Oh! No You Di'n't!: Favourite Composer Fashions

[snyprrr]

There's the cover of the Ralph Shapey CD on Arabesque where he's wearing a plaid shirt Mexican gang-style. Hilarious!

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

This is a fascinating and amusing, if ultimately, for me, a frustrating thread.  One should be careful of exaggeration, but there was up through the 19th century - vestiges remain today - a language of clothing, one that spoke of the social class, taste and breeding and sometimes of the personality of its wearers.  I wish we knew the language because it would make for some interesting discussion here.  In this era of flip-flops and baseball caps it's something we can hardly believe much less understand and it's waaaay too late in the game for me to attempt to acquire this knowledge.  But perhaps a fashion historian or a particularly ambitious music student might compile a catalog of composer's portraits and decode them for publication.  Might also be interesting to see who dresses like whom - a consideration in formal portraiture.

[snyprrr]

Then there's the rat-tail and suspenders look... uh... Karl?? You there?

[snyprrr]

This is a fascinating and amusing, if ultimately, for me, a frustrating thread.  One should be careful of exaggeration, but there was up through the 19th century - vestiges remain today - a language of clothing, one that spoke of the social class, taste and breeding and sometimes of the personality of its wearers.  I wish we knew the language because it would make for some interesting discussion here.  In this era of flip-flops and baseball caps it's something we can hardly believe much less understand and it's waaaay too late in the game for me to attempt to acquire this knowledge.  But perhaps a fashion historian or a particularly ambitious music student might compile a catalog of composer's portraits and decode them for publication.  Might also be interesting to see who dresses like whom - a consideration in formal portraiture.

Agreed- if you wear flip-flops, you won't be writing my music!!... sandals???... can you imagine your Composer wearing Birkenstocks?

IT'S STILL POLITICAL

Joan Rivers Just Died

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

I've always felt that Von Weber might take first place in an Ichabod Crane look-alike contest!  Right down to the clothes.  (from Celebrated Pianists of Past & Present Times)

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Agreed- if you wear flip-flops, you won't be writing my music!!... sandals???... can you imagine your Composer wearing Birkenstocks?

IT'S STILL POLITICAL

Joan Rivers Just Died

We are in accord on this issue, snyprrr : men should keep their hairy toes under wraps!

[Ken B]

Yes, she writes music.

[EigenUser]

yEA, you know that's IT right there, aint it!! It's the Donald Erb look, too, but he also rocked the Elvis hair--- Ligeti simply goes for the AllTime Classic!!

Ffffffuuuuuuu.... where are you going to find a decent jj ??

My fluid mechanics professor this semester looks a lot like Ligeti, actually. I showed people various people in the MechE department the album cover and pretty much everyone thought the resemblance was very amusing.

i Definitely Vote Stockhausen the Worst Fashion Faux Pas... that semi sci-fi/totalitarian furturist look... IN TAN... no less. no No NOOOO!!! James- I expect you to back me up on this... wait... are you wearing one NOW??!!!

I was at the library today browsing scores and I came across one for Stockhausen's Kontra-Punkte. The inside cover had one of the most hideous pictures of him I've ever seen (taking up the whole page). I've always thought he looked pretty cool, but this was truly awful. God knows why Universal Edition chose to print it. I'll take a picture next time I'm there.

That being said, Ligeti has his share of unflattering pictures (check the Wikipedia one ).

[Hollywood]

Party like it's 1789!

[Florestan]

I'm quite impressed by this Boris Karloff look-alike's wondrously complex attire. Who is this??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspare_Spontini

[Florestan]

It is also interesting to see how they evolved from youth to old age.

[Mirror Image]

Real composers wear blue jeans.

[Ken B]

Real composers wear blue jeans.

[kishnevi]

One more for this thread
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2112.msg826873.html#msg826873

[mn dave]

[ibanezmonster]

[mn dave]

\m/