Favourite decade of the 19th Century

[Maestro267]

As the 20th Century poll seems to be a roaring success, I thought I'd start another one for the 19th century.

Again, based on the works which appeared, which is your favourite decade of the 19th Century?

[Karl Henning]

As the 20th Century poll seems to be a roaring success [....]

(* chortle *)

[Jo498]

1818-28

[Brian]

Sorry, Beethoven - the years 1883-1885 take it for me.

- Brahms 3 and 4
- Dvorak 7
- Bruckner 7
- Chabrier Espagna
- Franck Prelude, Chorale, et Fugue
- final works by Liszt, including La lugubre gondola and Bagatelle sans tonalité

1885 in particular is a spectacular year in the history of the symphony: Brahms 4, Dvorak 7, Bruckner 7, Tchaikovsky Manfred. Possibly the high water mark of the whole romantic era.

Plus, Verdi started working on Otello, Manon and Le Cid premiered, Die Zigeunerbaron, and The Mikado. Berg, Webern, Varese, Kern, Klemperer, and Talich were born. Wagner died. I mean, dang.

[Todd]

Op 132 was written in the 20s.  Therefore, the 20s.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I'm holding out for the "Favourite (or even Favorite) Decade of the 13th Century" poll.

[The new erato]

Late Beethoven and late Schubert makes the 1820s a selection without contest for me.

[ritter]

The work: Parsifal. The year: 1882. Hence, the decade: the 1880s.... 

[Super Blood Moon]

An 1820s no-brainer.

[amw]

1818-28

[Mirror Image]

I chose the 1890s for the simple reason of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune. A work that changed the course of music forever.

[Sammy]

For me it's the 1830's when Schumann wrote his best piano works.

[Jo498]

For straight "decades" as in the poll, 1820s, although 1818-28 is more poignant, starting with Beethoven's "Hammerklavier sonata" and ending with Schubert's death. Then I'd lose LvB's op.106 but keep all other late Beethoven and almost all relevant Schubert, also gain e.g. Mendelssohn's op.12+13. Quite a few "freebies" in either case, e.g. Mendelssohn's octet and Weber's three major operas and piano concert piece.

[amw]

Plus Chopin's Etudes Op. 10!

As a second choice the 1830s—all of Schumann's major works and many of Chopin's being the main reason, but also Berlioz's first three symphonies & Requiem, the major Bellini operas & Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and your so-called freebies in the form of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, some Liszt piano music and other stuff.

[Sergeant Rock]

1890s:

Mahler 2 and 3

my favorite Sibelius tone poems (Wood Nymph, En saga, Lemminkäinen Suite) plus Kullervo and the First Symphony.

Bruckner 8 & 9 plus the Bruckner/Schalk version of 3 (which I love irrationally)

R. Strauss, the tone poems (Death and Transfiguration, Till, MacBeth, Zarathrustra, Heldenleben, Don Quixote)

Brahms Op.116, 117, 118, 119 and the Clarinet Quintet

Debussy Nocturnes, Prélude, Pelléas et Mélisande

Elgar Enigma Variations, Sea Pictures, Serenade in E minor

Tchaikovsky Pathétique

Magnard Symphonies 1, 2 and 3


Sarge

[Karl Henning]

A work that changed the course of music forever.

Arguably, something that is true for a number of 19^th-c. works. A select number, perhaps; but certainly more than one 

[Jo498]

Arguably, something that is true for a number of 19^th-c. works. A select number, perhaps; but certainly more than one 

One will find about one per decade, I guess, maybe even more sometimes.
E.g. the 1820s have the "birth" of the German romantic opera (Weber), the births of the large scale song cycle (Schubert), Beethoven's 9th symphony as point of departure for several strains of romantic symphonies or symphonic poems, other late Beethoven as point of departure for all kinds of things, Schubert's 9th symphony as another, quite different, but huge influence for the genre of the symphony, Schubert's "Wanderer Fantasia" and Weber's Konzertstück as models for "all-in-one" romantic fantasy-sonatas and concerti, like the Liszt b minor etc., Mendelssohn's midsummer night's dream ouverture as classico-romantic symphonic poem...

[Karl Henning]

One will find about one per decade, I guess, maybe even more sometimes.

I think that's fair.  And it is probably true of the 19^th century in ways that it cannot be quite true of the 18^th;  not that the 18^th century is "less important," but because the 19^th saw the nascence of a certain kind of musical world self-awareness . . . .

[Gurn Blanston]

1820's = Late Beethoven, Prime Schubert, early Mendelssohn, probably more if I think about it... in short, greater quantity of SIL (Stuff I Like) than any other decade.

[jochanaan]

1820's = Late Beethoven, Prime Schubert, early Mendelssohn, probably more if I think about it... in short, greater quantity of SIL (Stuff I Like) than any other decade.

Interesting.  I would have thought you preferred the '00s for late Haydn.

For me it's really impossible to name a favorite decade; but perhaps my least "favorite" is the '50s.  Really, not much happened except for Schumann's Rheinisch, and Wagner started working on Der Ring and Tristan.  Still, there are those magnificent Verdi operas including Rigoletto, my absolute favorite...