Who are yours?
Currently mine are..........
Harrison Birtwistle
Helen Grime
Thomas Adès
Brian Ferneyhough
Oliver Knussen
Peter Maxwell Davies
Rebecca Saunders
James Dillon
Sally Beamish
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Something like this:
Benjamin Britten
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Michael Tippett
Gustav Holst
Gerald Finzi
William Byrd
Ronald Stevenson
John Dowland
Michael Finnissy
Nothing very adventurous in the top 10. In alphabetical order:
Alwyn
Arnold
Bax
Bliss
Britten
Elgar
Holst
Moeran
Vaughan Williams
Walton
I can't make it to 10 ::). Here's my list:
- William Walton
- Harrison Birstwistle
- Alexander Goehr
- Jonathan Harvey
- Richard Rodney Bennett
EDIT to include:
- Henry Purcell
- John Dowland
Still not 10 ! ???
Allright :):
Bax
Bliss
Bantock
Bridge
Britten
Holst
Delius
Elgar
Walton
Vaughan Williams
Brian
Rubbra
Bax
Alwyn
Elgar
Bridge
Delius
Birstwistle
Britten
Gibbons
Quote from: ritter on July 20, 2016, 01:38:25 AM
I can't make it to 10 ::). Here's my list:
- William Walton
- Harrison Birstwistle
- Alexander Goehr
- Jonathan Harvey
- Richard Rodney Bennett
You are really quite good at mentioning composers I have overlooked! I love the music of Jonathan Harvey especially.
Purcell
Dowland
Byrd
Tallis
Gibbons
Britten
Vaughan Williams
Elgar
but I don't really care for most of the British late romantics or moderns I have heard. So if I knew more renaissance choral music and Elizabethan composers I'd probably rather fill up the list with them... or even with Locke, Blow or Boyce...
Havergal Brian
George Lloyd
Malcolm Arnold
Ralph Vaughn Williams
Edward Elgar
William Walton
Daniel Jones
Frederick Delius
Edmund Rubbra
William Alwyn
Edward Elgar
William Byrd
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Eric Coates
Gustav Holst
Ivor Novello
Hubert Parry
William Walton
Benjamin Britten
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Quote from: jessop on July 20, 2016, 02:16:45 AM
You are really quite good at mentioning composers I have overlooked! I love the music of Jonathan Harvey especially.
Well, that's one of the good things of these games, no? ;) In my case, I see two names in other lists which are blatant and inadmissible omissions from mine :-[:
Henry Purcell and
John Dowland. I've ammended my list accordingly...
Cheers,
Maybe these:
Benjamin Britten
William Byrd
Erik Chisholm
John Dowland
Edward Elgar
Gustav Holst
Ivan Moody
Luke Ottevanger
Thomas Tallis
Ralph Vaughan Williams
I remember rather liking the piano works I've heard from Chisholm. I need to explore further. There's that Hyperion PC disc, of course. What are your favourite Chisholm work, Karl?
Quote from: North Star on July 20, 2016, 06:29:28 AM
I remember rather liking the piano works I've heard from Chisholm. I need to explore further. There's that Hyperion PC disc, of course. What are your favourite Chisholm work, Karl?
I really need to explore further, myself,
Karlo; but the piano solo
piobaireachd I find richly rewarding, the more of them I listen to.
Quote from: karlhenning on July 20, 2016, 06:33:40 AM
I really need to explore further, myself, Karlo; but the piano solo piobaireachd I find richly rewarding, the more of them I listen to.
Yes, those are the pieces I'm familiar with, too. Splendid stuff.
In no particular order:
Vaughan Williams
Elgar
Delius
Britten
Tippett
Finzi
Moeran
Howells
Rubbra
Alwyn
Quote from: Mirror Image on July 20, 2016, 06:37:20 AM
In no particular order:
Vaughan Williams
Elgar
Delius
Britten
Tippett
Finzi
Moeran
Howells
Rubbra
Alwyn
That's so obviously in reverse order ;)
As far as I can see not one mention of George Frideric Handel ??? :( :(
Finnissy
Barrett (R)
Dillon
Ferneyhough
Saunders (R)
Weeks
Tippett
Gerhard
Handel
Medtner
AH yes Richard Barrett is another brilliant Brit I overlooked...........
Quote from: Andante on July 20, 2016, 01:22:29 PM
As far as I can see not one mention of George Frideric Handel ??? :( :(
He is only counted as Anglo-Saxon by the Brits, elsewhere he is only a Saxon.
In alphabetical order:
Brian
Britten
Delius
Elgar
Finzi
Foulds
Simpson
Sorabji
Tippett
Vaughan Williams
Walton
More favourites:
Arnold
Bantock
Birtwistle
Bliss
Bridge
Boughton
Dyson
Holst
Parry
Ireland
Honourable mention: Tovey (for his splendid Piano Concerto)
Quote from: Jo498 on July 20, 2016, 11:03:47 PM
He is only counted as Anglo-Saxon by the Brits, elsewhere he is only a Saxon.
+1
Quote from: amw on July 20, 2016, 08:27:52 PM
Medtner
Aww. Not a Brit, but much too cool and tasteful a selection for me to object.
British citizen, spent a large part of his life in Britain, he's a Brit ;)
Quote from: amw on July 21, 2016, 01:52:42 AM
British citizen, spent a large part of his life in Britain, he's a Brit ;)
Rather off topic, but I wish this was a much more common philosophy regarding immigrants to the UK in recent times....... ::)
Yes, me too.
I've been living in Europe for the past four years, here and there, and there are two things that are important to everyone but me, where I was born and when I was born.
Anyway, yes to Gerhard and to Rawsthorne as well, why not?
Natasha Barrett (unless she counts as Norwegian, now)
Diana Salazar
Tim Hodgkinson
Chris Cutler
Jonty Harrison
Keith Rowe
Anna Clyne
Graham Lambkin
If I had a name like Lambkin, I'd find gates to frisk at.
First attempt:
Bate
Berkeley (père)
Bliss
Brian
Gipps
Goossens
Holst
Moeran
Tippett
Vaughan Williams
Quote from: karlhenning on July 21, 2016, 03:48:07 AM
If I had a name like Lambkin, I'd find gates to frisk at.
You can always use the pen name Nigel Lambkin.
Quote from: springrite on July 21, 2016, 06:14:13 AM
You can always use the pen name Nigel Lambkin.
Thanks, if I should have occasion, I will!
Quote from: Jo498 on July 20, 2016, 11:03:47 PM
He is only counted as Anglo-Saxon by the Brits, elsewhere he is only a Saxon.
He was naturalised as a brit sorry Brit in 1727 but I can sympathise with you.
No mention of John Kenneth Tavener 1944 – 2013 what on earth is the matter with you lot?
Quote from: Andante on July 21, 2016, 01:19:07 PM
He was naturalised as a brit sorry Brit in 1727 but I can sympathise with you.
Naturalized at the tender young age of 42.
Händel was every bit as British as
Medtner, or
Stravinsky an American.
Quote from: North Star on July 21, 2016, 02:18:18 PM
Naturalized at the tender young age of 42. Händel was every bit as British as Medtner, or Stravinsky an American.
So he is not a Brit ??? What should he have done to become one?
I emigrated to my present Country and eventualy applied for and became became a citizen of my adopted country does that mean I am living a lie?
Personally I believe Handel is not a Brit, but he certainly was one! As soon as someone is a citizen in a particular country then they are a citizen of that country, right?
Quote from: jessop on July 21, 2016, 03:28:06 PM
Personally I believe Handel is not a Brit, but he certainly was one! As soon as someone is a citizen in a particular country then they are a citizen of that country, right?
Yes! If you are accepted as a citizen of Xland then you are an Xlander.
But still no mention of Tavener :laugh:
Tavener has written a few pieces which I am utterly enthusiastic about; In Alium (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39gFOHYMynY) is probably my favourite work of his. I am still unfamiliar with a lot of his work and there is a great deal of vocal music which isn't usually my cup of tea.
Quote from: jessop on July 21, 2016, 04:39:20 PM
Tavener has written a few pieces which I am utterly enthusiastic about; In Alium (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39gFOHYMynY) is probably my favourite work of his. I am still unfamiliar with a lot of his work and there is a great deal of vocal music which isn't usually my cup of tea.
Well there is the difference between us, my favourite genres in serious music are Chamber and Choral in particular the great English tradition of choral music hence my love of Handel admittedly Taverners music is a bit more modern but I like it.
Quote from: jessop on July 21, 2016, 03:28:06 PM
Personally I believe Handel is not a Brit, but he certainly was one! As soon as someone is a citizen in a particular country then they are a citizen of that country, right?
With this in mind, why is Honegger considered a Swiss composer then? He lived all of his life in France and grew up in their culture, but, yet, he's referred to as a Swiss composer. He was even a member of Les Six!
Quote from: Mirror Image on July 21, 2016, 07:38:09 PM
With this in mind, why is Honegger considered a Swiss composer then? He lived all of his life in France and grew up in their culture, but, yet, he's referred to as a Swiss composer. He was even a member of Les Six!
He was a Swiss-born Frenchman. :)
I have found that it usually makes sense to use the '-born' suffix to describe composers by their nationality of birth. I am an Australian-born but who knows where I will go in the world in a few years' time. Handel in his later years was a German-born Englishman...
One composer I have seen 'claimed' by none less than three countries is Percy Grainger who has been described as Australian, English and American depending on who you're talking to! No confusion surrounding his place of birth though (Australia)..........but in the grand scheme of musical things, he probably should be associated more with British music than the music of any other nation or culture.
Of course he's a Brit. How can a British citizen not be a Brit? Or why not say both - I don't mind that either. But to say he cannot appear on a British list seems very strange.
Honestly, this question is far more appropriate for the Russian thread, where composers lived in a different country (Soviet Union) or in countires that exist today that did not when they were born/lived.
Citizenship and nationality do not always coincide, especially in Europe with its complex history and strong cultural identity of nations. Medtner, for instance, may have lived all over Europe after his leaving Russia (he lived for sizable amounts of time in Germany and France, as well as England) but there's no doubt that he was considered (and the most important criterion, he always considered himself) a Russian.
That is an interesting point you bring up, Wanderer, as I have Macedonian heritage. Now, the breakup of Yugoslavia and the fact that Yugoslavia even existed has not changed the cultural or national identity of people living in the area; my family has always considered themselves as Macedonian, for example. Even though my family's past has been centred around Bitola and definitely within the borders as they are known today, there are people who consider themselves Macedonian whose families have lived for centuries on farms and in towns in the neighbouring countries.
This also reminds me of Ligeti; the place he was born in is now in Romania even though I am quite sure he is of Hungarian background...
This kind of history of changing borders in Europe and how it clashes with cultural/national identity can't really be treated in any black and white kind of manner with anyone really!
You can't say "of course he IS a Brit" because he became one. Of course Handel BECAME a British citizen and he spent more than half of his life there. But he also lived and composed a long time before that and his upbringing and musical education were German and Italian. (I think Einstein (the musicologist) once wrote that Handel was the greatest of the Italian high baroque composers...). So nothing is obvious here.
Do we say that D. Scarlatti was a Spanish composer? Stravinsky French or American? Zelenka German, Clementi British?
Quote from: jessop on July 21, 2016, 07:46:22 PM
He was a Swiss-born Frenchman. :)
Yep, born in Switzerland's main seaport, Le Havre... :D...
Quote from: ritter on July 22, 2016, 01:00:57 AM
Yep, born in Switzerland's main seaport, Le Havre... :D...
Nothing is impossible for the fanciful. In the same decades, 1920 til 1944 to be precise, Hungary was actually led by an admiral! (Miklós Horthy)
Quote from: Christo on July 22, 2016, 01:27:24 AM
Nothing is impossible for the fanciful. In the same decades, 1920 til 1944 to be precise, Hungary was actually led by an admiral! (Miklós Horthy)
And his widow was later known as
Frau Donaudampfschiffahrtsadmiralswitwe, I presume... ;D
Quote from: ritter on July 22, 2016, 01:45:33 AMAnd his widow was later known as Frau Donaudampfschiffahrtsadmiralswitwe, I presume... ;D
:) Of course he was an admiral in the former Austro-Hungarian fleet, based in Trieste. BTT we Could ask, if we consider another emigré, Tibor Serly (1901-1978), a Hungarian or a British composer.
Interesting in this regard that no one has mentioned Gerhard's ancestory or birthplace, though two of us have mentioned him as a favorite British composer.
Quote from: some guy on July 22, 2016, 06:33:02 AM
Interesting in this regard that no one has mentioned Gerhard's ancestory or birthplace, though two of us have mentioned him as a favorite British composer.
On my shelves, he's filed under Catalonia. :) :
Quote from: Jo498 on July 21, 2016, 10:50:09 PM
You can't say "of course he IS a Brit" because he became one. Of course Handel BECAME a British citizen and he spent more than half of his life there.
If he is not a Brit what is he? If you become something then that is what you are. ;) ;)
Quote from: Andante on July 22, 2016, 09:16:47 PMIf he is not a Brit what is he? If you become something then that is what you are. ;) ;)
In the 18th Century, in most European countries "citizenship" was confined to your ties with a specific city or town, but there was not such a thing as "national citizenship". I think Händel was a citizen of Hamburg first and he later became a Londoner.
Quote from: Christo on July 22, 2016, 11:05:56 PM
In the 18th Century, in most European countries "citizenship" was confined to your ties with a specific city or town, but there was not such a thing as "national citizenship". I think Händel was a citizen of Hamburg first and he later became a Londoner.
This makes more sense now!
I don't know anything about 18th century law. But Handel was an employé and presumably a subject of George before the latter became King of Great Britain and Ireland. Still, despite having been a resident of England sind 1712, there was apparently some administrative act necessary to make him a "naturalized" British citizen in 1727.
Whatever, wikipedia says "deutsch-britisch", "German, later British", "compositor alemán, posteriormente nacionalizado inglés", "compositeur allemand, devenu sujet anglais" etc. so everyone seems to recognize a double status.
Usually with artists and composers one recognize the country where he was born, educated, had the cultural roots etc. unless there are very good reason to count him with the nationality he adopted later. Whereas I'd hesitate to call Stravinsky anything but Russian (Russian-French-American seems to be the official one), I admit that for Handel it is not a clear case and German-British might be appropriate.
Nevertheless, unless there are very good reason I usually group with country of origin although there are cases even more doubtful than Handel, e.g. Joh. Chr. Bach who spent all of his adult life in Italy and London.
Perhaps in the end we will all simply be known as 'citizens of the world'
Quote from: jessop on July 23, 2016, 12:17:17 AM
Perhaps in the end we will all simply be known as 'citizens of the world'
History moves in the opposite direction: never before was nationality and restricted citizenship so decisive.
BTT, in general, it's only possible to define 'British composers' since the 1800s and that's why most of us list mainly 20th Century composers here.
I don't agree. It's true that it is difficult to apply 19th century notions of nationality to the German states, Italy and the Holy Roman Empire of the 18th century. One has to get very regional or very broad.
But not for Britain and France. They were distinct nations and France was centralized and the culturally dominant nation of the 17th century.
The other difference is that in that time there were such things as recognized "Italian" (actually several: Venice, Rome and Naples were all different and they were different "nations" as well) and "French" musical styles that were the most important ones in the 17th and 18th century
And there were also some traceable regional traditions in German music. The latter usually centered on church music in (northern/middle) Lutheran vs. (southern/Austrian) Catholic regions. So there are *musical* styles connected with these regions and while they were not internationally important they are for us now because several of the composers we recognize as supreme today like Schuetz, Buxtehude, Händel, Bach... were raised in these traditions.
But Britain appears to have been somewhat isolated and despite several great (and distinctive) composers in the Elizabethan Age and a few (like Purcell) in the restoration time, in Handel's time almost all of the famous composers were "imports" (usually from Italy). And this continued, despite a few minor figures (e.g. Arne and Boyce) in the mid 18th century, around 1800 we find Haydn, Clementi, Pleyel in London, nothing "homegrown", even less stylistically distintinctive. And they kept importing: Ries, Weber in the 1820s, Mendelssohn in the 1830s...
Somewhat distinctive British composers only emerged again at the end of the 19th century. So this seems a more probable reason than unclear nationalities in the 18th century.
Quote from: Christo on July 22, 2016, 07:15:41 AM
On my shelves, he's filed under Catalonia. :) :
Well, at least he's on your shelves. That's a plus, right there!
But I have a modest request on behalf of my friends who happened to have been born in Barcelona. Change your file name to Catalunya. That's how people here write it, anyway. :)
Quote from: some guy on July 24, 2016, 10:39:47 AMWell, at least he's on your shelves. That's a plus, right there!
But I have a modest request on behalf of my friends who happened to have been born in Barcelona. Change your file name to Catalunya. That's how people here write it, anyway. :)
"Catalunya" is how I happen to have spelled it, because I spelled all nation states and regions 'their own way' (hence e.g. also Éire, Cymru, Haiastan, Sakartvelo, Euskadi) on my music shelves. But Catalonia is of course the accepted English (because: Latin) spelling.
So it's your sensitivity to your English speaking friends here, eh?
Well, OK then.
(I tend to say the local pronunciations of names to my English speaking friends, thus coming off as a pretentious prick. It may well be because I am a pretentious prick. Your solution is one I should adopt!!)
Quote from: some guy on July 26, 2016, 01:08:29 AM
, thus coming off as a pretentious prick.
as per usual $:) $:) $:)
If I have to look it up or don't understand it, it is utterly pretentious, of course.
I have never heard Haiastan on German news (frankly, I never heard or saw the word before) but there is a strange tendency to try some names in local pronunciation (or use local names) whereas others are still used in a germanized (or sometimes internationalized) way. E.g. when I was a kid in the 1980s, everyone called the capital of China "Peking", now it is usually Beijing on TV or radio news. But it would still appear ridiculous to pronounce Paris in the French way or say "Roma", "Venezia" or "Bucuresti" (instead of Rom, Venedig, Bukarest). Not sure why this changed with Beijing and some other places.
Quote from: Jo498 on July 26, 2016, 01:37:58 AM
I have never heard Haiastan on German news (frankly, I never heard or saw the word before)
Actually, it´s Hayastan and nobody, except Armenians and pretentious pricks, uses it. ;D
QuoteE.g. when I was a kid in the 1980s, everyone called the capital of China "Peking", now it is usually Beijing on TV or radio news.
Same here. :)
Quote
But it would still appear ridiculous to pronounce Paris in the French way or say "Roma", "Venezia" or "Bucuresti" (instead of Rom, Venedig, Bukarest).
Same here with pronouncing London, Bayern or Warszawa instead of Londra, Bavaria or Varşovia. :laugh:
Quote from: Florestan on July 26, 2016, 08:28:44 AM
Actually, it´s Hayastan and nobody, except Armenians and pretentious pricks, uses it. ;D
It's Hayastan in the English transliteration - but of course I use Dutch transliterations as my shelves happen to listen to that language (knew this one was coming). :-)
So you aren't using the Armenian Alphabet? If pretentious prick anyway, go for it!
Quote from: Jo498 on July 26, 2016, 01:15:14 PMSo you aren't using the Armenian Alphabet? If pretentious prick anyway, go for it!
No pretensions here. But yes, I did my best to learn the Armenian and Georgian alphabets while there. Just as I happen to be surrounded, at the moment (holiday in the Galilee) by both the Arab and Hebrew alphabet. Again: very tempting. :)
Quote from: Christo on July 26, 2016, 01:22:09 PM
No pretensions here. But yes, I did my best to learn the Armenian and Georgian alphabets while there.
Have you also learned some Armenian or Georgian?
Quote from: Florestan on July 27, 2016, 12:58:00 AM
Have you also learned some Armenian or Georgian?
Alas. Did you? Especially Georgian culture and religion should arouse your lively interest, if only because of its distant relationship with its Romanian counterparts, I'd say.
(Curious how long the moderators will tolerate our distraction.) 8)
BTT: I confess to having forged a list here of some sort, but in reality I admire dozens of British composers, mostly from the beginnings of a national school on (which came late, only in the first decade of the 20th century). Yesterday I played some Alwyn and Arnell: both also deserve to be included, just as Bate, Howells, Foulds, Rawsthorne, Hoddinott, even Delius and Bantock
VW
Bax
Bate
Alwyn
Arnell
Rubbra
Arthur Butterworth (Symph.4 in particular)
Moeran
Foulds
HB
Haha, good one, jessop!
Quote from: some guy on August 01, 2016, 03:09:49 AM
Haha, good one, jessop!
Hey some guy! I was missing you for a bit because you don't seem to post here for periods of time every now and then.
I bet you could easily come up with 10 other brits with HB initials though
$:) $:) $:)
Well, it's good to be missed, I must say. :)
But yeah, from time to time there is just nothing I want to say about anything being discussed.
And making threads is sometimes tedious, too.
And I certainly could not come up with 10 other brits with the initials HB. I did wonder, briefly, how many I could come up with, but as soon as a certain French person's name popped into my head, I thought I'd better just stop wondering.
Quote from: jessop on August 01, 2016, 02:00:02 AM
Is that.............Harrison or Havergal? O.o
:)
Havergal
Much easier to list top 10 British than top ten French or Italian. Especially since "British" covers Welsh, Irish, Scots and "mixed breeds" if I may say so.
- Vaughan-Williams - À tout Seigneur, tout honneur (just google it :D)
- Delius, the Crown Prince
- Elgar
- Arnold
- Holst
- Hoddinott
- Jones
- Britten
- Alwyn
- Rubbra
- Hoddinott, Howells, Bliss, Brian, Bax - where is one to stop ::) ?
Today's list:
Bax
Vaughan Williams
Walton
Rubbra
Bate
Bliss
Rootham
Rawsthorne
Holst
Arnold
Quote from: North Star on July 21, 2016, 02:18:18 PM
Naturalized at the tender young age of 42. Händel was every bit as British as Medtner, or Stravinsky an American.
This is a bump.
In my experience, the rather inconvenient truth - that composers who immigrate after a full and earlier life of training, their 'voice' and career already well-established, are -- as composers -- of their 'native' and not their adopted nationality.
Every time I've brought up this point re:
Händel, the English members go a bit round the bend, get their knickers in a twist. etc ;-)
Just as risible as calling
Händel an English composer is calling
Stravinsky (and
Schoenberg) 'American Composers.'
Best regards
Quote from: some guy on July 21, 2016, 03:40:18 AM
Yes, me too.
I've been living in Europe for the past four years, here and there, and there are two things that are important to everyone but me, where I was born and when I was born.
Not why were you born
Quote
Anyway, yes to Gerhard and to Rawsthorne as well, why not?
Natasha Barrett (unless she counts as Norwegian, now)
Diana Salazar
Tim Hodgkinson
Chris Cutler
Jonty Harrison
Keith Rowe
Anna Clyne
Graham Lambkin
Wow Why have I not heard of these composers
Benjamin Britten
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Byrd
Henry Purcell
John Dowland
Thomas Tallis
Michael Tippett
Gustav Holst
Gerald Finzi
Hmmm. No particular order except the first
Purcell
Fayrfax
Tallis
Byrd
Dunstable
Vaughn Williams
Dowland
Ravenscroft
Handel
Harder after that. Arne, Britten, Bridge, Simpson.
Quote from: Ken B on December 06, 2016, 04:44:58 PM
Hmmm. No particular order except the first
Purcell
Fayrfax
Tallis
Byrd
Dunstable
Vaughn Williams
Dowland
Ravenscroft
Handel
Rawsthorne
Harder after that. Arne, Britten, Bridge, Simpson.
Actually I forgot Rubbra and Rawsthorne! So I snuck the later in
Quote from: Christo on July 25, 2016, 01:58:07 AM
"Catalunya" is how I happen to have spelled it ... But Catalonia is of course the accepted English (because: Latin) spelling.
Hmm. Count me skeptical. Catalan is itself a Romance language. If you said "Because French" then I'd find it more plausible.
Let me think of 10 i really like currently
Benjamin Britten
Helen Grime
Brian Ferneyhough
Rebecca Saunders
Charlotte Bray
Thomas Adès
Oliver Knussen
Harrison Birtwistle
Richard Barrett
Jonathan Harvey
Sally Beamish
Peter Maxwell Davies
James Dillon
Idk if that's 10 but those are british composers who are my current favourites
I don't think I could list ten now since I'm not too much into Brit music anymore with the exception of the following composers:
Vaughan Williams
Britten
Elgar
Rubbra
Arnold
Finzi
Moeran
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 06, 2016, 07:48:13 PM
I don't think I could list ten now since I'm not too much into Brit music anymore with the exception of the following composers:
Vaughan Williams
Britten
Elgar
Rubbra
Arnold
Finzi
Moeran
I think you'll be pleased to know that I'm really getting more into Elgar! He hasnt quite made my favourites list yet though ;)
Quote from: jessop on December 06, 2016, 07:49:58 PM
I think you'll be pleased to know that I'm really getting more into Elgar! He hasnt quite made my favourites list yet though ;)
Excellent! Very good to hear. 8)
Quote from: jessop on December 06, 2016, 07:49:58 PM
I think you'll be pleased to know that I'm really getting more into Elgar! He hasnt quite made my favourites list yet though ;)
Good to hear you are at least getting into Elgar. :)
To me it is horrible to see how many exclude Elgar from their top 10 British composers list. It's like excluding J. S. Bach from your top 10 baroque compors list! :(
1. Vaughan Williams (the best IMHO)
In no especific order:
Arnold
Bantock
Bax
Elgar
Rubbra
Walton
Alwyn
Holst
Moeran
Honorable mentions:
Finzi, Britten, Tippett
Ferneyhough
Christopher Fox
Richard Barrett
James Dillon
Michael Finnessy
Michael Erber
Richard Rodney Bennett
Reginald Smith Brindle
Bryn Harrison
Quote from: Christo on July 21, 2016, 05:06:53 AMFirst attempt:
Bate
Berkeley (père)
Bliss
Brian
Gipps
Goossens
Holst
Moeran
Tippett
Vaughan Williams
Second attempt:
Alwyn, Arnold, Howells and Rubbra in - how could I have overlooked them - for poor Gipps. More I cannot miss.
Byrd
Delius
Dowland
Finnissy
Finzi
Harvey
Nyman
Purcell
Tallis
Vaughan Williams
Quote from: Monsieur Croche on December 06, 2016, 02:24:20 AM
This is a bump.
In my experience, the rather inconvenient truth - that composers who immigrate after a full and earlier life of training, their 'voice' and career already well-established, are -- as composers -- of their 'native' and not their adopted nationality.
I think self-identification, and identification by others, is more important than where someone happens to have been born and raised, though.
Handel definitely saw himself as British to a certain degree, and also Italian, as well as German; the British also saw him as one of their own. Clementi also considered himself British. I'm not sure Medtner ever came to consider himself British even though he did become a naturalised subject of the Crown. On the other side of things, Stravinsky saw himself as an American, but was never completely accepted as being American by other Americans.
(When Americans talk about the "Greatest American Composers" the answers are never Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Schoenberg and Hindemith, even though all four were American citizens, whereas the British will almost always identify Handel as one of the "Great British Composers".)
After a while, insisting on referring to him as Georg Friedrich Händel and considering him solely a German composer ends up feeling rather petty, sort of like all the people on this forum who still refer to Wendy Carlos by a name she stopped using four decades ago because I guess they need some outlet to advertise that they have negative and inflexible beliefs about transgender people. Handel is a German-born, Italian-trained British composer, or... something like that. There's really no need to reduce him or anyone else to a single nationality. This isn't a big secret or anything, but countries aren't real. >.>
We had this before somewhere I guess. In the baroque time the musical "national idioms" were not directly connected with political nations. For the "Germans" there apparently was an "italian style" although there was no Italian nation and even musically one can distinguish the styles of Venice, Rome and Naples.
The Germans in turn came in at least two varieties, namely the (mostly) protestant central/northern Germans and the southern (usually catholic) Germans + Austrians and maybe the Bohemians, too. (Of course there was no political Germany then).
There might have been something of a British/English tradition (Locke, Purcell etc.) but there was not really a goût anglais recognized through Europe in the way there was a French or Italian style. (Bach's English suites are a later misnomer.) And none of these musical traditions (maybe the French to some extent) had the nationalist undertones the "nationalist" styles/composers of the mid/late 19th century had.
For Handel, it will always be an oversimplification to classify him as either German or English (or even as Einstein did in a little book, the greatest "Italian composer" of his time). One basically has to at least outline the story how he had first a central German "church style" and then an Italian (mostly) operatic education. But he also drew upon some elements of the particularly English anthem/ode/pastoral style in his English language works. And arguing not from the past but towards the future he did become a more important composer for later 18th century (or even 19th century) Britain than for Germany and "founded" the English/vernacular language choral oratorio.
Quote from: Ken B on December 06, 2016, 04:44:58 PM
Hmmm. No particular order except the first
Purcell
Fayrfax
Tallis
Byrd
Dunstable
Vaughn Williams
Dowland
Ravenscroft
Handel
A damn fine list, if I may say so. Had to check back that I hadn't contributed to this thread - if I had, your first 7 would have been mine, too. Dunstable! Fayrfax! There were giants on the earth in those days.
Quote from: Christo on July 20, 2017, 09:57:36 AM
Second attempt:
Alwyn, Arnold, Howells and Rubbra in - how could I have overlooked them - for poor Gipps. More I cannot miss.
Could, yet again, be my list probably without Tippett although I do like 'A Child of Our Time' and the Concerto for Double String Orchestra.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Edward Elgar
Havergal Brian
George Lloyd
Arnold Bax
Malcolm Arnold
William Mathias
Benjamin Britten
William Alwyn
William Walton
Honourable mentions, if I may: Tippett, Rubbra and Moeran.
Dunstable
Tallis
Byrd
Dowland
Walton
Britten
Ferneyhough
Barrett
Fox
Finnissy
Elgar
RVW
Walton
Britten
Bax
Rubbra
Arnold
Bridge
Delius
Alwyn
Had to leave Holst out because aside from The Planets and a few other works I'm not wild about most of his oeuvre. Hated having to leave Finzi out. There are many British composers who I need to get to know better - Lloyd, Bantock, Rawsthorne, Arnell, Bowen, Moeran, Dyson...
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 20, 2016, 06:24:33 AM
Maybe these:
Benjamin Britten
William Byrd
Erik Chisholm
John Dowland
Edward Elgar
Gustav Holst
Ivan Moody
Luke Ottevanger
Thomas Tallis
Ralph Vaughan Williams
I stand pat, here.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on October 03, 2017, 10:02:10 AM
I stand pat, here.
How very appropriate word in this thread. 0:)
I'll have to edit my list a bit - mostly to put it in an (alphabetical) order...
Quote from: North Star on July 20, 2016, 12:53:59 AM
Something like this:
Benjamin Britten
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Michael Tippett
Gustav Holst
Gerald Finzi
William Byrd
Ronald Stevenson
John Dowland
Michael Finnissy
Benjamin Britten
William Byrd
John Dowland
Edward Elgar
Gustav Holst
John Ireland
Ronald Stevenson
Thomas Tallis
Michael Tippett
Ralph Vaughan Williams
A mighty good list, Karlo.
Updating, and now in order of preference:
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Bax
Alwyn
Walton
Rubbra
Stanford
Finzi
Bantock
The 10th place is for one of these: Holst, Lloyd, Britten, Simpson or Moeran. I can't decide!
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Benjamin Britten
Edward Elgar
Arnold Bax
Derek Bourgeois
John Pickard
Gustav Holst
Michael Tippett
Havergal Brian
William Walton
Honorable Mention:
Grace Williams
George Butterworth
Arthur Butterworth
Edgar Bainton
George Lloyd
Thomas Ades
William Alwyn
Purcell
Byrd
Dowland
Gibbons
Tallis
Bull
Morley
Blow
Vaughan Williams
Britten
Ten is too many for me but based on what I've listened to, and loved, over the last two years, I can nominate four in no particular order except the first two:
Ireland
Bowen
Holst
Moeran
Top four (in chronological order only) -
Tallis
Purcell
Elgar
Vaughan Williams
Others (choose any six) , in no order
Delius (only nominally British)
Holst
Walton
Bax
Bridge
Alwyn
Finzi
Arnold
Byrd
Sullivan
Britten
Lots of others I only listen to occasionally
Third attempt, ever more impossible, yet in an even more impossible order of preference:
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Holst
Brian
Moeran
Goossens
Bate
Rubbra
Berkeley (père)
Bliss
Add Moeran & Rubbra to my Others list
I thought I had posted a list a few days ago but don't see it. Must have vanished in the ether. Oh well... :D
This evening's list:
Vaughan Williams
Bax
Moeran
Alwyn
Bliss
Walton
Bate
Arnell
Rubbra
Arnold
Should have included Holst and Finzi ::)
In some sort of order of preference:
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Lloyd
Walton
Elgar
Bax
Finzi
Moeran
Stanford
Alwyn
With sincere apologies to Holst and Rubbra...
Quote from: André on June 30, 2019, 04:21:32 AMI thought I had posted a list a few days ago but don't see it. Must have vanished in the ether. Oh well... :D
Meanwhile, in the British composers thread:
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on June 28, 2019, 05:50:23 PMI guess you intended to post it on the Polling Station, didn't you? :P
Quote from: André on June 28, 2019, 05:08:44 PM
Alwyn
Arnold
Delius
Elgar
Jones
Kinsella
Turnage
Vaughan Williams
Walton
In the no 10 spot: Bantock, Bax, Bliss, Holst... :P
8)
Quote from: Florestan on June 29, 2019, 05:22:29 AM
Ten is too many for me but based on what I've listened to, and loved, over the last two years, I can nominate four in no particular order except the first two:
Ireland
Bowen
Holst
Moeran
Nice list although Bowen remains a bit of a blind spot for me.
Quote from: Christo on June 30, 2019, 09:55:19 PM
Meanwhile, in the British composers thread:
8)
Ha! I must have hopped from one thread to another without really noticing :P.
Elgar and Vaughan Williams are for me the two "great" English composers.
Walton is not far behind in the "greatness" stakes.
I love Finzi and Moeran who for me are special.
Holst is quite possibly a better composer then the two above but for me behind them.
No one has mentioned Butterworth, so I will. A sniper's bullet robbed England of a great composer on par with RVW. The few works left by him I enjoy enormously.
Alwyn is most interesting and if he went up my list I wouldn't be surprised.
Bax and Bliss are the terrible twins! Some of their works I enjoy but others I fail to make a connection.
I have missed out Britten!
Quote from: Irons on July 01, 2019, 06:25:38 AM
I have missed out Britten!
Interestingly, the four or five last posters before you didn't mention him either. ::)
Quote from: Christo on July 01, 2019, 09:33:44 AM
Interestingly, the four or five last posters before you didn't mention him either. ::)
Possibly because they "thought we were talking about composers" ;).
Let's see...
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Alwyn
Walton
Bax
Simpson
Rubbra
Kinsella
Elgar
Britten (or instead of him, Tippett or Lloyd)
last edit: right now
Current thoughts from yours truly:
Vaughan Williams - LOVE about 95% of his works ;D
Elgar - love his cello concerto and enjoy his violin one. Like his quintet and quartets
Britten - love his cello works and enjoy some of his operas (more for me to explore there)--really love his four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes
Purcell - love Dido and Aeneas
Tallis - Tallis and Byrd I don't listen to often but do appreciate their importance in terms of British music history
Byrd - see above
Holst - enjoy the Planets, Egdon Heath and the ballet music from the Perfect Fool
Finzi - love his cello concerto and enjoy his clarinet concerto plus some other pieces
Walton - enjoy his viola concerto; not so much his violin concerto--need to revisit his cello concerto (been ages since I have listened to it)
Who for No. 10? Maybe a toss up between Butterworth or Bridge...still exploring Moeran; however, my last few times listening to his music didn't do much for me--my fault I'm sure..maybe an honorable mention for Bernard Stevens?
By the way, where does Handel fit in here? He's listed in Wiki as a German-British composer who became a naturalized British subject where he spent the bulk of his career. If he is allowed, he would certainly be in my top 10 list!
PD
Here's my list and I'm not sure if I can do 10, but we'll see...(in no particular order):
Vaughan Williams
Elgar
Walton
Britten
Arnold
Tippett
Holst
Alwyn
Okay, that's about it.
This is really quite difficult. I understand that I have glaring omissions, but I can only speak to what I know and like. Other composers dip in and out here, but these tend to be those moat played and appreciated in the last months. No order, really.
Arnell
Lloyd (George)
Tippett
Bax
RVW
Arnold
Rubbra
Gál
Sawyers
David Matthews
Bantock
Parry
Stanford
I was going to add my thoughts in this thread, but then I realized, I already have a few years ago. So here is my response pasted from then. ;D
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Benjamin Britten
Edward Elgar
Arnold Bax
Derek Bourgeois
John Pickard
Gustav Holst
Michael Tippett
Havergal Brian
William Walton
Honorable Mention:
Grace Williams
George Butterworth
Arthur Butterworth
Edgar Bainton
George Lloyd
Thomas Ades
William Alwyn
Let me give it a shot...
John Dowland (number one, with a bullet)
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Malcolm Arnold
Frederick Delius
Benjamin Britten
Gustav Holst
William Byrd
Henry Purcell
Walter Frye
William Alwyn
Thomas Tallis
Roughly, not strictly, preferential order. There's still much I have yet to hear too so, subject to change.
I'm not sure that I know 10 British composers! But here is my list, in (roughly) descending preference order...
Havergal Brian
Ralph Vaughan Williams (though I rarely listen to him anymore)
Robert Simpson
Sir Michael Tippett
Elizabeth Maconchy
Does George Frederick Handel count? He was originally German, though he lived and wrote most of his works in England. He's be in there near the top. But off hand, I can't think of any others that I know well enough to "rate" in my pantheon.
Good to see another Simpson fan!
In some sort of order:
Vaughan Williams
Lloyd
Bax
Arnold
Finzi
Walton
Elgar
Britten (I like his music more than I used to!)
Holst
Moeran
(11. Bliss)
.....and there are scores of lesser-known Brits whose music I enjoy very much!
Quote from: kyjo on September 07, 2021, 06:54:54 AMBritten (I like his music more than I used to!)
Great! What work(s) have changed your perception of his music?
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 07, 2021, 07:28:16 AM
Great! What work(s) have changed your perception of his music?
There are many! Specifically his String Quartet no. 2, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Piano Concerto, Cello Sonata, Cello Suite no. 1, and
Les Illuminations are all works of dizzyingly imaginative invention that I find really stimulating. I have yet to listen to any of his operas, which may be a bit of tougher nut to crack! ;)
Quote from: kyjo on September 07, 2021, 07:52:35 AM
There are many! Specifically his String Quartet no. 2, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Piano Concerto, Cello Sonata, Cello Suite no. 1, and Les Illuminations are all works of dizzyingly imaginative invention that I find really stimulating. I have yet to listen to any of his operas, which may be a bit of tougher nut to crack! ;)
Excellent. Of the song cycles,
Nocturne remains my favorite. Do you know it? How about
Phaedra? Have you heard
Diversions for piano left-hand and orchestra? No one talks about early Britten too often (for whatever reason), but I absolutely adore
Sinfonietta and the
Double Concerto. Of the operas,
Death in Venice and
The Turn of the Screw remain my favorites. I do like
Peter Grimes, but I'm probably in the minority when I say it's not a work I listen to that often.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 07, 2021, 09:28:19 AM
Excellent. Of the song cycles, Nocturne remains my favorite. Do you know it? How about Phaedra? Have you heard Diversions for piano left-hand and orchestra? No one talks about early Britten too often (for whatever reason), but I absolutely adore Sinfonietta and the Double Concerto. Of the operas, Death in Venice and The Turn of the Screw remain my favorites. I do like Peter Grimes, but I'm probably in the minority when I say it's not a work I listen to that often.
It's been ages since I've heard
Nocturne or the
Diversions, and I don't believe I've ever heard
Phaedra. Count me in as another who loves his early works - the Double Concerto and Sinfonietta are firm favorites of mine, as is
Young Apollo. There's such spark and wit in these works! I've certainly heard great things about
Death in Venice and
The Turn of the Screw.
Quote from: kyjo on September 07, 2021, 09:47:52 AM
It's been ages since I've heard Nocturne or the Diversions, and I don't believe I've ever heard Phaedra. Count me in as another who loves his early works - the Double Concerto and Sinfonietta are firm favorites of mine, as is Young Apollo. There's such spark and wit in these works! I've certainly heard great things about Death in Venice and The Turn of the Screw.
I think you'll enjoy
Phaedra. It's one of his last works and was written for Janet Baker. Her performance with Britten at the helm is legendary. Of the concerti, the
Violin Concerto is really the only one I haven't had a 'lightbulb' moment with yet. Maybe one day. The two afore mentioned operas are darkly psychological and twisted, but the music is glorious. The orchestration alone in
Death in Venice is incredible.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 07, 2021, 09:51:43 AM
I think you'll enjoy Phaedra. It's one of his last works and was written for Janet Baker. Her performance with Britten at the helm is legendary. Of the concerti, the Violin Concerto is really the only one I haven't had a 'lightbulb' moment with yet. Maybe one day. The two afore mentioned operas are darkly psychological and twisted, but the music is glorious. The orchestration alone in Death in Venice is incredible.
Interesting, I would think the VC would be right up your alley! ;) It's such a haunting and ultimately devastating work - the deeply ambiguous ending never fails to give me chills. I would recommend other recordings besides the Lubotsky/Britten one on Decca, btw.
Quote from: kyjo on September 08, 2021, 07:25:35 AM
Interesting, I would think the VC would be right up your alley! ;) It's such a haunting and ultimately devastating work - the deeply ambiguous ending never fails to give me chills. I would recommend other recordings besides the Lubotsky/Britten one on Decca, btw.
Yeah, I didn't think much of the Lubotsky/Britten performance. I do like the Marwood/Volkov on Hyperion and Jansen/Järvi on Decca. I'm not sure what it is about this VC, but I need to give it a fresh listen.
Quote from: kyjo on September 08, 2021, 07:25:35 AM
Interesting, I would think the VC would be right up your alley! ;) It's such a haunting and ultimately devastating work - the deeply ambiguous ending never fails to give me chills. I would recommend other recordings besides the Lubotsky/Britten one on Decca, btw.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 08, 2021, 07:29:56 AM
Yeah, I didn't think much of the Lubotsky/Britten performance. I do like the Marwood/Volkov on Hyperion and Jansen/Järvi on Decca. I'm not sure what it is about this VC, but I need to give it a fresh listen.
Interesting, I just clicked on the first link that came up (or recognized the name Janine Jansen) and there's a wonderful video performance of her from the 2013 Proms with P. Jarvi and the Orchestre de Paris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTIae06t6Y I suspect that it would be fiendishly difficult to play?
PD
Quote from: kyjo on September 08, 2021, 07:25:35 AM
Interesting, I would think the VC would be right up your alley! ;) It's such a haunting and ultimately devastating work - the deeply ambiguous ending never fails to give me chills. I would recommend other recordings besides the Lubotsky/Britten one on Decca, btw.
+1 for the Violin Concerto - easily my favourite Britten concerted work. The old Haendel/Berglund/BSO is great.
Quote from: Roasted Swan on September 08, 2021, 08:10:06 AM
+1 for the Violin Concerto - easily my favourite Britten concerted work. The old Haendel/Berglund/BSO is great.
I'll have to give that a listen. I was enjoying the Janine Jansen youtube video and down to the last 10 minutes, when a friend that I hadn't spoken to in ages called me, so I think that I'll start again from the beginning.
May I ask whether or not you have either watched the video (link on previous posting) or heard her recording of it RS? If so, how do you think that it compares?
PD
Today's List:
VW
Alwyn
Arnold
Arnell
Bax
Bliss
Walton
Bridge
Rootham
Holst
Benjamin Britten
George Dyson
Gustav Holst
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Walton
Herbert Howells
John Foulds
William Mathias
Cornelius Cardew
I was an early-music-o-phile as a young man, but I don't get to the Renaissance and Baroque Eras much anymore. I do, however, have preferences from these fellows after eons of singing and playing their music, so PLEASE excuse my cheat:
Henry Purcell
Thomas Tallis
William Byrd
John Dowland
Thomas Weelkes
Orlando Gibbons
Thomas Morley
John Tave(r)ner (I forget which is which, but the older one)
Christopher Tye
John Farmer
Quote from: kyjo on September 07, 2021, 06:58:17 AM
Isn't he Irish? ;)
I meant from British Isles, and that includes Ireland. 8)
Quote from: VonStupp on September 09, 2021, 03:33:12 PM
Benjamin Britten
George Dyson
Gustav Holst
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Walton
Herbert Howells
John Foulds
William Mathias
Cornelius Cardew
Dyson, Foulds and Cardew (whom I don't know yet) are "sleepers" as certain chubby guy would claim about unexpected composers. ;D
Quote from: VonStupp on September 09, 2021, 03:33:12 PM
Benjamin Britten
George Dyson
Gustav Holst
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Walton
Herbert Howells
John Foulds
William Mathias
Cornelius Cardew
I was an early-music-o-phile as a young man, but I don't get to the Renaissance and Baroque Eras much anymore. I do, however, have preferences from these fellows after eons of singing and playing their music, so PLEASE excuse my cheat:
Henry Purcell
Thomas Tallis
William Byrd
John Dowland
Thomas Weelkes
Orlando Gibbons
Thomas Morley
John Tave(r)ner (I forget which is which, but the older one)
Christopher Tye
John Farmer
Hi VS,
I had to google too as I have a strong "tendency" to forget which one of the JTs is the early music composer vs. the more recent one; the one with the "r" is the early music one. Perhaps try thinking of old tave
rns to associate it with the earlier composer?
Well, I'd love to hear of some of your favorite works by them--some of whom in particular I know very little about (including some of their best known and liked works)....like John Dowland, Weelkes, Gibbons, Morely, Taverner, Tye and Farmer! ::) Like you, I don't often dive into early music though I do have a bit of it here and there, so could use some pointing direction-wise. :)
PD
Quote from: Jo498 on July 20, 2016, 02:26:03 AM
Locke, Blow or Boyce...
Interesting in that one mention of William Boyce from 5 years ago is, as far as I can see, the only appearance on anyone's list of a composer born, or mainly active in, the 18th century. Apart from Handel, and he was German (runs for cover...). Likewise, no-one who did most of their significant work in the 19th century makes an appearance. This is probably no more than a reflection of the good taste of GMG members, but would nobody think of including Parry, Stanford, Sullivan, Samuel Wesley (the "English Mozart"), Arne or Croft? Not sure any of them would make it onto my list, but thought it worth pointing out.
Quote from: VonStupp on September 09, 2021, 03:33:12 PM
Benjamin Britten
George Dyson
Gustav Holst
Edward Elgar
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Walton
Herbert Howells
John Foulds
William Mathias
Cornelius Cardew
I was an early-music-o-phile as a young man, but I don't get to the Renaissance and Baroque Eras much anymore. I do, however, have preferences from these fellows after eons of singing and playing their music, so PLEASE excuse my cheat:
Henry Purcell
Thomas Tallis
William Byrd
John Dowland
Thomas Weelkes
Orlando Gibbons
Thomas Morley
John Tave(r)ner (I forget which is which, but the older one)
Christopher Tye
John Farmer
I regret leaving Dyson and Foulds off my own list - Foulds in particular.
Sorry all, my work schedule prevents me from chiming in most weekdays, but there is no time like the present.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on September 09, 2021, 06:26:49 PM
Dyson, Foulds and Cardew (whom I don't know yet) are "sleepers" as certain chubby guy would claim about unexpected composers. ;D
Dyson is a personal preference for sure, but for a choral music lover, his oratorios speak to me strongly, as does Fould's
Requiem.
As to Cornelius Cardew, an avant-garde composer, his music has made an memorable impression on me in performance, the best place to experience experimental music in my eyes. I don't know if his music would translate as strongly for me as much on record.
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on September 10, 2021, 01:39:59 AM
Hi VS,
Well, I'd love to hear of some of your favorite works by them--some of whom in particular I know very little about (including some of their best known and liked works)....like John Dowland, Weelkes, Gibbons, Morely, Taverner, Tye and Farmer! ::) Like you, I don't often dive into early music though I do have a bit of it here and there, so could use some pointing direction-wise. :)
PD
I have reams of madrigals, motets, masses, songs, and other works of these fellows, but a rare few recordings. I am charmed by the strong pleasure some GMG members derive from early-music recordings, but at the moment, I am not drawn to listen to that era at length, which could certainly change. So I guess for me, my list is purely derived from performance rather than recordings, so I would be a poor judge.
Quote from: vandermolen on September 11, 2021, 03:32:01 AM
I regret leaving Dyson and Foulds off my own list - Foulds in particular.
It is tough, with the strong pull of Holst, VW, Elgar, and Walton, among others, to include those we enjoy off-the-beaten path. Luckily, lists can change depending on one's mood ;)
Quote from: DaveF on September 11, 2021, 12:07:14 AM
Interesting in that one mention of William Boyce from 5 years ago is, as far as I can see, the only appearance on anyone's list of a composer born, or mainly active in, the 18th century. Apart from Handel, and he was German (runs for cover...). Likewise, no-one who did most of their significant work in the 19th century makes an appearance. This is probably no more than a reflection of the good taste of GMG members, but would nobody think of including Parry, Stanford, Sullivan, Samuel Wesley (the "English Mozart"), Arne or Croft? Not sure any of them would make it onto my list, but thought it worth pointing out.
It is interesting. I don't think I could put Parry, Stanford, or Sullivan on my list either, despite enjoying some items from them, particularly Stanford's motets. Thomas Arne never even crossed my mind, but I would definitely need to explore more of Croft, Wesley, and Boyce.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on September 09, 2021, 06:26:49 PM
Dyson, Foulds and Cardew (whom I don't know yet) are "sleepers" as certain chubby guy would claim about unexpected composers. ;D
"A certain chubby guy" :laugh: :laugh:
A new list (in order of preferences):
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Walton
Alwyn
Bax
Elgar
Rubbra
Britten
Tippett
Delius
A list (not in order of preference):
Vaughan Williams
Bax
Elgar
Delius
Purcell
Tallis
The Eton Choirbook - cheating slightly but many of the contributors are known by only one work
Composers not sure about -
Byrd
Britten (mainly his early stuff)
Alwyn - keep revisiting his stuff but still unsure
Rubbra - mixed feelings, prefer his chamber works over his symphonies
Sullivan - modified rapture
Updated list with new arrivals. No order.
Lloyd
Tippett
Simpson
Maconchy
Bax
RVW
Arnold
Rubbra
Sawyers
Peter Maxwell Davies
Gál, David Matthews, Arnell all dropping out for now. Alwyn and Brian still not edging any closer. Lipkin and Bryars, Daniel Jones, Colin Matthews, Matthew Taylor, Alan Rawsthorne, Searle, Wordsworth... all still making their pitch.
Britten, Walton, Elgar et al? Who the flip knows?
Newish list:
RVW
Bax
Bliss
Walton
Arnell
Rubbra
Rawsthorne
Bate
Hadley
Sainton
In no particular order:
Gustav Holst
Edward Elgar
Granville Bantock
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Arnold Bax
Benjamin Britten
William Alwyn
Frederick Delius
Michael Tippett
Robert Simpson
Vaughan Williams
Dowland
Holst
Britten
Delius
Elgar
Butterworth
Parry
Ravenscroft
Walton
Total vote count (the most recent list from each participant):
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) ************************** x26
Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) ******************** x20
Edward Elgar (1857–1934) ******************* x19
Gustav Holst (1874–1934) ***************** x17
William Walton (1902–1983) **************** x16
Arnold Bax (1883–1953) ************ x12
William Alwyn (1905–1965) ********** x10
Malcolm Arnold (1921–2006) ********** x10
Frederick Delius (1862–1934) ********** x10
William Byrd (c. 1539 or 1543–1623) ********* x9
John Dowland (1563–1626) ********* x9
Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585) ******** x8
Michael Tippett (1905–1998) ******** x8
Henry Purcell (1659–1695) ******* x7
Edmund Rubbra (1901–1986) ******* x7
Havergal Brian (1876–1972) ****** x6
Arthur Bliss (1891–1975) ***** x5
Ernest John Moeran (1894–1950) ***** x5
Gerald Finzi (1901–1956) **** x4
George Lloyd (1913–1998) **** x4
Richard Barrett (born 1959) *** x3
Harrison Birtwistle (born 1934) *** x3
Brian Ferneyhough (born 1943) *** x3
Michael Finnissy (born 1946) *** x3
Robert Simpson (1921–1997) *** x3
Granville Bantock (1868–1946) ** x2
Stanley Bate (1911–1959) ** x2
Frank Bridge (1879–1941) ** x2
George Butterworth (1885–1916) ** x2
John Dunstable (c. 1390–1453) ** x2
Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) ** x2
Richard Harvey (born 1953) ** x2
John Ireland (1879–1962) ** x2
Daniel Jones (1912–1993) ** x2
Elizabeth Maconchy (1907–1994) ** x2
William Mathias (1934–1992) ** x2
Hubert Parry (1848–1918) ** x2
Thomas Ravenscroft (1558-1635) ** x2
Rebecca Saunders (born 1967) ** x2
Richard Arnell (1917–2009) *
Thomas Adès (born 1971) *
Natasha Barrett (born 1972) *
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936–2012) *
Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989) *
John Blow (1649–1708) *
Derek Bourgeois (1941–2017) *
York Bowen (1884–1961) *
Charlotte Bray (born 1982) *
John Bull (1562 or 1563–1628) *
Cornelius Cardew (1936–1981) *
Erik Chisholm (1904–1965) *
Anna Clyne (born 1980) *
Eric Coates (1886–1957) *
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) *
Chris Cutler (born 1947) *
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016) *
James Dillon (born 1950) *
George Dyson (1883–1964) *
Robert Fayrfax (1464–1521) *
John Foulds (1880–1939) *
Christopher Fox (born 1955) *
Walter Frye (-1474) *
Alexander Goehr (born 1932) *
Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893–1962) *
Helen Grime (born 1981) *
Patrick Hadley (1899–1973) *
Jonty Harrison (born 1952) *
Jonathan Harvey (1939–2012) *
Alun Hoddinott (1929–2008) *
Tim Hodgkinson (born 1949) *
Herbert Howells (1892–1983) *
Oliver Knussen (1952–2018) *
Graham Lambkin (born 1973) *
Ivan Moody (born 1980) *
Thomas Morley (1557–1602) *
Ivor Novello (1893–1951) *
Michael Nyman (born 1944) *
Luke Ottevanger *
John Pickard (born 1963) *
Alan Rawsthorne (1905–1971) *
Keith Rowe (born 1940) *
Philip Sainton (1891–1967) *
Diana Salazar *
Philip Sawyers (born 1951) *
Ronald Stevenson (1928–2015) *
James Weeks (born 1978) *
OK, here's mine. And as I was on a decade+ of sabbatical when this thread was begun, I'm voting twice :P
1 Tippett
2 Elgar
3 Vaughan Williams
4 Ireland
5 Brian
6 Foulds
7 Bryars
8 Ireland
9 Finzi
10 Gurney
11 Dillon
12 Finnissy
13 Maxwell Davies
14 Howells
15 Rubbra
16 Benjamin
17 Stevenson
18 Chisholm
19 Britten
20 Harvey
Can Benjamin and Britten count as one? ;) ;D Then I can get Birtwistle on there, too
Quote from: Luke on June 14, 2023, 10:12:37 AMOK, here's mine. And as I was on a decade+ of sabbatical when this thread was begun, I'm voting twice :P
1 Tippett
2 Elgar
3 Vaughan Williams
4 Ireland
5 Brian
6 Foulds
7 Bryars
8 Ireland
9 Finzi
10 Gurney
11 Dillon
12 Finnissy
13 Maxwell Davies
14 Howells
15 Rubbra
16 Benjamin
17 Stevenson
18 Chisholm
19 Britten
20 Harvey
Can Benjamin and Britten count as one? ;) ;D Then I can get Birtwistle on there, too
You've included Ireland twice.
Quote from: vandermolen on June 14, 2023, 10:23:16 AMYou've included Ireland twice.
North and South. Plus I really like him
OK, thanks to eagle-eyed Jeffrey, I can have them all. Revised thusly:
1 Tippett
2 Elgar
3 Vaughan Williams
4 Ireland
5 Brian
6 Foulds
7 Bryars
8 Birtwistle
9 Finzi
10 Gurney
11 Dillon
12 Finnissy
13 Maxwell Davies
14 Howells
15 Rubbra
16 Benjamin
17 Stevenson
18 Chisholm
19 Britten
20 Harvey
Added to my mistake in the Mystery Scores quiz yesterday, I think I should be worrying about my mind. But in my defense, it's a busy time of year.... ;D
Quote from: Toh on June 14, 2023, 08:11:46 AMTotal vote count (the most recent list from each participant):
Wow,
nobody has voted for Sullivan??
Quote from: Luke on June 14, 2023, 10:24:21 AMNorth and South. Plus I really like him
Very nice! ;D
Ferneyhough
Tallis
Don't really listen to any others
Let's see...
In order of preference (sort of):
Vaughan Williams
Arnold
Walton
Alwyn
Bax
Britten
Elgar
Tippett
Bliss
Mathias
Quote from: BWV 1080 on June 14, 2023, 10:32:40 AMFerneyhough
Tallis
Don't really listen to any others
Interesting that you mention Ferneyhough as I don't recall ever hearing any of his music. Any favorites that you would recommend?
Vaughan Williams is certainly tops for me (and a favorite composer overall)
Some others...though in general I don't listen to many of their works--I should revisit some of them
Britten
Elgar
Finzi -- a wonderful composer whose life, sadly, ended way too soon
Once in a blue moon...
Tallis
Byrd
Holst
Delius
Bridge -- Enjoy his works for piano and/or string quartet
Purcell -- Love Dido and Aeneas
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 15, 2023, 04:49:49 AMInteresting that you mention Ferneyhough as I don't recall ever hearing any of his music. Any favorites that you would recommend?
This was the piece that got me into his music, dense and complex but always interesting stuff to find in it
Robin Holloway is another composer I like who sadly is not recorded enough
Elgar and Vaughan Williams followed by -
Finzi
Rawsthorne
Moeran
Delius
Holst
Britten
Walton
Alwyn
I realise some glaring omissions - Bax, Bridge and Bliss for example who I repeatedly listen, but do not feel a connection like the names above.
Quote from: BWV 1080 on June 15, 2023, 06:45:56 AMRobin Holloway is another composer I like who sadly is not recorded enough
Yes, that's a great piece!
Quote from: Florestan on June 29, 2019, 05:22:29 AMTen is too many for me but based on what I've listened to, and loved, over the last two years, I can nominate four in no particular order except the first two:
Ireland
Bowen
Holst
Moeran
Four years later, I can confidently add five more:
Bax
Delius
Arthur Sullivan
Eric Coates
Lord Berners
Quote from: BWV 1080 on June 15, 2023, 06:42:15 AMThis was the piece that got me into his music, dense and complex but always interesting stuff to find in it
Quote from: BWV 1080 on June 15, 2023, 06:45:56 AMRobin Holloway is another composer I like who sadly is not recorded enough
Thanks, I'll give them a shot. :)
Quote from: Irons on June 15, 2023, 06:56:18 AMElgar and Vaughan Williams followed by -
Finzi
Rawsthorne
Moeran
Delius
Holst
Britten
Walton
Alwyn
I realise some glaring omissions - Bax, Bridge and Bliss for example who I repeatedly listen, but do not feel a connection like the names above.
Well, we agree on 6/10. :) I'd forgotten about Moeran...need to revisit the music that I have of his. There's one composer that I thought of (after you had mentioned Moeran). I only have one CD of his music (at the time that I had purchased it, there were only two out there. Has that changed?). His name: Bernard Stevens. The one that I have (on Meridian) has his cello concerto and "A Symphony of Liberation".
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 15, 2023, 12:04:53 PMThanks, I'll give them a shot. :)
Well, we agree on 6/10. :) I'd forgotten about Moeran...need to revisit the music that I have of his. There's one composer that I thought of (after you had mentioned Moeran). I only have one CD of his music (at the time that I had purchased it, there were only two out there. Has that changed?). His name: Bernard Stevens. The one that I have (on Meridian) has his cello concerto and "A Symphony of Liberation".
PD
Barely heard of Bernard Stevens, PD. I will investigate.
Based on the ones I go to most often:
Arnold
Holst
Bax
Alwyn
Moeran
Vaughan Williams
Ireland
Dowland
Finzi
Rubbra
Quote from: Irons on June 16, 2023, 06:33:14 AMBarely heard of Bernard Stevens, PD. I will investigate.
Some of his music is on Youtube.
I remember when I ordered that one CD that I have of his (from Meridian's website), they shipped it to me--as a CD Rom! Was a bit surprised about that.
https://www.meridian-records.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?RANDOM=NETQUOTEVAR%3ARANDOM&PAGE=SEARCH&SS=bernard+stevens&TB=A&GB=A&SX=0&ACTION=Search
Need to check out Bax some more. I recall enjoying his tone poem about fall (the season).
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 15, 2023, 12:04:53 PMThanks, I'll give them a shot. :)
Well, we agree on 6/10. :) I'd forgotten about Moeran...need to revisit the music that I have of his. There's one composer that I thought of (after you had mentioned Moeran). I only have one CD of his music (at the time that I had purchased it, there were only two out there. Has that changed?). His name: Bernard Stevens. The one that I have (on Meridian) has his cello concerto and "A Symphony of Liberation".
PD
+1 for Symphony of Liberation by Bernard Stevens.
My list of eleven. I can't find one to strike off ...
Christopher Tye
William Byrd
John Dowland
Orlando Gibbons
William Lawes
Henry Purcell
Benjamin Frankel
Benjamin Britten
Brian Ferneyhough
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Rebecca Saunders
My tops are Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Bax, Simpson, Britten and Holst. Birtwhistle might end up on that list eventually.
Quote from: Florestan on June 15, 2023, 11:09:45 AMFour years later, I can confidently add five more:
Bax
Delius
Arthur Sullivan
Eric Coates
Lord Berners
And two more whom I forgot:
Cyril Scott
Arthur SomervellI think
Hamilton Harty doesn't qualify as British, does he?
Quote from: Florestan on June 16, 2023, 12:22:13 PMAnd two more whom I forgot:
Cyril Scott
Arthur Somervell
I think Hamilton Harty doesn't qualify as British, does he?
Arthur Somervill is interesting. An outstanding body of work for song - his A Shropshire Lad is up there with RVW and Butterworth. I see he wrote for orchestra too but have not heard any.
Quote from: Irons on June 17, 2023, 12:49:30 AMArthur Somervill is interesting. An outstanding body of work for song - his A Shropshire Lad is up there with RVW and Butterworth. I see he wrote for orchestra too but have not heard any.
I love his Violin Concerto, give it a try.
Quote from: Florestan on June 16, 2023, 12:22:13 PMAnd two more whom I forgot:
Cyril Scott
Arthur Somervell
I think Hamilton Harty doesn't qualify as British, does he?
I think that Scott was a most interesting composer.
I think Arthur Butterworth deserves to be better represented. I really enjoyed this piece.
https://youtu.be/TUewbVmOYa0?t=7
Quote from: relm1 on June 17, 2023, 05:48:03 AMI think Arthur Butterworth deserves to be better represented. I really enjoyed this piece.
https://youtu.be/TUewbVmOYa0?t=7
Thank you for mentioning him and providing that link. I enjoyed it!
I read his obit in ExaminerLive. Interesting to read that he said that his *musical preferences were Elgar and Vaughan Williams (with whom he apparently studied). :) Would be interesting to know where the uploader got that recording from. I suspect off air. Sadly he didn't know who the conductor was. Judging by the obit, probably not Butterworth as he we no longer the primary conductor there....but maybe (could possibly rule him out if we knew when the performance was).
*and also Sibelius
Here's a link to that obit: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/obituary-arthur-butterworth-8212451
In any event: thanks!
PD
I may have looked the wrong way, but it seems to me that no one has quoted William Sterndale Bennet, a great romantic composer born in Sheffield.
My top 10 English composers in alphabetical order
Granville Bantock
William Sterndale Bennet
William Boyce
Benjamin Britten
Frederick Delius
Edward Elgar
Gustav Holst
Cipriani Potter
Ralph Vaughan Williams
William Wallace
1. Benjamin Britten
2. Henry Purcell
3. Gustav Holst
4. Edward Elgar
5. Ralph Vaughan Williams
6. Thomas Tallis
7. John Dowland
8. William Byrd
9. Frederick Delius
10. William Walton
Honorable mention:
11. Orlando Gibbons