A British Composer Poll

[Sergeant Rock]

Ah, now Miss Wortley was someone else, renowned for her digestive difficulties; but Mrs Wortley (the Windflower) was noted, I believe for never having passed wind in her entire life.

There you go Sarge. All's well again.

Whew...

[Elgarian]

If that's true, the Kennedy's interpretation is all wrong.   

That's what I've always insisted. But would anyone listen?

[Sergeant Rock]

If that's true, the Kennedy's interpretation is all wrong.   

I wanna bitch slap you, Scarpia, but I'm laughing too hard.

Sarge

[Scarpia]

I wanna bitch slap you, Scarpia, but I'm laughing too hard.

From these heights, there is no place to go but down. 

[Teresa]

I have shown my disdain for British music by voting for the German. 0:)

British, American, Russian, Finnish, Swedish and Latin American are my favorite musical nationalities.  I'm not a big fan of German music except for "some" Richard Wagner instrumental excerpts from his operas, Richard Strauss' tone poems and most everything by Kurt Weill although someone told me Kurt Weill doesn't really count as German since he is Jewish.   

[Teresa]

Well, it apparently didn't occur to you that the reason why I am not familiar with most works by RVW is because the ones I have heard sound "neutral" to me? There is too much music in the world to listen to everything. I choose interesting composers. Enigma Variations was able to make me extremely interested about Elgar in December 1996. The works by RVW I have heard  are:

The Lark Ascending
Fantasia on Greenleaves
Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6
Henry the Fifth Overture
Hymn Prelude on Rhosymedre

I don't know if these works are indicative about what RVW has to offer but based on them I rate RVW on the same level with Sibelius who I don't care about that much either. The time/money I can spend on British composers are limited and I feel I am better off concentrating on Elgar, Handel, Purcell and Finzi.

My favorite work by Elgar is Falstaff – Symphonic Study in C minor, Op.68.  I am not a fan of Enigma Variations though.

My favorite by RVW is The Wasps: Aristophanic Suite which I find quite beautiful and exciting.  I also love the Folk Song Suite.

[Teresa]

I'm American. Scots, Irish, Welsh, English....all the same to me 

Sarge

I too am a natural born American however I do have a very varied bloodline.

From my Father's side: English, Irish, Black Dutch and Cherokee Indian
From my Mother's side: French, Jewish, Irish and Dutch.

When we asked our Father what Black Dutch means he said our ancestors were likely Germans living in Holland as they have darker skin.  However when I looked up Black Dutch I discovered the designation is often used to hide Jewish, Spanish or Negro ancestry.  Doesn't matter to me, I just consider myself a cosmopolitan American. 

[Luke]

....although someone told me Kurt Weill doesn't really count as German since he is Jewish.....

?? He was German, and he was Jewish. One can be both. Were Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein (for instance) not American because they were Jews? Finzi not English because of his Jewish ancestry?

[Teresa]

?? He was German, and he was Jewish. One can be both. Were Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein (for instance) not American because they were Jews? Finzi not English because of his Jewish ancestry?

Thanks, that is what I thought too, perhaps this person was an anti-semite? 

[DavidW]

I'm American. Scots, Irish, Welsh, English....all the same to me 

Yup = schedule on NPR classical lite.   <ducks!>   Well Teresa might not have figured it out, but I'm kidding around I like some British music, I'm just not an enthusiast.

[71 dB]

My favorite work by Elgar is Falstaff – Symphonic Study in C minor, Op.68.  I am not a fan of Enigma Variations though.

Falstaff and Enigma Variations don't belong to my absolutely favorite Elgar (The Apostles is probably my favorite).

My favorite by RVW is The Wasps: Aristophanic Suite which I find quite beautiful and exciting.  I also love the Folk Song Suite.

I listened the 10 minutes long opening track of that piece on Spotify (from the big RVW EMI box) but it sounded the same "neutral RVW" to me. Actually I was reminded how I am turned off by RVW's tendency to incorporate very strong folk influences in his music. That's the (unwanted) color of RVW for me.

[Elgarian]

neutral RVW

It is of course often difficult to understand what it is that turns others off about the music we love, but in the case of RVW, and looking at the (quite strange) list of pieces that you've listened to, I wouldn't sleep easy without recommending that you try the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. I've always personally compared it with Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings, and if you, like me, have been haunted by the latter for a lifetime, then I would have thought it likely you might respond positively to the former also.

[karlhenning]

. . . I wouldn't sleep easy without recommending that you try the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

A piece which shines even brighter in live performance, BTW!

[Sergeant Rock]

I was reminded how I am turned off by RVW's tendency to incorporate very strong folk influences in his music.

Which is one of the reasons most of us love VW: that haunting folk aspect. Although I'm an American, British folk music is part of our cultural heritage too. I wonder if that foreign sound (foreign to non-Brits and Americans) is a stubbling block for many, not just you, and a reason his music doesn't seem to travel well (excepting, perhaps, the Tallis Fantasia).

Sarge

[71 dB]

Which is one of the reasons most of us love VW: that haunting folk aspect.

Yes, I am aware to that but everybody don't love folk music.

[Scarpia]

Which is one of the reasons most of us love VW: that haunting folk aspect.

Not in my case.  I stay clear of it.  My favorite Vaughan Williams is the harmonical inventive, angular stuff, mostly the later symphonies, including the 4th and 6th.  Some of the spiritual sounding things, like the Tallis fantasy and the 5th symphony also attract me.  The folky stuff tends to bore me to tears.

[DavidW]

I'm not a huge fan of RVW, he is alright, and some of his stuff is pretty good.  I think I would take the best of Elgar over him.

[Elgarian]

but everybody don't love folk music.

This is precisely why I recommended the Tallis Fantasia.

[Luke]

Not in my case.  I stay clear of it.  My favorite Vaughan Williams is the harmonical inventive, angular stuff, mostly the later symphonies, including the 4th and 6th.  Some of the spiritual sounding things, like the Tallis fantasy and the 5th symphony also attract me.  The folky stuff tends to bore me to tears.

I think it depends how you classify 'folky stuff', because I would say that Tallis fantasy and the 5th symphony contain plenty of folksong-related stuff (and there's that tune in the 6th, too, which might as well be a folksong). But these rather timeless folksong-like lines are of a different order to the sort of jaunty folksong found in the Folk Song Suite, which I too could happily live without.

[Elgarian]

I think it depends how you classify 'folky stuff', because I would say that Tallis fantasy and the 5th symphony contain plenty of folksong-related stuff (and there's that tune in the 6th, too, which might as well be a folksong). But these rather timeless folksong-like lines are of a different order to the sort of jaunty folksong found in the Folk Song Suite, which I too could happily live without.

You're exactly right, and I wanted to say something similar myself, though in this particular instance, the notion that the Tallis is folk-influenced might well have put 71dB off, and I was worried that he'd be misled by that, because there's nothing jaunty and folksy about it.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that Elgar said sometime, somewhere, to somebody: 'I am folk music' or some such. Not that I ever knew what he meant by it.