What Composers Are You Currently Exploring?

[Ken B]

What is the French spirit really? Can it be defined in such certain terms as to clearly distinguish it from the spirit of other nations? And if some (famous) Frenchmen are found to be lacking it, are they then less French because of that?

Just asking. 

I prefer Virgil Thomson's approach. He was asked what you need to do to write American music. "First, be an American. Second, write music."

[Florestan]

I prefer Virgil Thomson's approach. He was asked what you need to do to write American music. "First, be an American. Second, write music."

Very good. 

[Spineur]

What is the French spirit really? Can it be defined in such certain terms as to clearly distinguish it from the spirit of other nations? And if some (famous) Frenchmen are found to be lacking it, are they then less French because of that?

Just asking. 

For me its an emotional feeling that cant be defined.  A little bit like "love" or "truth".  I lived 1/3 of my life out of France.   When you are away from "home" is when you can feel what you are missing.  And when you listen to some recorded music, you instantly know that yes this is something that you have been missing, or no this isnt much different than any other european composer.
Listening to the music that Dvorak composed while in United States also helps understand what I mean.  Its is strongly influenced by Czech and Slavonic roots, more so than his earlier compositions while he was still "at home".

[Florestan]

For me its an emotional feeling that cant be defined. 

Ah, I see. And if we switch to literature, who embodies the true French spirit? Just curious if my favorite French writers qualify.

[Madiel]

Listening to the music that Dvorak composed while in United States also helps understand what I mean.  Its is strongly influenced by Czech and Slavonic roots, more so than his earlier compositions while he was still "at home".

Except that Dvorak's "Slavic period" is generally dated to about a decade before he went to America, so scholarship doesn't agree with your impression.

[The new erato]

What is the French spirit really?

The will to strike recklessly and violently every time you sense that somebody is trying to change anything. I think that is more or less it.

[Mirror Image]

Magnard?

You should consider adding Faure and Cras. And is Honegger really French?

I don't really know enough about Magnard for him to be counted as a favorite and the same applies to Cras. Now, Faure is a composer I just can't get into. I've tried. Lord knows I've tried. Honegger is Swiss of course.

[Mirror Image]

Now I understand why your lists are always changing....I don't share that view by the way.

For me, a list is just a fun thing to do and isn't something that's concrete. I have a whole plethora of favorites, but there are some I keep closer to my heart than others.

[PerfectWagnerite]

What is the French spirit really?

Easy:

[The new erato]

I far prefer the honest and slightly rustic Armagnac to the majority of perfumed and processed Cognacs.

[Christo]

Who is famous for one work only which actually embodies the Spanish spirit. 

I side with Spineur, however: the colourful music he wrote to l'Arlésienne - heard live in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw last month - and e.g. his heroic Ouverture La Patrie - are written in a style that is definitely 'French', and cannot be mistaken for anything else.

[vandermolen]

Definitely worth exploring this French composer, especially for his charming and inspiriting 'Symphonie':
[asin]B00M2D7MY0[/asin]

[ritter]

Who is famous for one work only which actually embodies the Spanish spirit. 

Of course, many of us here in Spain don't really think that opera embodies anything remotely close to the "Spanish spirirt" 

This reminds me of an interview of Sviatoslav Richter who was asked what is views were of spanish piano music.  His answer was there wasn't much beyond Ravel "Elborada del gracioso"    

It's a pity Mr. Richter did not enjoy the ready availability of information of the internet era, and never seemed to have heard of Isaac Albéniz 

[Florestan]

Of course, many of us here in Spain don't really think that opera embodies anything remotely close to the "Spanish spirirt" 

How do you define "the Spanish spirit" and what makes it so utterly alien to Carmen? 

It's a pity Mr. Richter did not enjoy the ready availability of information of the internet era, and never seemed to have heard of Isaac Albéniz 

Enrique Granados, too.

[Spineur]

It's a pity Mr. Richter did not enjoy the ready availability of information of the internet era, and never seemed to have heard of Isaac Albéniz 

Its also a pity we dont discuss more seriously spanish composers on GMG.  There is a lot of it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Spanish_composers
Thanks to Arkadi Volodos, I discovered last year, the fabulous Frederico Mompou.

[ritter]

How do you define "the Spanish spirit" and what makes it so utterly alien to Carmen? 

I mght not know what the "Spanish spirit" is, but I do recognise what it is not. Carmen's postccard folklorism is almost universally derided here in Spain (which does not mean, mind you, that many people here admire the opera as such).

Cheers,

[Florestan]

I mght not know what the "Spanish spirit" is, but I do recognise what it is not.

Ah, I see. Kind of how Spineur defined the "French"spirit:

For me its an emotional feeling that cant be defined. 

[some guy]

OK, Florestan, let's put you on the spot then.

How about you play, too, and give us a wee bit definition of "the Romanian spirit?"

Maybe you would be fine with that definition featuring blood and preternaturally large canine teeth?

In any case, any of you could come up with any definition of any national spirit and anyone else could go out into the the streets of said nation and find a dozen native exceptions to that definition in, oh, about twelve seconds.

Within that same time span, the anyone else would also have found at least a half a dozen non-natives who exemplify neither the spirit of the nation in question nor the spirit of the country where they were born.

Easy!

[nathanb]

OK, Florestan, let's put you on the spot then.

How about you play, too, and give us a wee bit definition of "the Romanian spirit?"

Maybe you would be fine with that definition featuring blood and preternaturally large canine teeth?

In any case, any of you could come up with any definition of any national spirit and anyone else could go out into the the streets of said nation and find a dozen native exceptions to that definition in, oh, about twelve seconds.

Within that same time span, the anyone else would also have found at least a half a dozen non-natives who exemplify neither the spirit of the nation in question nor the spirit of the country where they were born.

Easy!

French music often sounds really French to me and that's typically what I like about it. Romanian music tends to sound less French than French music, but, since French music tends to sound less Romanian than Romanian music, it all tends to work out.

Best I can do.

[some guy]

Romanian music tends to sound less French than French music, but, since French music tends to sound less Romanian than Romanian music, it all tends to work out.

Best I can do.

And if a French composer born in Italy teams up with a Japanese compoer to do turntable improv that includes a recording of a German composer, that must get really confusing, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhcgm3rdaUY&list=RDX2BmRDXIMlQ&index=18

Either that or it all works out, I guess. Yeah! It all works out!!

OK!