Favourite period in music history?

[lukeottevanger]

This Gurnian Period remains the one that fascinates me the most - often the emphasis seems to be on just 3 or 4 composers, but there were so many excellent musicians/composers working at those times for courts, royalty, churches, et al that the number of individuals writing music & the compositions written is astounding (of course, many of these are likely lost, many composers forgotten, and a minority of this music now recorded).

Thus, I was curious about just 'how many' of these composers are still known enough to be even mentioned - so, I reviewed a long list of composers on the Naxos website & also looked at my own computerized database list - below is a compilation of composers from this 'glorious era' (in my mind at least) - my main criterion was to include composers who were likely writing works at the time of JS Bach's death (1750) into the 1820s (of course, many of these composers were born before 1750 or lived after 1830). 

Below is the list 'found' - about 75 or so composers - probably skipped a couple of dozen or more because I had not heard of them or in reviewing the bios, their output was non-instrumental or minimal.  There are certainly other composers mentioned in previous posts in this thread that could be added; and, there are likely many more composers 'unknown' or 'little recorded' that could be added.

I guess my main point in doing this excercise is that there was an amazing number of muscian/composers during this 80 year period making some just glorious music, some of which still left to be discovered & recorded.  Note - next to these composers, I've placed * (one * means that I have one disc of this composer, while 2* indicates that I have 2 or more CDs - thus, there is plenty of recorded music in existence already of these guys!).

Many of these composers have been discussed (and even have separate threads in the 'old' forum), but certainly further comments & suggestions of recordings are welcomed.   

Abel, Carl Friedrich (1723 - 1787)*
Albrechtsberger, Johann Georg (1736 - 1809)
Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714 - 1788)**
Bach, Johann Christian (1735 - 1782)**
Beck, Franz Ignaz (1734-1809)*
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827)**
Benda, Frans & Georg (1709-86; 1722-95)
Blavet, Michel (1700-1768)*
Boccherini, Luigi (1743-1805)**
Boyce, William (1711-1779)**
Cambini, Giuseppe Maria (1746 - 1825)
Cannabich, Christian (1731 - 1798)
Cartellieri, Antonio (1772- 1807)**
Carulli, Ferdinando (1770 - 1841)*
Cherubini, Luigi (1760 - 1842)*
Cimarosa, Domenico (1749 - 1801)
Clementi, Muzio (1752 - 1832)**
Cramer, Johann Baptist (1771 - 1858)*
Crusell, Bernhard Henrik (1775 - 1838)**
Danzi, Franz (1763 - 1826)**
Dittersdorf, Carl Ditters von (1739 - 1799)**
Dussek, Jan Ladislav (1760 - 1812)**
Field, John (1782- 1837)**
Galuppi, Baldassare (1706 - 1785)*
Gambaro, Vincent (1785- 1824)*
Giuliani, Mauro (1781- 2829)**
Gluck, Christoph Willibald (1714 - 1787)
Gossec, Francois-Joseph (1734 - 1829)*
Hasse, Johann (1699- 1783)*
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732 - 1809)**
Haydn, Michael (1737 - 1806)*
Hoffmann, Leopold (1738 - 1793)**
Hoffmeister, Franz Anton (1754 - 1812)*
Holzbauer, Ignaz (1711- 1783)*
Hummel, Johann (1778- 1837)**
Kleinknecht, Jakob (1722- 1794)*
Kraus, Joseph Martin (1756 - 1792)**
Kreutzer, Conradin (1780 - 1849)**
Kreutzer, Rodolphe (1766- 1831)*
Krommer, Franz (1759 - 1831)**
Kuhlau, Friedrich (1786 - 1832)**
Leclair, Jean-Marie (1697- 1764)**
Locatelli, Pietro (1695- 1764)**
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756 - 1791)**
Myslivecek, Josef (1737- 1781)*
Onslow, Georges (1785- 1853)**
Ordonez, Karl von (1734 - 1786)
Paisiello, Giovanni (1740 - 1816)
Pichl, Vaclav (1741- 1805)*
Pleyel, Ignaz Joseph (1757 - 1831)**
Quantz, Johann Joachim (1697 - 1773) **
Reicha, Anton (1770 - 1836)**
Ries, Ferdinand (1784 - 1838)**
Rosetti, Antonio (1750- 1792)**
Ryba, Jakub Jan (1765 - 1815)
Salieri, Antonio (1750 - 1825)
Sammartini, Giovanni Battista (1700 - 1775)
Schubert, Franz (1797 - 1828)**
Soler, Antonio (1729 - 1783)*
Sor, Fernando (1778 - 1839)*
Sperger, Johannes Matthias (1750 - 1812)
Spohr, Louis (1784 - 1859)**
Stamitz, Carl (1745 - 1801)**
Stamitz, Johann (1717 - 1757)
Tartini, Giuseppe (1692 - 1770)**
Vanhal, Johann Baptist (1739 - 1813)**
Viotti, Giovanni Battista (1755 - 1824)
Wagenseil, Georg Christoph (1715 - 1777)
Weber, Carl Maria von (1786 - 1826)**
Wolf, Ernst Wilhelm (1735 - 1792)*
Wranitzky, Anton (1761 - 1820)

Great list! Can I take the liberty of adding at least two names? 1) Thomas Linley Jr - the 'English Mozart' (and WAM's exact contemproary and friend) composer of some very impressive pieces and 2) on the evidence of the Naxos CD of his solo violin music, Khandoshkin - not a major name but a fine and innovative composer, it seems to me. I'll refrain from adding more.

[SonicMan46]

Great list! Can I take the liberty of adding at least two names? 1) Thomas Linley Jr - the 'English Mozart' (and WAM's exact contemproary and friend) composer of some very impressive pieces and 2) on the evidence of the Naxos CD of his solo violin music, Khandoshkin - not a major name but a fine and innovative composer, it seems to me. I'll refrain from adding more.

Luke - no problem at all; like I said, there were plenty of names on the Naxos site (at least a couple of dozen or more) of composers unknown to me or who likely had a limited output of compositions; in addition, when I went through my own database, there were a dozen or so composers NOT on the Naxos listings.  I can only wonder 'how many' were writing music in this period - a lot yet to be discovered & hopefully recorded - Dave 

[SonicMan46]

SonicMan: Thanks for completing "Phase 1" of the mission (alphabetical listing of composer names comprising the Gurnian Era); now all you need to do is complete "Phase 2" (create new threads for each composer) . . . . . . So get moving!   

D Minor - your wish is my command!    Out of interest from my previous list, I decided to review the pages of the 'Composers' from the 'old' GMG Forum to determine if we already had some threads on this current listing - please find below for your interest, a more limited listing of composers in which I found a 'major' thread - just click on the link to the right of each composer; I may have 'missed' a few, plus the MAJORS (e.g. Schubert, Beethoven, etc. had many different types of posts, so not included).  For those interested or unfamiliar w/ these 'lesser known' composers, please start w/ these links - there may already exist plenty of information to get you started - hope this is of some help - 

Abel, Carl Friedrich (1723 - 1787)  Abel
Boccherini, Luigi (1743-1805) Boccherini
Cartellieri, Antonio (1772- 1807) Cartellieri
Cherubini, Luigi (1760 - 1842) Cherubini
Clementi, Muzio (1752 - 1832) Clementi
Dittersdorf, Carl Ditters von (1739 - 1799) Dittersdorf
Dussek, Jan Ladislav (1760 - 1812) Dussek
Field, John (1782- 1837) Field
Hasse, Johann (1699- 1783) Hasse
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732 - 1809) Haydn
Hoffmann, Leopold (1738 - 1793) Hoffmann
Holzbauer, Ignaz (1711- 1783) Holzbauer
Hummel, Johann (1778- 1837) Hummel
Kraus, Joseph Martin (1756 - 1792) Kraus
Krommer, Franz (1759 - 1831) Krommer
Locatelli, Pietro (1695- 1764) Locatelli
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756 - 1791) Mozart
Onslow, Georges (1785- 1853) Onslow
Pichl, Vaclav (1741- 1805) Pichl
Pleyel, Ignaz Joseph (1757 - 1831) Pleyel
Quantz, Johann Joachim (1697 - 1773) Quantz
Reicha, Anton (1770 - 1836) Reicha
Ries, Ferdinand (1784 - 1838) Ries
Rosetti, Antonio (1750- 1792) Rosetti
Salieri, Antonio (1750 - 1825) Salieri
Spohr, Louis (1784 - 1859) Spohr
Stamitz, Carl (1745 - 1801) Stamitz
Vanhal, Johann Baptist (1739 - 1813)  Vanhal
Viotti, Giovanni Battista (1755 - 1824) Viotti

[Ten thumbs]

My favourite period must now be Post-Gurnian, namely 1820 to 1860. Here Bach is re-injected into Classicism, harmony becomes unfettered and motivic development all-absorbing. This is Early Romanticism. As I have two more votes, I will choose the Classical and the Baroque, because they made my first choice possible.

[marvinbrown]

    I voted : Classical (because of Mozart) Baroque (because of Bach) and Romantic (becasue of Beethoven, Wagner Tchaikovsky)  I guess I really don't have a favorite period just Favorite composers.

  marvin   

[SonicMan46]

Just rechecking my CD collection over the weekend for any composers that I might have missed but own; these are 'additions' to the 'Gurnian Era' list shown earlier:

Backofen, Georg (1768-1830) - excellent CPO disc of Clarinet Concs. w/ Dieter Klocker

Brandl, Johann (1760-1837) - Bassoon & Piano Quintets; couple discs on MDG label

Giardini, Felice (1716-1796) - 3-CD String Trios on Hungaroton (31837-39)

Stanley, John (1712-1786) - Six Concertos, Seven Parts on Hyperion (Goodman & Parley)

[loudav]

Usually Machaut (d.1377) is considered to be a Medieval composer and Landini (d.1397) a Renaissance composer.
Ca. 1370 (and neither 1300 nor 1400) may therefore be considered as the end of the Medieval period.

Really! I've always considered Dunstable Medieval and Dufay Renaissance. That fits neatly with 1453 (Dunstable's death) as the first year of the Renaissance, which was also when Constantinople fell (provoking an exodus of Greek scholars to the West, they say), the Hundred Years' War ended (reducing unrest and thus increasing prosperity in Northern Europe), and Gutenberg was working on his bible. Musically, that would make most of Dufay's songs Medieval and only the later ones Renaissance, which doesn't quite make sense--but no boundaries are perfect.

And in case anyone cares, my favorite periods are transitions between periods of well-defined styles: the last quarter of the 14th century, the last quarter of the 16th, the third quarter of the 18th, and the first quarter of the 20th. Those periods bring out more experimentation by a bouquet of "minor" composers  not yet cowed by the "orthodox" style of a Dufay, a Monteverdi, a Haydn, or a Schoenberg. The widest variety of musical styles can be found in these interstices!

[BachQ]

D Minor - your wish is my command!   

Abel, Carl Friedrich (1723 - 1787)  Abel
Boccherini, Luigi (1743-1805) Boccherini
Cartellieri, Antonio (1772- 1807) Cartellieri
Cherubini, Luigi (1760 - 1842) Cherubini
Clementi, Muzio (1752 - 1832) Clementi
Dittersdorf, Carl Ditters von (1739 - 1799) Dittersdorf
Dussek, Jan Ladislav (1760 - 1812) Dussek
Field, John (1782- 1837) Field
Hasse, Johann (1699- 1783) Hasse
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732 - 1809) Haydn
Hoffmann, Leopold (1738 - 1793) Hoffmann
Holzbauer, Ignaz (1711- 1783) Holzbauer
Hummel, Johann (1778- 1837) Hummel
Kraus, Joseph Martin (1756 - 1792) Kraus
Krommer, Franz (1759 - 1831) Krommer
Locatelli, Pietro (1695- 1764) Locatelli
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756 - 1791) Mozart
Onslow, Georges (1785- 1853) Onslow
Pichl, Vaclav (1741- 1805) Pichl
Pleyel, Ignaz Joseph (1757 - 1831) Pleyel
Quantz, Johann Joachim (1697 - 1773) Quantz
Reicha, Anton (1770 - 1836) Reicha
Ries, Ferdinand (1784 - 1838) Ries
Rosetti, Antonio (1750- 1792) Rosetti
Salieri, Antonio (1750 - 1825) Salieri
Spohr, Louis (1784 - 1859) Spohr
Stamitz, Carl (1745 - 1801) Stamitz
Vanhal, Johann Baptist (1739 - 1813)  Vanhal
Viotti, Giovanni Battista (1755 - 1824) Viotti

Impressive!   

[lukeottevanger]

And in case anyone cares, my favorite periods are transitions between periods of well-defined styles: the last quarter of the 14th century, the last quarter of the 16th, the third quarter of the 18th, and the first quarter of the 20th. Those periods bring out more experimentation by a bouquet of "minor" composers  not yet cowed by the "orthodox" style of a Dufay, a Monteverdi, a Haydn, or a Schoenberg. The widest variety of musical styles can be found in these interstices!

Wow, that sounds like something I might have written myself - in fact I seem to remember doing so a long time ago, even down to the word 'interstices'! For me, periods like the Ars Subtilior of the late 14th Century (as you say); the Empfindsamer Stil of CPE and WF Bach, falling between the high baroque and the establishment of a fully classical style, and running elusively and mysteriously beside the solidity and confidence of the Galant; and that hard-to-place juncture in which we find late Beethoven and late Schubert, to name but three, throw up some of the most interesting and satisfying music of all. Early Romanticism too (which for me includes e.g. Schumann and early Brahms), though it is a major period of its own, is for me much more interesting, subtle and delicately coloured than the high-blown death-or-glory stuff that came later (which for me does not include later Brahms  ) And of course I can't but agree about that glorious turn-if-the-century period which encompasses Debussy, freely-chromatic Schoenberg etc.

I think Gould once said something about preferring the Beethoven that fell in the 'gaps' between the three 'periods'  to the other music, as having something more exploratory about it, rather than having reached its goal - I think he meant e.g. choosing op 90 over op 101 etc. I wouldn't go that far in relation to LVB, but I know what he meant in general.

[karlhenning]

(I can hardly believe that Monteverdi "cowed" anyone . . . .)

[karlhenning]

(Nor do I think that Schoenberg was one to 'lay down orthodoxy' . . . that would come after the war . . . .)

[loudav]

Wow, that sounds like something I might have written myself - in fact I seem to remember doing so a long time ago, even down to the word 'interstices'!

Hail to you, fellow interstician!

(I can hardly believe that Monteverdi "cowed" anyone . . . .)

Beware the long arm of the seconda prattica!

(Nor do I think that Schoenberg was one to 'lay down orthodoxy' . . . that would come after the war . . . .)

There was certainly a dodecaphonic orthodoxy, whoever may have laid it down--but you're right that it took a while to establish itself. Still, between neo-classicism, atonality, and nascent dodecaphony, I'd rate the 2nd quarter of the twentieth century less of a free-for-all than the first. But I'm not dogmatic about it.

So by omission, can we conclude that you're okay with the idea of Dufay and Haydn as intimidating, bare-knuckles bruisers?

[karlhenning]

So by omission, can we conclude that you're okay with the idea of Dufay and Haydn as intimidating, bare-knuckles bruisers?

Hey, I'd never mess with them 

[Danny]

Baroque, Romantic, and Modern for me.   

[oyasumi]

Contemporary, Contemporary, Contemporary

[val]

All of them excepting Antiquity and Medieval (because it stops in 1300).

For the rest:

Renaissance, how could I not love Dufay, Moralés, Palestrina, Lassus, Janequin?

Baroque: the same with JS Bach, and JS Bach, and JS Bach.

Classical? Well, in my harem of beauties Beethoven is the favorite, but Mozart, well, how can anyone not to love Mozart? And Haydn.

Romantic: Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, Bruckner, Mussorgski, Verdi, Dvorak ... ah, and the Weber of Freischütz.

Modern: Debussy, Schönberg, Stravinsky, Bartok, Webern, Enescu, Martin, Berg, Ravel, Prokofiev: they all also belong to my harem.

Contemporary: The same for Berio, Zimmermann, Boulez, Nono, Ligeti.   

[quintett op.57]

I voted both classical/romantic/modern
but Handel and Schnittke are 2 of my favourites

I would have voted only classical if Schubert and Beethoven had been included in

[loudav]

I'm just astonished that out of 41 voters, only three have made one of their up-to-three votes for the period from 1300-1600. Folks--you don't know what you're missing. The interlocking lines of Renaissance polyphony provide such rich and enjoyable musical experiences! If nothing else, I would argue that frequent listening to Renaissance polyphony limbers up the musical mind and thus aids one's listening to more recent music. For a start, try William Byrd's masses or motets, anything by Josquin Des Pres, Ockeghem's Requiem or other masses, chansons by Dufay and Ockeghem, or Victoria's masses if you go for a more meditatively spiritual sound. And then there's the angular insanity of the 14th century!

[Maciek]

Hey, loudav, that's just the top-3, remember? It doesn't mean we don't listen to that stuff at all!

(And nice to see you on the new board, BTW . Newbie. )

Maciek

[Harvested Sorrow]

I chose Classical (primarily for Beethoven's classical material), Romantic, and Modern.