How much of your listening is guided by other GMG members?

[Larry Rinkel]

I find most music by Mozart wonderful to my ears. His violin concertos are undervalued imo and there are "unknown" treasures like the Litanies. His operas however have always been problematic to me. The music seems structurally simple (boring) and the music/singing is even annoying occasionally. The only logical explanation is that Mozart wrote simplified music for the operas in order to "entertain" people. Most people find difficult things less entertaining.

On the contrary, Mozart's major operas are his most ambitious and complex structures - especially the lengthy through-composed finales to most of the acts. Outstanding examples are the midpoint finale in Figaro, the last act of Don Giovanni, and both act of the Flute, each of which proceeds for 20 or so minutes uninterrupted by secco recitative. But the individual numbers also achieve a high degree of complexity, not only strictly as music but in terms of their articulation of the characters and dramatic action. It is fascinating to observe in the operas how Mozart uses various forms associated with his instrumental music, such as the way concerto structure is adapted for a bravura aria like Marten aller Arten in the Abduction, or how the style of the slow movements of the piano concertos can be used for a lyric aria like Fiordiligi's Per pieta in Cosi, or even more fascinating, how sonata form is used to articulate a dramatic change in the relationships of the characters in an ensemble piece, as in the third act sextet of the Marriage of Figaro or the A-major trio near the start of Act Two of Don Giovanni.

[Larry Rinkel]

I don't know why you are not impressed.

Because the music is not very good.

[karlhenning]

Priceless:

I don't know why you are not impressed. I am.

[PerfectWagnerite]

We should have another thread:

How many threads have 71 dB hijacked?

[BachQ]

We should have another thread:

How many threads have 71 dB hijacked infected?

[Josquin des Prez]

Otherwise I suspect a peculiar sort of troll getting kicks out of others' reactions. 

Erm. 

[71 dB]

Because the music is not very good.

Then why was Dittersdorf as successful and admired composer in his time as Haydn?

Dittersdorf's music is very good, you just need to learn to appreciate his style.

[johnQpublic]

Then why was Dittersdorf as successful and admired composer in his time as Haydn?

Because maybe the admiring critic was the "71dB" of his time.

[karlhenning]

Then why was Dittersdorf as successful and admired composer in his time as Haydn?

But he wasn't, Poju;  Mozart never thought to write a set of 'Dittersdorf' Quartets, did he?

[Bonehelm]

"Mozart's operas are simplified for the general audience coz most people find complex stuff less entertaining"

ROFL

Seriously 71dB, stop hijacking and derailing our threads. Just go away, you and your stupid, retarded promotion of absolutely worthless composers.

For those who are not intelligent enough to realize my intentions, I'm just trying to piss this guy off. I don't really mean Elgar is worthless. Dittersdorf, maybe. Not Elgar.

[71 dB]

But he wasn't, Poju;  Mozart never thought to write a set of 'Dittersdorf' Quartets, did he?

Damn, J. S. Bach must suck because there's no 'Bach' Quartets. 

[Bonehelm]

Damn, J. S. Bach must suck because there's no 'Bach' Quartets. 

Read my previous post. You display lower and lower intelligence level every post.

[greg]

But he wasn't, Poju;  Mozart never thought to write a set of 'Dittersdorf' Quartets, did he?

Damn, J. S. Bach must suck because there's no 'Bach' Quartets. 

i don't think there's a point in any of this at all... i could write an Ubloobideega quartet, or a Poju Quartet if i wanted to lol

[Catison]

This stuff could go on forever.  Take a composer you think is great, call him composer A. Find a quote of him saying composer B is great.  Now composer B is great, so find a quote of him saying composer C is great.  Now composer C is great.  This goes on forever until everyone and their dog is a great composer.

[karlhenning]

He's got a great dog.

[Kullervo]

He's got a great dog.

"You're a Great Composer, Charlie Brown" ?

[karlhenning]

Good grief!

[Josquin des Prez]

Damn, J. S. Bach must suck because there's no 'Bach' Quartets. 

How little do you know. Mozart's new found contrapuntal style (which BTW is non-existent in his violin concertos) was based primarily on his studies of Bach's fugues, and the first works to demonstrate this technique were in fact the Haydn quartets.

[71 dB]

How little do you know. Mozart's new found contrapuntal style (which BTW is non-existent in his violin concertos) was based primarily on his studies of Bach's fugues, and the first works to demonstrate this technique were in fact the Haydn quartets.

I am aware of Bach's influence on Mozart, of course, but what I tried to say was it does not make Dittersdorf a bad composer 'Dittersdorf' Quartets do not exist.

[Larry Rinkel]

Because maybe the admiring critic was the "71dB" of his time.