Composers That Are Linked To Your Soul

[karlhenning]

There's nothing wrong with argument; the trouble IMO is rancor.

[Scarpia]

This is it exactly - part of why I chose to post my reaction to Puccini was to see if I was just seeing him in the wrong way - there's obviously a strong pull that people feel towards his operas, but for me the complete opposite is true - I find them repellent in every aspect... but I want to understand at least what people like about him. I assumed it was the tunes, which seems to pretty much be it... In terms of tunes, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schubert and Barber do it for me, and if we're looking for the same rapturously erotic effusivity I have Strauss, Szymanovsky and and Korngold to fill all those "below the belt" needs! Actually I do like many of the arias of Puccini, but never in context and never when listening for the words! With the operas I feel that you have to endure so much musical padding to get to them (besides all the rest), that it's not worth it to me -  I'll get the artist recital discs.

OK, the aside is over now Mirror Image. We can all start reeling off lists again.

My impression of Puccini is very different.  I think he was a skillful dramatist and was highly skilled at creating sonic images to accompany and illuminate his stories (not just Arias).  However, I am not attracted to the "oriental" music, and the helpless pathetic characters which are at the center of operas like Butterfly and La Boheme.  That leaves Tosca.  I've never heard the earlier operas, maybe I should be putting more attention in that direction.

[starrynight]

Not too much time right now, but certainly a composer and his works offer a psychological escape into a new universe, while at the same time the experience might offer a psychological affirmation of one's own state of mind.

Identifying with a composer could be involved, but in a good number of cases, the composer is not a particularly admirable character!      One might also feel a spiritual development from the music of a composer who personally was questionable.  (Wagner comes to mind.)

Knowing that e.g. Bruckner was cranking out his Ninth Symphony as his health declined might deepen my understanding of the work, and make it more poignant.  If I were in a similar state of declining health, I might feel therefore specifically connected to Bruckner through this work. 

It is interesting that many of us are more connected to composers of previous times: perhaps that is due to the highly personal and admittedly difficult nature of many modern works.

It takes effort to swim against the current, and to join those doing so.

Thanks for your response.  Indeed some people do seem to 'identify' with a composer for various reasons, and this seems to be a bit of an illusion.  They didn't compose the music, and by any logic would have no more of a connection to it than many other people. 

I've been looking through a lot of recent popular music over the last few months and I've come across the phenomenon of 'fanboyism'.  This is where people identify so much with singers or groups that they take any criticism of them as if it is a personal attack on themselves.  I don't really care that much if someone hates music I like.  I'm willing to discuss music with them if they want to, but I don't really want to get involved in a battle of personal insults which is what quite alot of people feel they have to resort to. 

I don't think this is probably as prevalent with classical music but it may not be completely absent either.  Anyway I think it is certainly better to just look at music as music, and really I think the same for art in general.

[marvinbrown]

Mahler
Bruckner
Elgar
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams

  All those glorious Ring cycles in your collection Sarge and Wagner doesn't even make the your list?? A falling out with this composer maybe??

   

[Opus106]

  All those glorious Ring cycles in your collection Sarge and Wagner doesn't even make the your list??   

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw his post.

[marvinbrown]

  For me WAGNER is forever linked to my soul.   Hypnotic, narcotic, psycho-sexual............I can drown in Wagner 'till the day I die!

  After Wagner I would say Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi and Bach are loosely  linked.


  marvin
 

[Scarpia]

After Wagner I would say Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi and Bach are loosely  linked.

Your soul is very standard, it would seem.   

[Sergeant Rock]

  All those glorious Ring cycles in your collection Sarge and Wagner doesn't even make the your list?? A falling out with this composer maybe??

Hey, Marvin. I don't have time to answer fully now (spaghetti is nearly ready!) but the answer is partially in the difference between "favorite" and "soul linked." For example, between Mozart and Haydn I feel a deep link to Mozart but actually prefer (in general) Haydn's music. At least I listen to Haydn far more. More later after supper.

Sarge

[marvinbrown]

Hey, Marvin. I don't have time to answer fully now (spaghetti is nearly ready!) but the answer is partially in the difference between "favorite" and "soul linked." For example, between Mozart and Haydn I feel a deep link to Mozart but actually prefer (in general) Haydn's music. At least I listen to Haydn far more. More later after supper.

Sarge

  I can somewhat see where you are going with this, for example Richard Strauss is a favorite composer of mine but I would hardly say that he is linked to my soul in any way! Interesting that you should point out this distinction between favorite and soul linked! I wonder how many others here have favorite composers that have not really touched their souls to a great extent??

  PS: Bon appetit!  I hope the spaghetti turned out well!!

  marvin

 

[Brian]

Hey, Marvin. I don't have time to answer fully now (spaghetti is nearly ready!) but the answer is partially in the difference between "favorite" and "soul linked." For example, between Mozart and Haydn I feel a deep link to Mozart but actually prefer (in general) Haydn's music. At least I listen to Haydn far more. More later after supper.

Sarge

Mrs. Rock's spaghetti perhaps? I've cooked spaghetti by myself a couple times and there's time to kill while you wait for things to get to a boil, and then it's absurd multitasking!

[marvinbrown]

Your soul is very standard, it would seem.   

  It is unfortunately!  I am for the most part a standard repertoire kind of guy!  You won't find many "offbeat" composers in my collection!  That said I am in the process of discovering Zemlinsky, whether he can be considered nonstandard or offbeat I am not sure.

  marvin

[marvinbrown]

Mrs. Rock's spaghetti perhaps? I've cooked spaghetti by myself a couple times and there's time to kill while you wait for things to get to a boil, and then it's absurd multitasking!

  All this talk of spaghetti is making me hungry, the soul may be musically satisfied but the flesh is weak  !

  marvin

[Taneyev]

I've Russian genes, so I'm particularly attached to Russian composers. Nearly all of them are linked to my soul, but specially PIT, NRK and Borodin.

[Cato]

Thanks for your response.  Indeed some people do seem to 'identify' with a composer for various reasons, and this seems to be a bit of an illusion.  They didn't compose the music, and by any logic would have no more of a connection to it than many other people. 

I've been looking through a lot of recent popular music over the last few months and I've come across the phenomenon of 'fanboyism'. This is where people identify so much with singers or groups that they take any criticism of them as if it is a personal attack on themselves. I don't really care that much if someone hates music I like.  I'm willing to discuss music with them if they want to, but I don't really want to get involved in a battle of personal insults which is what quite alot of people feel they have to resort to. 

This is parallel with people who live and die with the fate of their baseball or football teams: I knew a teacher who would come in happy on Monday, if the Cleveland Browns had won on Sunday, and was noticeably depressed when they lost.

He was depressed on Mondays quite a bit!   0:)

It is also parallel with religious fundamentalists: your conversion to their cause verifies the correctness of their belief.  Your failure to convert indicates either doltishness, obstinacy, or the persistence of evil.

I don't think this is probably as prevalent with classical music but it may not be completely absent either.  Anyway I think it is certainly better to just look at music as music, and really I think the same for art in general.

Oh, it has been known to surface here at GMG occasionally!   0:)

[Guido]

My impression of Puccini is very different.  I think he was a skillful dramatist and was highly skilled at creating sonic images to accompany and illuminate his stories (not just Arias).  However, I am not attracted to the "oriental" music, and the helpless pathetic characters which are at the center of operas like Butterfly and La Boheme.  That leaves Tosca.  I've never heard the earlier operas, maybe I should be putting more attention in that direction.

Do you think Turandot is dramatically convincing? Do you think Puccini makes an effective drama out of the story? Act 3 of Tosca? Dramatically convincing? I'd genuinely be interested in hearing a case for this! 

[DavidRoss]

  All this talk of spaghetti is making me hungry, the soul may be musically satisfied but the flesh is weak  !

Ennio Morricone?

Do you think Turandot is dramatically convincing? Do you think Puccini makes an effective drama out of the story? Act 3 of Tosca? Dramatically convincing? I'd genuinely be interested in hearing a case for this! 

Are any operas dramatically convincing?  And what does this have to do with liking the music? 

[Florestan]

Are any operas dramatically convincing? 

At least one: Carmen.   

[Scarpia]

Do you think Turandot is dramatically convincing? Do you think Puccini makes an effective drama out of the story? Act 3 of Tosca? Dramatically convincing? I'd genuinely be interested in hearing a case for this! 

He never finished it, so how should I know?  Turandot is distasteful to me because of the "oriental" element.

[karlhenning]

What about Le rossignol?

[Florestan]

The person I mainly thought of (now deceased) made a virtual career of Mozart-bashing on this forum.

Rob Newman died???