Top 5 Favorite British composers besides Elgar, VW, Holst, Britten and Walton

[kyjo]

This poll was originally DavidW's idea, so let's give him credit for that. I have modified his rule a little as I have not allowed members to vote for Britten, Holst or Walton. OK, you have 70 from which to choose five of your favorites (apologies for putting Birtwistle at the very end). If you don't mind, list them in the order you prefer them. My top five would be (in order):

1. Bax
2. Alwyn
3. Delius
4. Arnell
5. Arnold

Knock yourselves out!

P.S. Don't vote for Taverner!

[Mirror Image]

My votes went to Alwyn, Arnold, Bantock, Parry, and Tippett.

[kyjo]

My votes went to Alwyn, Arnold, Bantock, Parry, and Tippett.

I'm surprised you voted for Parry but not Delius!

[dyn]

I believe I owe you an apology.

[Mirror Image]

I'm surprised you voted for Parry but not Delius!

Parry's music has given a lot of pleasure to be honest and his Symphony No. 5 alone pushes him into the forefront of British symphonists. Sorry, but I feel more from this symphony than anything Delius composed now. I've been doing a lot of thinking on Delius over the past months and, while I certainly admire his individuality, I cannot help but think there's just something so inherently wrong in his music to my ears. I mean he really doesn't sound like he's had much compositional training at all. All of his works move at a snail's pace and while the sound of his music is alluring, in the end, I just couldn't vote for him, especially when there are so many more accomplished British composers that I enjoy more these days.

[kyjo]

I believe I owe you an apology.

You most certainly do not! You have the absolute right to create polls by your own standards, which I just happened to disagree with. I do suggest that you change the title of your poll, though.

[kyjo]

Parry's music has given a lot of pleasure to be honest and his Symphony No. 5 alone pushes him into the forefront of British symphonists. Sorry, but I feel more from this symphony than anything Delius composed now. I've been doing a lot of thinking on Delius over the past months and, while I certainly admire his individuality, I cannot help but think there's just something so inherently wrong in his music to my ears. I mean he really doesn't sound like he's had much compositional training at all. All of his works move at a snail's pace and while the sound of his music is alluring, in the end, I just couldn't vote for him, especially when there are so many more accomplished British composers that I enjoy more these days.

I agree that Parry's Symphony no. 5 is an amazing work, but I admire all his other symphonies as well. What do you think of the others, John? Interesting how your opinion of Delius has changed so much. I remember a couple months ago or so how you ranted (not in the pejorative sense ) on and on about what an underappreciated composer Delius is.

By the way, I just realized I forgot Rubbra! Don't worry Edmund, you shall be added to the poll straight away!

[Mirror Image]

I agree that Parry's Symphony no. 5 is an amazing work, but I admire all his other symphonies as well. What do you think of the others, John? Interesting how your opinion of Delius has changed so much. I remember a couple months ago how you ranted (not in the pejorative sense ) on and on about what an underappreciated composer Delius is.

By the way, I just realized I forgot Rubbra! Don't worry Edmund, you shall be added to the poll straight away!

I admire all of his symphonies and I also like his other orchestral works (Bamert has done such a great service to Parry). Let's just say I've become a wiser listener and have finally gotten to the essence of why I enjoy the music I enjoy and many composers, whose music I once admired, seem to have been cut severely by this critical thinking. I'm afraid I can't find one redeeming quality about Delius now to warrant putting him on my list of favorites.

By the way, I would have voted for Rubbra had you put him up there, but, as it stands, I'm quite satisfied with my votes.

[kyjo]

I admire all of his symphonies and I also like his other orchestral works (Bamert has done such a great service to Parry). Let's just say I've become a wiser listener and have finally gotten to the essence of why I enjoy the music I enjoy and many composers, whose music I once admired, seem to have been cut severely by this critical thinking. I'm afraid I can't find one redeeming quality about Delius now to warrant putting him on my list of favorites.

By the way, I would have voted for Rubbra had you put him up there, but, as it stands, I'm quite satisfied with my votes.

If you would have voted for Rubbra instead of Tippett, I think I will start beating myself!

[Mirror Image]

If you would have voted for Rubbra instead of Tippett, I think I will start beating myself!

I would have voted for Rubba instead of Parry. I love Tippett's music even as much dirt seems to be flung at him. I find his music endearing and the more I listen to him, the more I admire the amount of heart, and craft, that went into the music.

[kyjo]

I would have voted for Rubba instead of Parry.

OK, I feel a little better now. I didn't mean to offend you about Tippett, but I don't want to keep flogging a dead horse by discussing the merits of his music.....

[Mirror Image]

Let me also say that tastes in music do change and mature in time. Anyone who thinks for a second they don't is only fooling themselves. Even as I've seemed to always have 'core' favorites, that, over time, these favorites don't remain and others who I've dismissed as being ''too dissonant" or not lyrical enough seem to have jumped right ahead of the composers who I once deemed 'underrated' or 'musical geniuses.' My tastes in music are in constant evolution.

[dyn]

You most certainly do not! You have the absolute right to create polls by your own standards, which I just happened to disagree with. I do suggest that you change the title of your poll, though.

Well, my poll was intended as a kind of gentle satire upon the tendency of these sorts of threads to (a) focus almost exclusively on one or two historical periods to the detriment of others or (b) include lots and lots of obscure composers or (c) both. On reflection, however, I have reminded myself that members of the various sub-groups on board have certain well-developed tastes and that I am an outsider in every respect—preferences and interests, political and moral views, age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc—and it therefore ill behooves me to contribute to the more argumentative elements of this board or try to behave as a disruptive force, where instead I should try to emphasize the points of commonality that exist.

On that note, while I am not surprised to see almost all of my favourite British composers living or dead absent from this poll (and will not make you add them) I am quite surprised to note the absence of Edmund Rubbra, one of the few "conservative" British composers I immensely admire—more so than Britten or Vaughan Williams—whose Fourth Symphony I am listening to at this very moment.

edit: and who was added to the poll while I was typing this post, lol

[kyjo]

Yeah, sorry about Rubbra. It escapes me why I remembered all those composers no one is probably going to vote for when I forget a composer as great as Rubbra. I could have easily traded my Arnell vote for Rubbra, but it's too late now!

BTW don't hesitate to ask me to add composers to the poll! There are probably a number of classical era and avant-garde British composers that I have left out.

[Mirror Image]

You can add George Benjamin to the poll.

[kyjo]

You can add George Benjamin and Arthur Benjamin to the poll.

Indeed I could! Are you familiar with Arthur Benjamin's turbulent and moving only Symphony, per chance? I really wish Benjamin had written more symphonies!

[Mirror Image]

Jonathan Harvey and Julian Anderson can also be added to the list.

[Mirror Image]

Indeed I could! Are you familiar with Arthur Benjamin's turbulent and moving only Symphony, per chance? I really wish Benjamin had written more symphonies!

I am not. I'll rectify that soon. By the way, I edited my post from above and the reason I did is that Arthur Benjamin, according to Wikipedia, was regarded as an Australian composer.

[kyjo]

I am not. I'll rectify that soon. By the way, I took edited my post from above and the reason I did is that Arthur Benjamin, according to Wikipedia, was regarded as an Australian composer.

Be sure to get the Lyrita recording rather than the one on Marco Polo. There's nothing seriously wrong with the MP recording, it's just that the Lyrita one is in a totally different class. Yeah, I think I'll remove Arthur from the poll. After all, the Australians could use some more composers! Edgar Bainton is also considered an Australian composer by many. Oh, and there's John Joubert, born in South Africa in 1927 but moved to Britain around 1946, I believe. I'll keep Bainton and add Joubert.

[kyjo]

Jonathan Harvey and Julian Anderson can also be added to the list.

I shall add them. I am not familiar with either of their music. Are you, John?

P.S. I have also added Sally Beamish.