A British Composer Poll

[Scarpia]

Of course there are other places where this isle is more septic than sceptred.

And, ahem, they weren't so thrilled with the sceptered land in Dublin, at the time.   

[Elgarian]

And, ahem, they weren't so thrilled with the sceptered land in Dublin, at the time.   

Alas we don't have to look far to find septic examples, though my comment was more pastoral than political in intent.

[Scarpia]

Alas we don't have to look far to find septic examples, though my comment was more pastoral than political in intent.

Yes.  You have noted how WWI "knocked the stuffing" out of old Elgar, but it strikes me that the Easter Rising may have also also damaged his conception of noble old England and made him take a cynical view of the music he wrote to glory the empire.  (I'm sure I learned a lot of this stuff at school, but it is sometimes embarrasing how much my knowledge of English history comes from the booklets that come with Hyperion CDs.     I got more out of the disc of Bax chamber music than a lot of nice melodies.)
 

[drogulus]

Summer 2008 was also the time when the VW thread was at its most raging and interesting - I've just been rereading the central pages of the thread, from about no 30-ish to about number 37, so far (including my own huge posts to M which he chose to ignore - I wonder why I bother, but I'm quite proud of those posts rereading them, some of my better efforts....).

For me, that sequences of pages - I think it led on to the infamous wind-machine affair, in which M suddenly switched sides and started speaking in favour of VW once he realised there was potential to piss Scarpia off if he did so ;-) - was one of the highlights of the history of GMG.

     I certainly enjoyed rereading it just now.

[Teresa]

Never seen this poll before. Weird how so many people gave the wrong answer.

Six voters have given the right answer. Better than nothing. 

I am really confused?    How can there be a right or wrong answer to A British Composer Poll: Your favo(u)rite at this moment?
It's all personal opinion, are you saying some people fibbed and didn't list their favorite at the moment of the poll?

As for me my favorite then and my favorite now remains Gustav Holst as he is one of my very favorites even when other nationalities are included.  I dearly love The Planets, the Beni Mora Suite, the Japanese Suite and the two Military Band Suites and cannot imagine my life without them.   

[Elgarian]

I am really confused?    How can there be a right or wrong answer to A British Composer Poll: Your favo(u)rite at this moment?

It was a little joke, Teresa - such a very little joke that it seems to have slipped under your radar.

[DavidW]

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

[karlhenning]

Cold, Davey! je-je-je!

[Elgarian]

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

It's Dunstable I feel sorry for.

[Sergeant Rock]

It's Dunstable I feel sorry for.

Yeah...even Henry got a few votes.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

And especially with 16 votes for Other.

[karlhenning]

Yeah...even Henry got a few votes.

More than that Holst tosser, Sarge ; )

[Sergeant Rock]

And especially with 16 votes for Other.

It is amazing that Sir Rupert Other is getting so many votes. I don't have a single thing by him in my collection.

Sarge

[71 dB]

Oh lordy.     You have little familiarity with VW, but you assume he must be boring (neutral).  I suggest that if you are going to make such infuriating statements, you at least take the time to listen to Vaughan Williams first.   

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.

[karlhenning]

. . . 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.

Thank you.

The defense rests, Your Honor.

[Elgarian]

It is amazing that Sir Rupert Other is getting so many votes. I don't have a single thing by him in my collection.

Same here, as far as my main collection is concerned, but he would be strongly represented in my alternative collection, if I had one. His Introduction and Alter Ego for Strings would rarely be out of my second-best substitute CD player, I think, along with his elusive but unforgettable Somebodys Else's Symphony.

[karlhenning]

Anyone knows that Sir Rupert's music was really composed by his sister, Lady Oona Other.

[Franco]

Same here, as far as my main collection is concerned, but he would be strongly represented in my alternative collection, if I had one. His Introduction and Alter Ego for Strings would rarely be out of my second-best substitute CD player, I think, along with his elusive but unforgettable Somebodys Else's Symphony.

I have a recording of the his Introduction and Alter Ego for Strings by Various Artists, is that the one you have?  Can say enough about it.

[Elgarian]

I rate RVW on the same level with Sibelius who I don't care about that much either.

Let's check that out.

On the RVW side: sea,  fields, hills and valleys, cowpats, The War (s), folksy stuff. Total points 372.
On the Sibelius side: Snow, pines, wood nymphs, Finland, more snow, cold winds, even more snow. Total points 372.5.
So Snow Fetishists are better off with Sibelius, while Young Men who have just come back from the War and are Not Recognised by the Maidens they left Behind among the Green Fields of Home, had better stick with RVW. Otherwise, there's not much in it.

[Scarpia]

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.

I have no objection to your comment that you found Vaughan Williams "neutral."   However, looking at your original comment.

I have to admit I haven't even heard many works by RVW because his music (at least what I have heard) seems to be so "neutral" and doesn't make me interested to explore more. Maybe so many like for that reason? I have noticed that most people tend to like art that is not taken "over the limit".

The highlighted part basically says, "since I don't like Vaughan Williams it must be boring, and people who passionately like it must be cretins who are not as smart as me and are unable to deal with music that isn't boring."   This is the sort of passive-aggressive insult that seems to have driven many people on this board to hate Elgar, until Elgarian showed up.

Put in a way that you may find more comfortable, we're very sensitive about the fact that you are so much smarter than the rest of us, so you shouldn't be rubbing our nose in it so often.