The GMG Top 100 of the 20th Century

[madaboutmahler]

What nonsense the list on the Top 100 20th century thread is. The is completely unrealistic, and obviously based on popularity instead of quality. For example, works such as the Elgar Pomp and Circumstance no.1 and Ravel's Bolero in high positions, while masterpieces such as Mahler 9, Shostakovich 10, Ravel Daphnis et Chloe and Debussy La Mer are much further down. 

So I thought that it may be a good idea for us here on GMG to create our own list. After around a month of the thread, I shall collect the results and post the outcome.
NEW RULES:

Also, I have a suggestion for the placing of pieces, for example voters offer their top 20 and they place their top choice at 20 and go down from there, top piece receives 20 points... Last piece recieves 1 point, and then the pieces with the most points will get a higher placing. I've seen this method used with a top films of the year by a film critics group.

This way, hopefully we will find a more 'proper' list for the masterpieces of the 20th century.

Please get voting! It will be interesting to see the results.

[some guy]

The greatest, eh? Greatest what? Greatest symphony? Greatest live turntable set? Greatest electroacoustic piece? Greatest violin concerto? (How does one set about comparing Michèle Bokanowski's L'Étoile-Absinthe with Helmut Lachenmann's Pression in order to come up with "greatest"? Indeed, how can one know "the greatest" unless one knows every piece? (Let's choose the greatest solo cello piece of the 20th century. Are the Kodály and the Britten the only two we know? Very likely. But even if we know several others, how can we be sure we've really got "the greatest"? And of course we cannot. "The greatest" is a null set.)

Here's my prediction--which I make knowing that people will still contribute to this thread, and will still have loads of innocent fun arguing about the greatest this or that. Hey, it's only a game, Michael. You need to chill, dude--: it will be just as silly and just as much a popularity contest and just as heavily weighted towards the first half, the first quarter, the first tenth of the twentieth century, the most weight being given to the nineteenth century pieces (like Mahler's ninth) that were written past the arbitrary date of 1900 (or is it 1901?).

Speaking of which, why not Dvorak's Rusalka? Or Armida?

[71 dB]

For example, works such as the Elgar Pomp and Circumstance no.1 and Ravel's Bolero in high positions

Are you sure it wasn't the list of the Top 100 Marches and Boleros of 20th century? 

[madaboutmahler]

The greatest, eh? Greatest what? Greatest symphony? Greatest live turntable set? Greatest electroacoustic piece? Greatest violin concerto? (How does one set about comparing Michèle Bokanowski's L'Étoile-Absinthe with Helmut Lachenmann's Pression in order to come up with "greatest"? Indeed, how can one know "the greatest" unless one knows every piece? (Let's choose the greatest solo cello piece of the 20th century. Are the Kodály and the Britten the only two we know? Very likely. But even if we know several others, how can we be sure we've really got "the greatest"? And of course we cannot. "The greatest" is a null set.)

Here's my prediction--which I make knowing that people will still contribute to this thread, and will still have loads of innocent fun arguing about the greatest this or that. Hey, it's only a game, Michael. You need to chill, dude--: it will be just as silly and just as much a popularity contest and just as heavily weighted towards the first half, the first quarter, the first tenth of the twentieth century, the most weight being given to the nineteenth century pieces (like Mahler's ninth) that were written past the arbitrary date of 1900 (or is it 1901?).

Speaking of which, why not Dvorak's Rusalka? Or Armida?

Well, I suppose it is really a matter of voting for your top 10 personal favourites. So, please do vote for Dvorak's Rusalka or Armida (as you suggest), if you wish to do so!

Are you sure it wasn't the list of the Top 100 Marches and Boleros of 20th century? 

Take a look for yourself....
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,19625.0.html

Get voting, everyone!

[Lethevich]

I'll bite, because lists are awesome, and because they will change depending on which week I am asked From 1-10

Schoenberg - Five Pieces for orchestra
Feldman - Rothko
Bartok's Mandarin
Vaughan Williams - Lark Ascending
Berg - Piano sonata
Lachenmann - Gran Torso
Penderecki - St Luke
Pärt - Fratres
Sibelius 6
Boulez's Repons
Nielsen - Aladdin

Now it's official^©!

[Pierre]

I'm all for a bit of fun, so here goes, without too much agonizing about it (I hope!):

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring - ballet
Bartok: String Quartet No. 4 - chamber
Holst: A Choral Fantasia - choral
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis - strings
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 1 - chamber
Britten: Peter Grimes - opera
Finzi: Dies natalis - vocal
Britten: Noye's Fludde - opera
Berg: Wozzeck - opera
Szymanowski: Stabat mater - choral

This was fairly agonizing, actually; I reluctantly dropped both Debussy and Ravel. Bear in mind this is my response today - I decided not to be pretentious, but simply go for the works which have cast their spell and entranced me, or which have stirred and even shaken me. And also I've tried to go for works where I don't think at any point "if only *that* part had been done better".

[snyprrr]

This isn't my list (and you did say 100), but here's ten obvious candidates (no order):

10 Bartok- CFO
09 Igor/Sacre
08 Mathis
09 DSCH 5,... or 10
07 something by Varese
06 In C
05 Appa Spring
04 Gorecki 3
03 something from 'The Shining' or '2001'
02 Helikopter Quartet
01 DSCH SQ 8
00 oops!

Barber Adagio

Surely one can find 100 cliches of the 20th Century?

[snyprrr]

Especially since so much of the 20th has to do with recordings,... the history of recordings.

[Mirror Image]

My Top 10 (this was such a difficult list to make) in no particular order:

1. Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
2. Debussy - La Mer
3. Berg - Violin Concerto
4. Schoenberg - Verklarte Nacht (version for string orchestra)
5. Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin
6. Stravinsky - Petrushka
7. Villa-Lobos - Genesis
8. Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 5
9. Koechlin - The Jungle Book
10. Ligeti - Atmospheres

[TheGSMoeller]

I'm all for a bit of fun, so here goes, without too much agonizing about it (I hope!):

Britten: Noye's Fludde - opera

This was fairly agonizing, actually; I reluctantly dropped both Debussy and Ravel. Bear in mind this is my response today - I decided not to be pretentious, but simply go for the works which have cast their spell and entranced me, or which have stirred and even shaken me. And also I've tried to go for works where I don't think at any point "if only *that* part had been done better".

Just have to re-quote this, made me smile seeing Britten's Noye's Fludde mentioned, good on ya, Pierre. 

I'll also bite, and will list-it-up later.

[canninator]

This thread brings me great pleasure. I was also very annoyed that a poll of the favourite works of the 20th Century by people I have never met did not match my own favourites, thus automatically invalidating said poll as worthless. I am pleased that we are replacing the ABC poll, incorrectly based on popularity by listeners of a radio station, with a poll correctly based on popularity among my peers on an internet chat site thus providing validation that my own favourites are actually the correct ones.

[The new erato]

This thread brings me great pleasure. I was also very annoyed that a poll of the favourite works of the 20th Century by people I have never met did not match my own favourites, thus automatically invalidating said poll as worthless. I am pleased that we are replacing the ABC poll, incorrectly based on popularity by listeners of a radio station, with a poll correctly based on popularity among my peers on an internet chat site thus providing validation that my own favourites are actually the correct ones.

Yes, isn't it great that people who like the same stuff you do are much more knowledgeable than people who like something else?

[Karl Henning]

Yes, isn't it great that people who like the same stuff you do are much more knowledgeable than people who like something else?

(* chortle *)

[TheGSMoeller]

There can never be a definitive list, even though I somewhat laughed at Andrew Lloyd Webber being in the top 100, that list was the perfect list for select few, just as the GMG Top 100 could be sneered at by those who do not participate. This will be fun to complete, but in no way definitive.


Also, I have a suggestion for the placing of pieces, for example voters offer their top 20 and they place their top choice at 20 and go down from there, top piece receives 20 points... Last piece recieves 1 point, and then the pieces with the most points will get a higher placing. I've seen this method used with a top films of the year by a film critics group.

[madaboutmahler]

Thank you for your responses everyone!

However - could you possibly post again, following Greg's idea? Thank you - it is posted underneath. Looking forward to more, the result shall be interesting! And yes, this list can't be definitive, but surely will turn out to be more so than the other one!

Also, I have a suggestion for the placing of pieces, for example voters offer their top 20 and they place their top choice at 20 and go down from there, top piece receives 20 points... Last piece recieves 1 point, and then the pieces with the most points will get a higher placing. I've seen this method used with a top films of the year by a film critics group.

[Lisztianwagner]

The rules are that you will post your top 10 pieces of the 20th century, in order. no.1 being what you believe to be the greatest. You may not vote for the same piece more than once, but you may include more than one piece by the same composer. The pieces you vote for must have been written in the 20th century.
This way, hopefully we will find a more 'proper' list for the masterpieces of the 20th century.

Nice idea It will be rather hard to choose only 10 pieces......

Mine:

1. Mahler - Symphony No.6/Symphony No.9
2. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.3
3. Strauss - Eine Alpensinfonie
4. Shostakovich - Symphony No.10
5. Holst - The Planets
6. Sibelius - Symphony No.5
7. Nielsen - Symphony No.4
8. Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
9. Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet
10. Respighi - I Pini di Roma
11. Debussy - La Mer

[madaboutmahler]

Nice idea It will be rather hard to choose only 10 pieces......

Mine:

1. Mahler - Symphony No.6/Symphony No.9
2. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.3
3. Strauss - Eine Alpensinfonie
4. Shostakovich - Symphony No.10
5. Holst - The Planets
6. Sibelius - Symphony No.5
7. Nielsen - Symphony No.4
8. Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe
9. Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet
10. Respighi - I Pini di Roma
11. Debussy - La Mer

Thank you for your response Ilaria!

However, the rules have changed! You can now choose 20 pieces! See the new instructions, or Greg's post which is a little further up.

[springrite]

In no particular order:

Rite of Spring
Mahler 9 & 6
Salome
Gaspard de la Nuit
Wozzeck
Berg Violin Concerto
Feldman: For Philip Guston
Sorabji's maga opus
Langgaard Music of the Spheres

[Lisztianwagner]

Thank you for your response Ilaria!

However, the rules have changed! You can now choose 20 pieces! See the new instructions, or Greg's post which is a little further up.

All right

I'll add to the previous list:

12. Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
13. Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No.2
14. Bortkiewicz - Symphony No.2
15. Elgar - Symphony No.2
16. Scriabin - Le Poème de l'extase
17. Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
18. Berg - Violin Concerto
19. Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra
20. Schönberg - Verklärte Nacht

[Mirror Image]

18. Berg - Violin Concerto

Truly a marvelous piece of music. It's so intense and lyrically haunting. It's atonal music, but you would never know it because the music is just so expressive.