Favourite period in music history?

[schweitzeralan]

Favorite period is now;  because, you know, I'm writing  0:)

From what I glean from perusing these many interesting threads which have incorporated many views, professional as well as lay level, you are a composer.  Interesting.

My musical passions involve music generally conceived from the late 19th century to roughly 1960, with some exceptions; viz, Sallinen and Rautavaara. I know very little of 21st century works; the fault is surely my own.  I always longed for the likes of Sibelus, Bax, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Wagner, Hanson, Mennin, plus a few avant gardists.  I used to listen to the many modernist works in the past, but I seem to have reverted in my tastes and hungers.   As you are composing, I am curious to what kind of style, musical "imagery," modal usage, etc. you have adapted in your own compositions.

What composers have influenced you? I am always on the lookout for new works; however, I must confess that my own listening habits invoke those works engendered primarily during the 20th century. With the exception of Carter, some occasional Finnish artists, and Philip Glass, I can't seem to "get at" what is being done today.  Accordingly I initiated one or two threads lamenting the "dying phase" of classical music as I (although a lay listener) tended to envision it..  I also confessed that music itself will never die out.  It will become metamorphosed from current and previous complexities.

[karlhenning]

Thanks for asking! In reverse order:

What composers have influenced you?

It's not a helpful answer, but really, every composer whose music I have listened to, has influenced me.  As a composer, you have to make choices . . . the most-used tool in the artist's kit, is his Filter.  (Nor is it that all the composers and/or musical works occupying the overstuffed Reject Bin, are composers and music that I do not like; but that's another tale).

The seven composers who have been my strongest overall influences, from the days I was studying the craft of composition, have been:  Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Chopin, Sibelius, Hindemith & Stravinsky.  Three pop artists whose influence upon my musical outlook is at times nearly as pervasive are:  Genesis, King Crimson & Zappa.

As you are composing, I am curious to what kind of style, musical "imagery," modal usage, etc. you have adapted in your own compositions.

I work in a range of styles, which was one element of the June recital on which a large number of the audience & participants remarked;  so if you would like to attempt to form a clearer answer, I shall with pleasure send you a recording of the event.  Similarly, I enjoy working with a variety of pitch-worlds:  some of the sacred choral music I have written is fairly close to Common Practice;  and various pieces of mine strike out at greater or lesser distances from that ol' Common Practice.  I don't believe there is really "atonality";  which is also to say, my understanding of tonality is broader than Common Practice.  There is a pitch center, or there are some centers of pitch;  and there are questions of the degree of strength of the musical activity's attraction to those centers.

[knight66]

I have kept trying to put pen to paper here, but failed. The reason is that there is so much I enjoy from each of the timeslots stipulated from Baroque onwards. About a year ago, I had a trawl through my CDs and was surprised what a high proportion was from the 20th century, but very much front loaded. I have been expanding new music recordings, though find such as McMillan and Birtwhistle a very difficult listen.

25 years ago, I could not get anything out of Verklate Nacht. It sounded like noise. About 10 years ago, I bought a recording...warm bath stuff. I don't know what I had formerly found offputting. Not sure I will ever say that about Birty-Boy, but who knows; 15 years hence and my ear may have expanded in all sorts of further directions.

Mike

[snyprrr]

Where's the 1892-1918 box?

[schweitzeralan]

Thanks for asking! In reverse order:

It's not a helpful answer, but really, every composer whose music I have listened to, has influenced me.  As a composer, you have to make choices . . . the most-used tool in the artist's kit, is his Filter.  (Nor is it that all the composers and/or musical works occupying the overstuffed Reject Bin, are composers and music that I do not like; but that's another tale).

The seven composers who have been my strongest overall influences, from the days I was studying the craft of composition, have been:  Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Chopin, Sibelius, Hindemith & Stravinsky.  Three pop artists whose influence upon my musical outlook is at times nearly as pervasive are:  Genesis, King Crimson & Zappa.

I work in a range of styles, which was one element of the June recital on which a large number of the audience & participants remarked;  so if you would like to attempt to form a clearer answer, I shall with pleasure send you a recording of the event.  Similarly, I enjoy working with a variety of pitch-worlds:  some of the sacred choral music I have written is fairly close to Common Practice;  and various pieces of mine strike out at greater or lesser distances from that ol' Common Practice.  I don't believe there is really "atonality";  which is also to say, my understanding of tonality is broader than Common Practice.  There is a pitch center, or there are some centers of pitch;  and there are questions of the degree of strength of the musical activity's attraction to those centers.

Thanks much for your timely response.  I see that you are influenced by composers of several generations, including a strong favorite of mine: Sibelius. I personally have been listening for decades and have listed several favorite composers on different threads in this forum.  I don't know much about Pop music. Interesting to know that classical music is still thriving in certain areas; namely in conservatories, in many cities where there is still considerable interest.  Many enthusiasts attend Severance Hall here in the Cleveland area as well as in Oberlin, Baldwin College, and CIM. May your works prosper.

[Tapkaara]

The seven composers who have been my strongest overall influences, from the days I was studying the craft of composition, have been:  Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Chopin, Sibelius, Hindemith & Stravinsky.  Three pop artists whose influence upon my musical outlook is at times nearly as pervasive are:  Genesis, King Crimson & Zappa.

(Not to derai the thread too much, but I cannot resist...)

What elements of these 7 composers that you have listed do you you think influence you the most? (For example, the orchestration of Berlioz? The rhythms of Stravinsky?) And why these 7 in particular, do you think?

[karlhenning]

(Not to derai the thread too much, but I cannot resist...)

In respect to the thread, I took this here.

[The One]

I wonder who are/were those who voted for the particular "Antiquity" period defined here. Could you recommend me recordings from, for instance, 4th century?

[San Antone]

My votes were for Medieval, Renaissance and Contemporary. 

Although I enjoy music from all the periods, my interest really drops off after Bach and doesn't rekindle until Debussy (but really gets hot later into the 20th century) except for a couple of 19th century composers (Liszt and Brahms).  My overall favorite period is Medieval, with Machaut, Dufay, the music of the troubadours and plainchant being among my most favorite music.  Renassiance polyphony, culminating with Palestrina, is another sweet spot for me.

And then, new music is an abiding interest of mine.

[Mahlerian]

It's a difficult decision, because I love music from all of these periods (antiquity excepted in large part because there really isn't much in existence anyway), but I suppose that my foremost influences as a composer come from the Romantic period onward (though Bach and Mozart play a role in my thinking as well...).

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I find history from about 1950 onwards to be most interesting because of the impact of technology on music. One of the great things about this period is that we have extraordinarily good documentation of musicians who helped shape music and we don't have to rely mainly on written accounts. Of course, we have written accounts too, which are always fun to read. Even this forum is a fascinating document in showing opinions of performance practices, technology, composers, musicians and the world.

Perhaps my view on 'favourite period in music history' encompasses far more than just repertoire, but the environment in which music is created and shared. The 19th century and earlier was quite bad in my view.

[Baron Scarpia]

I could not possibly choose. But it occurs to me that my favorite period is now, since all of the music from this tradition stretching back to Gregorian chant is being recreated and reinterpret within our own music context. The music is different because we are different and we hear it differently, even if it is performed on a meticulously restored musical instrument by performers who have immersed themselves in primary sources and accounts of period performances. So then, my favorite period is right now.

[San Antone]

I could not possibly choose. But it occurs to me that my favorite period is now, since all of the music from this tradition stretching back to Gregorian chant is being recreated and reinterpret within our own music context. The music is different because we are different and we hear it differently, even if it is performed on a meticulously restored musical instrument by performers who have immersed themselves in primary sources and accounts of period performances. So then, my favorite period is right now.

Well said.

[SymphonicAddict]

My tastes are focused mainly on Classical, Romantic, Modern and partly on Contemporary.

[Gurn Blanston]

The 18th century. Italian, then Austrian (the Habsburg empire, more or less). Not that I don't like other stuff, but life is too short to try and listen to everything, and so I listened to everything until I found what I wanted and now I don't.

[Cato]

I wonder who are/were those who voted for the particular "Antiquity" period defined here. Could you recommend me recordings from, for instance, 4th century?

There is not much: fragments from the Greeks and Romans for The Western Tradition can be found here...

[asin]B000003KWE[/asin]

Mesomedes of Crete is worth hearing!

[kishnevi]

I could not possibly choose. But it occurs to me that my favorite period is now, since all of the music from this tradition stretching back to Gregorian chant is being recreated and reinterpret within our own music context. The music is different because we are different and we hear it differently, even if it is performed on a meticulously restored musical instrument by performers who have immersed themselves in primary sources and accounts of period performances. So then, my favorite period is right now.

I share that feeling.  But a little more simply: we can hear (most of) whatever we want from those other periods as well as our own.

[Mirror Image]

I voted Modern, but I could have voted for Romantic (esp. 1880-1900), too, since there's so many masterpieces composed during this period that I adore. To be honest, Romantic music was still being composed at the turn of the century and, really, well up to our current time. I don't think Romanticism has been completely phased out as there's still some ideals being held that correspond with our current time.

[Mahlerian]

I voted Modern, but I could have voted for Romantic (esp. 1880-1900), too, since there's so many masterpieces composed during this period that I adore. To be honest, Romantic music was still being composed at the turn of the century and, really, well up to our current time. I don't think Romanticism has been completely phased out as there's still some ideals being held that correspond with our current time.

Isn't that a bit like saying the Renaissance never completely ended because polyphony has continued to be a guiding principle for much of the tradition?

[Mirror Image]

Isn't that a bit like saying the Renaissance never completely ended because polyphony has continued to be a guiding principle for much of the tradition?

My point is composers like Barber and Hanson, just to cite two examples, continued writing music in a Romantic vein during the Modern period. So the ideal of Romanticism hasn't been completely tossed to the side or forgotten about. This is why talking about music post-1900 becomes a tricky thing to discuss since there's really no clear-cut answer given the myriad of styles that came about during this period.