Five composers who you wish had lived longer.

vandermolen · August 06, 2019, 07:36:12 AM

I mean five composers who had lived longer so that you could know how their music would have developed.

1: George Butterworth (Killed in World War One). Could he have developed into as great a composer as his friend Vaughan Williams? He was a more natural melodist I think.

2: Alberic Magnard also killed in WW1.

3: Hans Rott

4: Scriabin

5: Ciurlionis

I also wish that Bruckner had lived long enough to complete his Ninth Symphony.

ritter · August 06, 2019, 07:47:50 AM

We had a similar poll some time ago. I suppose my answers remain unchanged:

Quote from: ritter on August 11, 2018, 01:58:01 AM
Richard Wagner. Parsifal would probably have been his last opera in any case, but he had talked of turning to symphonic music after it. Alas, that was not to be.

Manuel de Falla: He might have made some progress in the fascinating Atlántida.

Bruno Maderna: One of the most fascinating figures of the postwar avant-garde died too young, and still had many things to say.

Ferrucio Busoni: Although very precocious, Busoni's music only became really interesting after the turn of the century, and by the time of his death he had developed an individual voice that could have produced many things (and he would have completed Doktor Faust).

Mozart: How would he have evolved if he had lived another 5 (or even better, another 30) years?

vandermolen · August 06, 2019, 07:55:54 AM

Quote from: ritter on August 06, 2019, 07:47:50 AM
We had a similar poll some time ago. I suppose my answers remain unchanged:

Oh, sorry about that. I'm happy to delete it.
Actually I'm not sure that I can but am happy for one of the big bosses to do so.

Andy D. · August 08, 2019, 12:26:31 AM

Beethoven. He was writing his most incredible works at the end imo.

Mahler: WAY too young to die.

Mozart: of course

Richard Strauss: see Beethoven. Check out Die Alpensinfonie and then check Richard the third's age at the time he wrote it. The man was incredible.

Schubert: see Mahler.

relm1 · August 08, 2019, 05:47:33 AM

1. Lepo Sumera (1950-2000, should still be alive and composing today)
2. Gustav Mahler
3. Dmitri Shostakovich (I wish he would have lived to see the end of communism)
4. Derek Bourgeois (we almost collaborated and I regret not doing so)
5. Prokofiev (just had a lot of unfinished projects on the plate)

vandermolen · August 08, 2019, 06:40:41 AM

Quote from: relm1 on August 08, 2019, 05:47:33 AM
1. Lepo Sumera (1950-2000, should still be alive and composing today)
2. Gustav Mahler
3. Dmitri Shostakovich (I wish he would have lived to see the end of communism)
4. Derek Bourgeois (we almost collaborated and I regret not doing so)
5. Prokofiev (just had a lot of unfinished projects on the plate)

Definitely agree that it would have been great had Shostakovich been alive to see the end of communism and Sumera died much too young. I love his Second Symphony.

springrite · August 08, 2019, 09:26:21 AM

Sibelius

Wait, he didn't die young. He just stopped composing...

relm1 · August 08, 2019, 03:55:06 PM

Quote from: springrite on August 08, 2019, 09:26:21 AM
Sibelius

Wait, he didn't die young. He just stopped composing...

We really can't include him in this list. He belongs in a different list, unfinished works you wish were completed.

vandermolen · August 08, 2019, 11:19:01 PM

Quote from: springrite on August 08, 2019, 09:26:21 AM
Sibelius

Wait, he didn't die young. He just stopped composing...

some guy · August 11, 2019, 12:55:56 AM

I've been thinking about this.

I tried to come up with five composers who DIDN'T die too soon.

Couldn't do it.

Far as I can tell, this is just another "all" thread.

Cato · August 11, 2019, 04:22:02 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on August 06, 2019, 07:36:12 AM

3: Hans Rott

4: Scriabin

I also wish that Bruckner had lived long enough to complete his Ninth Symphony.

Julius Reubke is another candidate:

https://www.youtube.com/v/U9gCvM7PaYA

Ernst Chausson:

https://www.youtube.com/v/h_VR8AvBkp4

Lili Boulanger:

https://www.youtube.com/v/vvvlnnm5vxc

Beethoven, Gershwin, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann...

Jo498 · August 11, 2019, 04:33:25 AM

Quote from: some guy on August 11, 2019, 12:55:56 AM
I've been thinking about this.

I tried to come up with five composers who DIDN'T die too soon.

Vivaldi, Telemann, Händel, Haydn, Sibelius, Rossini didn't die too soon. Impoverished, blind, weak of age, depressive, alcoholic or simply "written out" I would not wish anyone an early death (and all of the ones mentioned lived longer than average for their time period) but it would seem very strange to claim that one of them died "too soon" in the sense of not achieving what they could in music. Therefore they didn't die too soon.

Andy D. · August 11, 2019, 08:46:40 AM

Quote from: Jo498 on August 11, 2019, 04:33:25 AM
Vivaldi, Telemann, Händel, Haydn, Sibelius, Rossini didn't die too soon. Impoverished, blind, weak of age, depressive, alcoholic or simply "written out" I would not wish anyone an early death (and all of the ones mentioned lived longer than average for their time period) but it would seem very strange to claim that one of them died "too soon" in the sense of not achieving what they could in music. Therefore they didn't die too soon.

uhhh, when exactly was Haydn written out?

Jo498 · August 11, 2019, 08:54:55 AM

Ca. 1803 when he could not concentrate sufficiently to finish the d minor quartet that was published as a fragment op.103. He was too frail (although apparently in comparably decent physical health) to compose for the last 5-6 years of his life. Which supposedly is not great for a composer who still wanted to compose but had difficulty focussing long enough.

SymphonicAddict · August 11, 2019, 02:45:40 PM

In spite of Mozart wrote countless masterpieces, I didn't include him on this list because his style wasn't changing radically that much (maybe I'm wrong, but it's what I kind of feel).

Some mine:

Schubert (I definitely share this choice from Andrei)
Langgaard
Nielsen
Debussy/Ravel (they're interchangeable)
Respighi

Honorable mentions: Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Puccini.

vandermolen · August 11, 2019, 10:28:15 PM

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on August 11, 2019, 02:45:40 PM
In spite of Mozart wrote countless masterpieces, I didn't include him on this list because his style wasn't changing radically that much (maybe I'm wrong, but it's what I kind of feel).

Some mine:

Schubert (I definitely share this choice from Andrei)
Langgaard
Nielsen
Debussy/Ravel (they're interchangeable)
Respighi

Honorable mentions: Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Puccini.

Very much agree with you here Cesar. Interesting choices. I've seen it suggested that Respighi would have been a great composer of film scores (biblical epics?) had he lived longer although he may not have been pleased by this suggestion! I love 'Church Windows', 'Concerto Gregoriano' and almost everything else I've heard from him. The two Frenchmen are definitely choices I agree with.

SymphonicAddict · August 12, 2019, 11:48:00 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on August 11, 2019, 10:28:15 PM
Very much agree with you here Cesar. Interesting choices. I've seen it suggested that Respighi would have been a great composer of film scores (biblical epics?) had he lived longer although he may not have been pleased by this suggestion! I love 'Church Windows', 'Concerto Gregoriano' and almost everything else I've heard from him. The two Frenchmen are definitely choices I agree with.

I'd love to hear those biblical epics too, Hollywood would have had one of his most prominent film composers.

Andy D. · August 13, 2019, 01:32:09 AM

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on August 12, 2019, 11:48:00 AM
I'd love to hear those biblical epics too, Hollywood would have had one of his most prominent film composers.

Oh man, in a Rozsa (Ben-Hur, King of Kings) or Alfred Newman (The Robe) vein! That would have been amazing.

vandermolen · August 13, 2019, 06:52:01 AM

Quote from: Andy D. on August 13, 2019, 01:32:09 AM
Oh man, in a Rozsa (Ben-Hur, King of Kings) or Alfred Newman (The Robe) vein! That would have been amazing.

Definitely!

kyjo · August 13, 2019, 06:53:37 AM

Lili Boulanger (an immensely original talent cut off in her prime)
Finzi (maybe we would've gotten more large-scale works from him if the epic Cello Concerto written right before his death is any indication)
Korngold (so he could've completed that 2nd symphony! The Symphony in F-sharp shows that he was developing a deeper, darker style than in his previous works.)
Magnard (the stunning 4th Symphony shows that he was continually developing and refining his unique style. Imagine if we had a few more symphonies by him?)
Schubert (needs no explanation)