The 'Dorf: In Titters over Ditters

Started by snyprrr, June 25, 2009, 11:30:40 AM

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snyprrr

Another exclusive Lead Balloon Thread by snyprrr!

Yet another of Mozart's circle, Dittersdorf appears to be the most universally damned composer of all time. Just a search of GMG reveals that the only time Ditters name is mentioned is when there is an arguement over which composer sucks more... Elgar, Sibelius, or... and inevitably Karl's name will come up.

So why does Ditters have the worst reputation this side of Spohr? Well, tales of his "humility" ::) notwithstanding, I have a CPO disc of SQs and Quintets that I must say is some of the most typically "classical" music I've ever heard. Mix Mozart's dribbling chromatics with Haydn's "cleanness" and then suck all the color out leaving only a marble white, and you come close to the word "blandness". The most memorable mvmt. (SQ No.2, finale) sounds just like "Hello Muddah!"

A friend of Karl's declared, "Now not only Pleyel's quartets but even Haydn's have been outdone." Well, I could be missing something here, but...

I may very well give ole Karl another go. His music is certainly inoffensive and on the surface as bland as you want it, but if you reeeally listen, there are some beautiful things hiding right there in plain sight. Ditters may be too perfect!

"wasser machet stumm"

Dr. Dread

I must confess that I jumped on the Dittersdorf Damnation bandwagon without hearing a note he wrote, that I'm aware of. But he's dead now, so he probably doesn't mind.

snyprrr

haha... guess from whom I got the idea?!? 0:)

Dr. Dread


Keemun

Quote from: snyprrr on June 25, 2009, 11:30:40 AM
Just a search of GMG reveals that the only time Ditters name is mentioned is when there is an arguement over which composer sucks more... Elgar, Sibelius, or... and inevitably Karl's name will come up.

Sibelius was nominated in an argument over which composer sucks more?  Unbelievable.  :o

OK, carry on with the Dittersdorf thread. . . .
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. - Ludwig van Beethoven

Dr. Dread

Quote from: Keemun on June 25, 2009, 12:09:27 PM
Sibelius was nominated in an argument over which composer sucks more?  Unbelievable.  :o

OK, carry on with the Dittersdorf thread. . . .

Suck-bile-us

*snarf*

Keemun

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. - Ludwig van Beethoven

Lethevich

I spot a niche in the demotivator marker... 0:)



As for Ditters, I found that the biggest problem with getting into his symphonies were the poor choice of performances. There has yet to be a very good HIP recording of the major Ovid-themed ones. As for the SQs... haven't heard them yet.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

snyprrr

I'm starting to warm to these SQs. Like a "clean" Mozart, without all the foliage. Very "white".

71 dB

Dittersdorf is one of the most undervalued composers. People are entitled to not like his music but the fact is he was very respected composer in his time and I enjoy his music a lot. Naxos has great releases of his symphonies while CPO has released String Quartets/Quintets and a wonderful preformance of his oratorio Giob.
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DavidW

Quote from: snyprrr on June 25, 2009, 11:30:40 AM
So why does Ditters have the worst reputation this side of Spohr?

Ralph on CMG really likes Dittersdorf and would rec him over Mozart to anyone wanting to get into classical era music.  That elevated him to a more popular level than most minor composers would on these forums, and as more people tried them they would get more vocal about how they didn't like them.  Since the classical music community is small, and most of us have been around it the whole time it just carried over to this forum.  Perhaps someone on another forum got Ralph into it, I don't know but there you have it. 

It's not that Ditters is remarkably bad, it's just that certain posters feel that he is a bit overhyped.

71 dB

Quote from: DavidW on June 29, 2009, 11:28:48 AM
It's not that Ditters is remarkably bad, it's just that certain posters feel that he is a bit overhyped.

Overhyped? Where?  ???
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

DavidW


Dr. Dread


71 dB

Quote from: DavidW on June 29, 2009, 11:46:44 AM
As I already said, on cmg by Ralph.

So, Dittersdorf is overhyped because Ralph on CMG likes his music? Well, now he is doubleoverhyped because I like his music on GMG!  ;D
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

Dr. Dread

Quote from: 71 dB on June 29, 2009, 12:03:34 PM
So, Dittersdorf is overhyped because Ralph on CMG likes his music? Well, now he is doubleoverhyped because I like his music on GMG!  ;D

You're down with the 'dorf?

DavidW

Quote from: 71 dB on June 29, 2009, 12:03:34 PM
So, Dittersdorf is overhyped because Ralph on CMG likes his music? Well, now he is doubleoverhyped because I like his music on GMG!  ;D

Well as far as I know you haven't hyped his music up, you simply express your personal taste in enjoying his music.  I'm cool with that, it's better than homogenized group think.  :)

71 dB

Quote from: DavidW on June 29, 2009, 12:07:11 PM
Well as far as I know you haven't hyped his music up, you simply express your personal taste in enjoying his music.  I'm cool with that, it's better than homogenized group think.  :)

Ok. I don't know CMG or Ralph so I don't know how over-the-top he is.
Spatial distortion is a serious problem deteriorating headphone listening.
Crossfeeders reduce spatial distortion and make the sound more natural
and less tiresome in headphone listening.

My Sound Cloud page <-- NEW Jan. 2024 "Harpeggiator"

DavidW

Quote from: 71 dB on June 29, 2009, 12:14:13 PM
Ok. I don't know CMG or Ralph so I don't know how over-the-top he is.

Well only about Dittersdorf, he's a pretty cool guy. 8)

Scarpia

Quote from: DavidW on June 29, 2009, 12:17:43 PM
Well only about Dittersdorf, he's a pretty cool guy. 8)

I thought that Ralph and Dittersdorf was a running joke.  You mean Ralph actually likes Dittersdorf?   :o