Your One and Only Soulmate Composer

[Christo]

The important thing is that they're alive in our very old, almost antique & always ancient hearts.   

#fixed? #hopeso 

What?

Yea. #that 

[Madiel]

The one and only composer whose music, no matter how familiar or how new, unfailingly touches and stirs the deepest recesses of your soul...

The one and only composer whose music you feel encapsulates the whole gamut of human experience, from the darkest despair to the most exhilarating joy and everything in between...

The one and only composer whose music you feel to be the most humane, companionable and life-affirming...

One and only one, please!

Like a couple of other people, different sentences in this elicit slightly different responses in me.

I don't know if anyone unfailingly touches me. Even my favourite composers (and pop artists) have the occasional moments in their career where a work is just kind of... eh.

And I'm not sure that the bit about being humane, companiable and life-affirming goes with encapsulating everything and touching deep recesses. If I was going for those former qualities I might suggest Dvorak...

I largely thought about Beethoven and Faure. If absolutely pushed I think I'm going to say Beethoven, but it's such a close-run thing I actually changed which name I put a couple of times while writing this sentence.

[Florestan]

Like a couple of other people, different sentences in this elicit slightly different responses in me.

I don't know if anyone unfailingly touches me. Even my favourite composers (and pop artists) have the occasional moments in their career where a work is just kind of... eh.

And I'm not sure that the bit about being humane, companiable and life-affirming goes with encapsulating everything and touching deep recesses. If I was going for those former qualities I might suggest Dvorak...

I largely thought about Beethoven and Faure. If absolutely pushed I think I'm going to say Beethoven, but it's such a close-run thing I actually changed which name I put a couple of times while writing this sentence.

I was sure you'd nominate Faure. And yes, Dvorak is a strong contender in the humane-companionable-life-affirming department.

[Madiel]

I was sure you'd nominate Faure.

I think it was the consistency element that made me waver. There are various really small, minor pieces that don't make much of an impact with me.

Whereas the 10 big chamber pieces? When my grandmother died some years ago I didn't listen to anything else for a couple of weeks.

If you'd permitted a dead heat I would have gone for it, but you were so insistent. 

[Jo498]

I agree that these criteria don't always align perfectly to choose one composer. What's more, "soulmate" feels too intimate for me. I have to name Beethoven, but the only thing I have in common with the man or his music is short temper and irascibility. It would be totally preposterous for me to claim him or his music as my soulmate. To increase the weirdness I have even thought about what piece of music one would like to be, say one would be reincarnated in such a fashion. This is such a strange thought that I doubt it was my original idea (I probably stole it from amw?). Anyway, I admittedly have had such a thought and the piece is Beethoven's op.135 although I cannot quite explain why. It is a favorite but not my favorite Beethoven piece or even quartet. I guess being op.131 or op.132 would be too painful for me as I utterly lack the Beethovenian determination and courage.

[greg]

Mahler.

If we are keeping track, I just want him to win. So count it.

[Mirror Image]

Mahler.

If we are keeping track, I just want him to win. So count it.

This isn't a competition.

[Christo]

Shostakovich

Nice surprise here, hadn't guessed, my fault no doubt. 

[greg]

This isn't a competition.

But technically everything is a competition (a game). It's just a matter of whether you choose to ignore that aspect or not. 

[Mirror Image]

But technically everything is a competition (a game). It's just a matter of whether you choose to ignore that aspect or not. 

It's only a game if you believe it to be. I, on the other hand, do not.

[greg]

It's only a game if you believe it to be. I, on the other hand, do not.

There is going to be someone with the most votes by the time the thread is over... which could be called a "winner."

The better argument for it not being a game would be that the composers are dead and couldn't care less. 

[LKB]

Gustav Mahler,

Now and forever.

LKB

[Madiel]

Your temper (not mine).  #again #greetings 

Funny, I could have sworn it was you rather than Florestan who wished me dead yesterday in the Movies thread. But apparently you don't have a temper.

[Florestan]

I agree that these criteria don't always align perfectly to choose one composer. What's more, "soulmate" feels too intimate for me.

That's precisely the idea: the one composer you feel he wrote his music for you (hence the "touches and stirs the deepest recesses of your soul").

But I agree that this is a criterion that can have multiple answers, and that adding the other two criteria only multiplies the choices.

I went with Schubert for all 3 criteria combined, and other composers who meet all 3 of them in (almost) the same proportion are Mozart first and foremost, followed by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff (in chronological order). Schumann, Faure, Dvorak and Brahms are strong contenders as well.

So, dead heat allowed, folks --- but up to 5. 

[Cato]

My "Soulmate" is a Trinity:   0:) 0:) 0:)   


Bruckner, Mahler,Schoenberg   

[Karl Henning]

My "Soulmate" is a Trinity:   0:) 0:) 0:)   


Bruckner, Mahler,Schoenberg   

Nice!

[Sergeant Rock]

My "Soulmate" is a Trinity:   0:) 0:) 0:)   


Bruckner, Mahler,Schoenberg   

Excellent!...that's two-thirds of my Trinity.

[Cato]

Excellent!...that's two-thirds of my Trinity.

And yours is...Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler 

[André]

And yours is...Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler 

With one Ring to rule them all ! 

[Madiel]

If we're being trinitarian I think I'm going with Beethoven, Faure and Tori Amos.

I even get to see one of my trinity perform live.

EDIT: Plus we've talked AND she's given me a hug.