Quiz: Mystery scores

[Guido]

Hey Luke - Maciek got my no.6 - Previn's cello sonata.

[lukeottevanger]

OK

[Maciek]

That was brief!

[lukeottevanger]

I'm taking my inspiration from The Gothic this evening.

[Maciek]

 

Thanks for that laugh.

[Maciek]

No. 13
This is a complete shot in the dark - I know very little of the composer's music and not this particular piece. But it's worth a try (he's the only American composer I know you've met):
John Adams - Harmonielehre??

[Larry Rinkel]

No. 13
This is a complete shot in the dark - I know very little of the composer's music and not this particular piece. But it's worth a try (he's the only American composer I know you've met):
John Adams - Harmonielehre??

You're absolutely right. I've heard the piece only a couple of times, but I have a score, and there it was on page 130. Now I'm embarrassed! (But I never knew Luke had met Adams.)

[Larry Rinkel]

Balakirev 1st Symphony, mvt 3 - Andante

A piece I don't know at all . . .

[Maciek]

It's no masterpiece but nice romantic "Russian" music nonetheless.

Thanks for reassuring me about the Adams! Luke's comments about the beard put me off a bit. Does that mean it's an old piece? A new piece? What on earth is he trying to convey? Now I feel obliged to seek out a recording...

[Maciek]

What? Can it be? I've only noticed this now: has no one yet guessed the title of Guido's Piazzolla piece (no. 8 )? Why, it's the lovely Libertango! (Or, as the spell-checker would have it: The Libertine Tango. ) I have a recording in a completely different arrangement - didn't know there was a piano solo version.

[Guido]

Here are the clues for my last two that still stand:

1 composer took American citizenship
1 composer is really only famous for one work (and maybe this could be said of the other too?)

So two more clues:

One composer was a mushroom connoisseur
Both composers often have religious or mystical themes to their works (though not in the specific pieces here, which perhaps throws one off the scent).

[lukeottevanger]

Good morning. Adams Harmonielehre is correct, as Larry has confirmed. The thing about me meeting him was not meant as a genuine clue, but it obviously functioned as one. The work which stands behind this  particular page - the climax of the central movement - is Mahler 10, specifically the famous dissonant chord at its climax.

Here are the clues for my last two that still stand:

1 composer took American citizenship
1 composer is really only famous for one work (and maybe this could be said of the other too?)

So two more clues:

One composer was a mushroom connoisseur
Both composers often have religious or mystical themes to their works (though not in the specific pieces here, which perhaps throws one off the scent).

Neither of Guido's - 15 and 17, if I have been keeping score correctly - look at all like Cage, the only mushroom connoisseur I can think of among composers! (I emphasize - Cage isn't even a tentative guess here, as he has nothing remotely like these piece in his worklist)

[Michel]

Don't you geeks have anything better to do?

[lukeottevanger]

Morning Paul! Yes, to be honest I do..... What about you?

Guido - Google tells me about Vaclev Halek, though - he seems much more of a possibility. I@m going to guess that one of your examples - no 17, let's say - is a cello sonata by him.

[Michel]

Morning Paul! Yes, to be honest I do..... What about you?

My insult is a result of my jealousy.

[Larry Rinkel]

Don't you geeks have anything better to do?

Of course. We could be painting pictures using a computer, for one. But as I stated earlier, this kind of mutual testing of each other's knowledge serves as an excellent way to exercise all one's awareness of musical style, history, and even typography.

How about contributing a few scores yourself, or a few guesses?

[Guido]

No sorry Maciek. More famous than that. Neither are by really obscure composers. I feel guilty as neither are that exciting! (although I like one of them very much!).

17 is the mushroom connoisseur, the European who became an american (think of when and why that might have been), Often has overtly religious themes in his music. Look at the mood of the work, and the general nature of the writing.

15 is only really famous for one work. His music often had mystical themes. Look at the meter, and harmonic language.

[Maciek]

That was Luke's guess!

"mushroom connoisseur", "European who became an American", "not really obscure"

Darn, those clues are teasing! It's at the back of my head somewhere - I feel I should know who you mean, there's a bell ringing - I just can't find it... 0:)

[lukeottevanger]

No sorry Maciek. More famous than that. Neither are by really obscure composers. I feel guilty as neither are that exciting! (although I like one of them very much!).

17 is the mushroom connoisseur, the European who became an american (think of when and why that might have been), Often has overtly religious themes in his music. Look at the mood of the work, and the general nature of the writing.

I've tended to think this one is Eastern European, but have got no further yet.

15 is only really famous for one work. His music often had mystical themes. Look at the meter, and harmonic language.

I had already looked at those, naturally, but suddenly I am veering towards Holst - is this Invocation in a piano-accompanied form?

[lukeottevanger]

OK, 17 may be by Bloch - I thought it looked a little like him, but my collection of his cello music doesn't have this piece IIRC. Google says that he was a mushroom hunter, though I had no idea about that.

I'm going to go through my various Bloch viola and violin CDs to see if this is a transcription - I recall you said one of your examples was..... bags the correct answer, though