri has written some fantastic music, but is neglected only because Mozart apparently said that his music sucks (when he never exactly said anything like that.) Mozart's seventh symphony should be performed more as well as Haydn's 52nd. Rodrigo's Concierto Madrigal should be heard more often. Hildegard Von Bingen's music (first composer who wasn't anonymous, also female) should also have another chance to be heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Underrated composers?

Now, this IS a topic. After all, this forum is all about (yet) underrated composers (yes, including those of us who overrate ourselves! :eyebrow: )...

I think about Vassily Kalinnikov, for example. Very talented, but life cut short - and overshadowed by his more famous contemporaries (i.e. Rymsky-Korsakov, Glazunov).

I should add ANY classical composer born south of the US and not named Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Chavez, Silvestre Revueltas or Heitor Villa-lobos.

Any tonalist or non-serialist composer born after 1910 is automatically underrated - atonalism seemed to be required and enforced :sick: .

Now, even a "famous" composer can be underrated if the magnitude of their works is not adequately appreciated. I could say, for example, that Tchaikovsky is heavily underrated - most people can't even remember his name but know more tunes from him than from Mozart or Beethoven. In certain circles it's even "fashionable" to deride Tchaikovsky.

Same goes for Mahler. Even as revered as he is now, he's still not getting his due. And, at least until a few decades ago, it was also "fashionable" to deride Mahler.

But after all, this is very much a matter of taste... and of being ourselves underrated composers! :nod:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Atonalism" is required and enforced?

Like: shock troops storm a composer's home immediately after he/she writes a key signature in?

:toothygrin: Well, not literally shock troops... But lots of name-calling, vicious criticism and the fact that you would never earn your grades or be considered a "true" composer if embracing other style than that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Phil: Of course I have. Did you notice Glass is included among my favorite composers?

Also: did you notice I used the past tense ("atonalism seemed to be required and enforced")? That was very much the state of things prior to minimalism and other newer tendencies towards a new take on tonality. Especially in Europe. No wonder a composer like Penderecki had to start out as an atonalist and then moved back...

Morivou: yes, the non-atonal composers are famous (when composing for movies). And all the time they have to hear someone complaining about how they "ripped off" a note or two... or that any single chord they play 'sounds like Schubert, Haydn, etc.'... But, hey, the money's worth it! :smithy:

My point is, a composer should be valued on authenticity as much as, or even more than, on originality. People can be uninteligible just for the sake of originality. Perhaps they may be very knowledgeable and technically competent - but if when composing they are not true to themselves, their works are worth very little.

Thus, as the thread refers to underrated composers... I might say authenticity is an underrated concept in music. Or that originality by itself is overrated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well a ton of composers between Desprez and Gombert - in fact, though I appreciate what Desprez achieved, I really only like his late works. The composers who came after him are to my ears run from quite amazing to very good.

And it seems many people do not know Gombert - BIG mistake.

Gombert

Cristobal Morales

Crequillion

Cyprian de Rore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZZpO3aGMcA&feature=related

Willaert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...