Favorite French Composers Poll

[some guy]

Unfortunately the French themselves do little to promote their musical past & future...

?

GRM
IRCAM
CCMIX
IMEB

Radio France
Montpellier festival

Metamkine
Musique Française d'Aujourd'hui
Disques Montaigne

?

But I do understand your point. One could list new music organizations by the dozens in the U.S. and still maintain that the U.S. does not promote its own music. Or note the plethora of electroacoustic CDs from Germany and still say (as a German electroacoustic composer did say to me once) that there's not musch electronic music activity in Germany.

[Scriptavolant]

The pre 20th century French school ... my favourite is Faure, then his pupil Ravel & Debussy.

Same thing for me.

I've heard a lot of opinionable assertions about historical periods here (Beethoven Classicist, Mahler Romantic). But Ravel and Debussy labelled as "Romantics" in one of the funniest.

[pjme]

    Of course , France has also these small groups of enthusiasts, trying to promote composer X, Baroque organs in the Ardeche region, forgotten tenors and sopranos....

I would like to see a realy well prepared cycle of the Magnard (Koechlin, Jolivet,Barraud,Charpentier,Chaynes...) symphonies played by one of the major orchestras, a well prepared and recorded version of Bizet operas, other than Carmen, operas by Saint Saens, d'Indy, Ropartz...chamber music by Lappara, Tournemire, Migot....

Almost every scrap of Sibelius and Vaughan Williams has been recorded. I wonder why the French cannot do the same for their Early -to Late -Romantic composers.....

[Don]

I never "face" things that does not make sense. Debussy and Ravel are not the greatest romantic composers, are they? Bach, Handel on other hand are the greatest baroque composers.

What work by Debussy is better music than Rameau's Les Indes galantes? 

First, you need to make distinctions between your preferences and general popularity - that's facing reality, something you never pay attention to.  Recognizing reality does not mean you have to agree with its findings.

Second, neither Debussy nor Ravel are romantic-era composers.

Third, although Rameau's operas are mighty fine, I much prefer a host of works by Debussy - Etudes, Preludes, La Mer, Faun, String Quartet, etc.

[prémont]

Dufay was among the most influential composers of the 15th century, and his music was copied, distributed and sung everywhere that polyphony had taken root.
Yet I'm the only one to like his music and consider him among the very greatest?

Heartily seconded.

[Josquin des Prez]

Third, although Rameau's operas are mighty fine, I much prefer a host of works by Debussy - Etudes, Preludes, La Mer, Faun, String Quartet, etc.

Well, i for one think Rameau's operas are at very least finer then Vivaldi's. 

Personally, i think Rameau made a mistake in abandoning his early production of keyboard music (which personally i consider some of the finest in the "not by Bach" Baroque repertory) to devote nearly entirely on a single genre. 

[Josquin des Prez]

Wikipedia: Dufay was among the most influential composers of the 15th century.

I prefer Josquin myself.

[Kullervo]

As for ourselves, if we may be so bold to perhaps view the productions of the composer nominated supra by the Member as aesthetic in the highest vein, we would mayhaps, had we felt welling within ourselves the urge to écrivez le nom d'un compositeur nous-même, and if we were able to locate the subject and predicate within our own sentence, have posited the name of the said Jean Barraqué as one of our favorites among the great musical geniuses of the pays français.

Hahaha! Brilliant!

[Kullervo]

Yea...in that point in time sure, but it's a rather narrow affair to the kind of multi-faceted creations that were to come later, and though I do admire the beauty of a few of his vocal edifices; there is not much, and not much of his music has had "legs" to travel through time for him to be considered a truly "great composer"; let alone one that typifies a uniquely French sound, like French impressionists Debussy & Ravel; who personify it...

Keep in mind you are listening with ears that are used to the music of our time. We have no idea how those who studied music in the time immediately after Dufay heard his music, but I think they would have picked up things that we wouldn't notice now.

Additionally, I shouldn't have to highlight the ludicrousness of comparing music made in 1400 with music made in 1900.

[Ten thumbs]

As this vote is for favorites, my fifth vote goes to Farrenc, inexplicably missing from the list. Bonis is another composer who lies in the shadows of Debussy and Saint-Saens.

[quintett op.57]

AFAIK, they all wrote valuable music that deserves to be heard & played.Unfortunately the French themselves do little to promote their musical past & future...as compared to GB, the Nordic countries....

Music is not very present in our culture.
Strangely, before I got interested in classical I've always had the feeling that Ravel, Berlioz or Saint-Saëns were minor composers (I had heard much more about Tchaikovsky, Schumann or Mendelssohn). Most of french people probably ignore what kind of an artist Debussy was (a writer?) (He seems too be more famous in Japan )

My top 5 :

Berlioz
Ravel
Satie
Franck
Saint-Saëns

[Don]

Well, i for one think Rameau's operas are at very least finer then Vivaldi's. 

Definitely.

[Kullervo]

otherwise Dufay's music would be much more widely spread than it is now;

Or perhaps that he was writing before the printing press (invented in 1436; Dufay died in 1474) was widely available?

and also, it would be unanimously regarded as being so characteristically & quintessentially French, but it's not.

It may not seem that way now, but isn't it possible that a British/Flemish/Spanish person studying music during the Renaissance would have seen Dufay's music as "characteristically French"? I haven't studied music but perhaps someone here who has could confirm or deny this?

[Josquin des Prez]

Yea...in that point in time sure, but it's a rather narrow affair to the kind of multi-faceted creations that were to come later, and though I do admire the beauty of a few of his vocal edifices; there is not much, and not much of his music has had "legs" to travel thru time for him to be considered a truly "great composer"; let alone one that typifies a uniquely French sound, like French impressionists Debussy & Ravel; who personify it...

Well, there's nothing about the Flemish composers that typifies a uniquely French sound. There's nothing "French" about them to begin with, the typical plastic texture of the Renaissance being British in origin.

Nonetheless, beyond the strict parameters of a national style (which are of limited value anyway), their dept is based on the astonishing advancements they made to the art of polyphony, which i think it's a bit more impressive in a general sense (whether the Flemish masters wrote greater music then the French it's a different matter).

[Kullervo]

Yes...he may have been a catalyst for change and made advancements & developments in areas of music, but again, I don't really care for his music.

Fixed. 

[71 dB]

The pre 20th century French school ... my favourite is Faure, then his pupil Ravel & Debussy. They can hardly be considered romantic composers, but more transitional...and nothing against Rameau whom you prefer (that's fine), but Debussy did produce many deeply rich, extraordinary and highly innovative (& important) works...things like Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, Nocturnes for Orchestra, La Mer, Jeux, the String Quartet, the late Sonatas (Cello, Violin, Flute-Viola & Harp), the Melodies (songs), and the piano music; 2 books of Preludes, the Images and the Etudes etc...

Yeah, they are not romantic composers stylistically but you understand what I mean (time period, Ravel also post war).

I have these works by Debussy: Piano Trio No. 1 & Violin Sonata. I enjoy them but I enjoy Rameau's music even more.

[not edward]

Yeah, they are not romantic composers stylistically but you understand what I mean (time period, Ravel also post war).

I have these works by Debussy: Piano Trio No. 1 & Violin Sonata. I enjoy them but I enjoy Rameau's music even more.

You're judging him on two pieces, one of which he wrote when he was 16?

[71 dB]

First, you need to make distinctions between your preferences and general popularity - that's facing reality, something you never pay attention to.  Recognizing reality does not mean you have to agree with its findings.

I DO pay attention: generally people like Debussy more than Rameau. I like Rameau more than Debussy. Do you mean I have to admit I am wrong? 

[71 dB]

You're judging him on two pieces, one of which he wrote when he was 16?

Yeah, I wish I could judge him on all of his works but I can't.

Only 16? I didn't know that! 

[The new erato]

I have these works by Debussy: Piano Trio No. 1 & Violin Sonata.

Considering that  one of his claims to fame was his mastery of orchestral color (and innovations in large scale structure) that seems a bit............hrm..............lacking.

That said; the late violin sonata is a fabulous work. The Piano trio I've never heard. Despite listening to a lot of Debussy over the years, I wasn't even aware of it. 

I have no problem with you preferring Rameau. In fact he is an absolutely marvellous composer, and one cannot like what one doesn't know. There are composers in this poll I don't know well myself. But we all have to be careful about making statements about greatness (greater than); your knowledge about Debussy compares to the knowledge of Monet by one who has only seen a couple of charcoal drawings. The mature Debussy orchestral works are a fine experience which you shouldn't miss!