I'm trying to branch out a bit and listen to composers that are less known than others. Thank you in advance for recommendations.
A couple of Scandinavians to get the ball rolling
Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981)
Rued Langgaard (1893-1952)
Two English composers:
Havergal Brian
George Lloyd
Off the top of my head:
E J Moeran: (try the Symphony, Cello Concerto or Sinfonietta)
Bax: Symphony 3
Miaskovsky: Symphony 21 or Cello Concerto
Glazunov: The Seasons ballet
Walton: Symphony 1
Rubbra: Symphony 4 or 5
Tubin: Symphony 2-5
Alwyn: Lyra Angelica (a kind of Harp concerto)
David Diamond: Symphony No.3
Roy Harris: Symphony No.3
Howells: 'Hymnus Paradisi' (very moving - in memory of his son)
Kabelac: Mystery of Time
Not knowing your tastes Dave so a shot in the dark, David Morgan: Contrasts.
https://youtu.be/3LBSeJnf7RY
What does "relatively obscure" mean? For those new to classical music even Camille Saint-Saëns is obscure. However I'll list some names:
Matthias Weckmann (c. 1618-1674)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749)
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783)
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799)
Einar Englund (1916-1999)
Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)
Valentin Silvestrov (1937-)
Quote from: Biffo on November 24, 2020, 06:58:02 AM
A couple of Scandinavians to get the ball rolling
Geirr Tveitt (1908-1981)
Rued Langgaard (1893-1952)
+1!
Others I enjoy:
Joly Braga Santos
Kurt Atterberg
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Hugo Alfvén
Gian Francesco Malipiero
Alfredo Casella
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ottorino Respighi
Vagn Holmboe
Joachim Raff
Franz Schmidt
Florent Schmitt
Albert Roussel
Witold Lutoslawski
Peteris Vasks
Malcolm Arnold
Robert Simpson
Camargo Guarnieri
William Schuman
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Josef Suk
Arthur Honegger
Zoltán Kodaly
Lazslo Lajtha
Johan Svendsen
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen
Leevi Madetoja
Erkki Melartin
Uuno Klami
Kalevi Aho
Charles Stanford
And many more!
Quote from: Irons on November 24, 2020, 08:02:09 AM
Not knowing your tastes Dave so a shot in the dark, David Morgan: Contrasts.
https://youtu.be/3LBSeJnf7RY
Seconded by me!
Also, Morgan's Violin Concerto.
Great to hear the name of this talented, but sadly short-lived, composer again.
Thank you Lol!
Tournemire and Honegger come to mind as well.
Otomh
Franz Krommer
Carl Loewe
Moritz Moszkowski
Cecile Chaminade
Sergei Bortkiewicz
Carlos Guastavino
Padre Antonio Soler: Keyboard works
Josef Martin Kraus: Symphonies
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano concertos and Trios
Franz Berwald: Symphonies
Friedrich Gernsheim: Symphonies and chamber music
Ernest Chausson: Symphony and chamber music
Ernst von Dohnanyi: piano quintets and concertos
Among them,
- Samuil Feinberg (piano sonatas, piano concertos, he wrote very little else)
- Nikolai Medtner (ditto, plus the chamber music)
- Rudolf Escher (orchestral and chamber music)
- Felix Glonti (orchestral music; only little has been recorded)
- Tristan Keuris (well, most of it, but for example Movements for Orchestra, Laudi vocal symphony, Piano Concerto, Double Cello Concerto ...)
- Lubos Fiser (Dürer Pictures, piano music, vocal music etc.)
- Harald Genzmer (for example the clarinet chamber music)
- Lucia Dlugoszewski (all of it, if avant-garde)
- Per Nørgård (all of it, but for example the symphonies, piano concerto, percussion concerto, cello works, early Clarinet Trio op.15 etc. etc. Stylistically, his development has been even more varied than Stravinsky's)
- Nikos Skalkottas (piano works, for example)
- Nikolay Myaskovsky (symphonies, chamber music)
- Alan Hovhaness (symphonies, concertos & concertos for orchestra, orchestral pieces)
are some that come to mind.
And Langgaard is a fascinating, uneven, and unpredictable fellow; Pettersson wrote some undeniable masterpieces, where individual recordings often mean a lot in experiencing them.
Nicolas de Grigny
Morton Feldman
Less obscure, but little known to many classical music listeners:
Max Reger
Hugo Wolf
Alexandr Scriabin
Mikhail Glinka
Arvo Pärt
Leonin
Perotin
Thomas Tallis
Heinrich Schütz
Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck
Some of these, especially the first two, can be considered advanced listening. I did not discover them for many years, and some effort and attention is required to appreciate them. Still, Reger and Wolf are two of the most profoundly gifted composers in history IMO (not in the league of Bach or Beethoven, but still massively talented and prolific). Same is true for Sweelinck.
Quote from: vandermolen on November 24, 2020, 09:09:23 AM
Seconded by me!
Also, Morgan's Violin Concerto.
Great to hear the name of this talented, but sadly short-lived, composer again.
Thank you Lol!
A most deserving case for this thread, Jeffrey.
Quote from: Dave B on November 24, 2020, 05:20:01 PM
I'm familiar with the names of THREE composers on all those lists, so this thread is working out fine for me. Thank you.
You did ask! ;D Hide away in a man-cave and come out blinking in the sunshine after a 3 year listening session!
Quote from: André Le Nôtre on November 24, 2020, 01:16:44 PM
Max Reger
Hugo Wolf
Some of these, especially the first two, can be considered advanced listening. I did not discover them for many years, and some effort and attention is required to appreciate them. Still, Reger and Wolf are two of the most profoundly gifted composers in history IMO (not in the league of Bach or Beethoven, but still massively talented and prolific). Same is true for Sweelinck.
That Reger and Wolf are niche composers gives IMO a lie to the claim that the Austrogerman tradition is unduly dominating classical music since ca. 1800. In fact, in late romanticism a few composer from this tradition, such as Strauss and Mahler are dominant, but the "losers" are not mainly composers from other nations like Holst, Magnard or Medtner but other Austrogerman composers.
Sure, Wolf who wrote mainly Lieder can hardly be expected to challenge Mahler (and he is highly regarded within the Lieder niche). But he wrote some very daring instrumental works, mainly the string quartet that could be repertoire items like other solitaires, such es Franck's piano quintet.
Quote from: Dave B on November 24, 2020, 06:54:08 AM
I'm really trying to branch out a bit and listen to composers that are relatively unknown to the general public, including me. Thank you in advance for recommendations.
I only ever listen to obscure composers. So just pick a post of mine at random. But if I had to pick one as favourite it would be Dietrich Stöeffken.
Relatively obscure favourites are:
Joly Braga Santos
Federico Moreno Torroba
Arnold Cooke
Ruth Gipps
Eugene Goossens
Stanley Bate
John Kinsella
Veljo Tormis
Ēriks Ešenvalds
Sulkhan Tsintsadze
Geirr Tveitt
Erland von Koch
Camargo Guarnieri
Hendrik Andriessen
Léon Orthel
Henri Sauguet
Charles Tournemire
Quote from: vandermolen on November 24, 2020, 09:11:50 AM
Tournemire and Honegger come to mind as well.
I should have addes Tournemire; Honegger is relatively well-known, IMHO.
I'll throw a few atcha (in the order they pop into my head).
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Kate Soper
Ruth Crawford Seeger
Johann Jakob Froberger
Quote from: Jo498 on November 25, 2020, 12:08:06 AM
That Reger and Wolf are niche composers gives IMO a lie to the claim that the Austrogerman tradition is unduly dominating classical music since ca. 1800. In fact, in late romanticism a few composer from this tradition, such as Strauss and Mahler are dominant, but the "losers" are not mainly composers from other nations like Holst, Magnard or Medtner but other Austrogerman composers.
Sure, Wolf who wrote mainly Lieder can hardly be expected to challenge Mahler (and he is highly regarded within the Lieder niche). But he wrote some very daring instrumental works, mainly the string quartet that could be repertoire items like other solitaires, such es Franck's piano quintet.
Very interesting. When listening to Wolf, I am always reminded of Harold Schonberg's opinion (which I share), "No greater songs exist." In as sense, I think Bruckner is also another of the "losers" you mention here (despite the fact that his symphony No. 8 is my candidate for greatest symphony ever written!). I turn to Bruckner, Wolf, and Reger for musical joy and inspiration far more frequently than Mahler (who I can barely listen to any longer) or R. Strauss (
Metamorphosen aside, a piece I adore). To me Bruckner, Wolf, and Reger are all spun from the same cloth of deep introspection and a search for solitude in music.
But Bruckner is not a "loser" in popularity, quite to the contrary. I think he was far more niche 50 years ago. Even I remember that Bruckner was considered an acquired taste as recently as the late 1980s when I got into classical music as a teenager.
I am not that fond of Wolf's lieder (admittedly I might not have tried enough, but I have been a listening to them on/off since more than 20 years and I love lieder by many other composers) but I understand how important they are, and they are in high esteeem by many singers.
A similarity with Reger is that at least in Germany Reger is very highly esteemed by organists and also some of his choral works are regularly sung. But these are maybe even smaller niches than Lieder, especially when considering international record sales.
There are of course others like Zemlinsky, Schmidt, Schreker and more who would, I think, be top national composers if they had been Swedish or Spanish.
Quote from: Christo on November 25, 2020, 06:23:00 AM
I should have addes Tournemire; Honegger is relatively well-known, IMHO.
Yes, that's true, so let me exchange him for Jean-Michel Damase, the composer of the wonderful 'Symphonie'.
Quote from: 71 dB on November 26, 2020, 01:04:42 AM
These are rather obscure for me. I haven't explored any of them. I often wonder how people get into this kind of composers. Why, when and where were they exposed to their music (were the hell can you hear Tsintsadze?). Exploring composers can be exhausting. Last summer I explored Atterberg and Englund and it was exhausting. I wish the world was less hectic...
All of them are well enough represented on cd, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned them. I mean to refer to composers whose music is accessible only. You're right in one respect: Georgian composer Sulkhan Tsintsadze is relatively less available, but what there is, is very good.
Quote from: 71 dB on November 26, 2020, 01:33:43 AM
Of course being well enough represented on cd doesn't help if you don't have said cds.
I might have (?) listened to Camargo Guarnieri, but apparently his music did not blow me away. ::)
My taste is often so different from others I almost take these lists as names not to waste time on.
You don't like Elgar so why Should I like Kinsella? Our tastes are completely different. My list of favorite
obscure composers includes mostly baroque composers you have probably never explored and why should
you if you hate baroque?
Excuse me, but why do you take Christo to task for his answering the question of another poster? Dave B asked, Christo answered. It's got absolutely nothing to do with you.
Quote from: 71 dB on November 26, 2020, 01:43:58 AM
Don't complain now that I am posting about MUSIC and not about POLITICS! >:D
Christo quoted me so I don't know what you are talking about...
Christo has the right to quote me even if someone else asks something.
You didn't get my point but never mind.
Qu'est ce que c'est que ça, mais qu'est-ce que c'est que ça! Imbroglio, brouhaha, entaglement... Keep it cool, gentlemen.
Dave asks for a few names of less well known composers, he's "trying to branch out a bit". Keep it simple, please.
So, before adding more ( how to choose between the Gothic symphony and a piece for harpsichord or piano?) can I ask Dave what he actually likes or wants to explore?
Kindest regards, yours sincerely, acceptez mes salutations les plus distinguées, etc.
Con amore.
Peter
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 24, 2020, 08:50:43 AM
+1!
Others I enjoy:
Joly Braga Santos
Kurt Atterberg
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Hugo Alfvén
Gian Francesco Malipiero
Alfredo Casella
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ottorino Respighi
Vagn Holmboe
Joachim Raff
Franz Schmidt
Florent Schmitt
Albert Roussel
Witold Lutoslawski
Peteris Vasks
Malcolm Arnold
Robert Simpson
Camargo Guarnieri
William Schuman
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Josef Suk
Arthur Honegger
Zoltán Kodaly
Lazslo Lajtha
Johan Svendsen
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen
Leevi Madetoja
Erkki Melartin
Uuno Klami
Kalevi Aho
Charles Stanford
And many more!
Interesting list SA. I like your Swedish and Finnish choices in particular. :) Another thought if I may: I wouldn't put Kodaly on that list though as I would politely argue that he is quite well known--particularly for his orchestral works (heard his Dances of Galanta recently on my local radio station). Depending upon how much one loves the cello, folks may or may not know his amazing Sonata for Solo Cello or his lessor known works for cello and piano.
I think that it was Irons who mentioned David Morgan? Currently listening to (and enjoying) his Contrasts (whilst trying not to be envious of the youtube poster's setup!).
For something totally different Dave, you might try this. It's called Blackberry Winter and is by Connie Elisor. I don't know other works by her, but love this one. It's proven to be quite popular and gets fairly frequent airplay in my area on NPR stations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQaLuklN73Q
Best wishes,
PD
A couple more names for you :
Dimitrie Cantemir
the Istanbul album by Hesperion XXI and Jordi Savall
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiN-7mukU_RH1xSRm8AL4S6uZheXEnCez (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiN-7mukU_RH1xSRm8AL4S6uZheXEnCez)
Stanley Bate - Symphony No.3
mvt1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU-8vNYk-2A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU-8vNYk-2A)
mvt II - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeiPR98rN9M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeiPR98rN9M)
mvt III - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jISuQu8yv4Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jISuQu8yv4Q)
Ethel Smyth - chamber music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQNSKeoh4hQ&list=PLOXwa6WTZcaNyDVvYbaKS_HfJiFpTAN_J (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQNSKeoh4hQ&list=PLOXwa6WTZcaNyDVvYbaKS_HfJiFpTAN_J)
Ignaz Moscheles - Piano Concerto No.4 & 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Nw8XD85Co (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Nw8XD85Co)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AzhU-itfQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AzhU-itfQ)
Carl Reinecke - Flute Concerto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Ea5N1Fh2Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Ea5N1Fh2Q)
I have no idea which composers are obscure anymore. I listen to so many of them so often that to me, in my truth, they are common knowledge. That said, two I've come across this year are Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Ernst Toch.
Quote from: André Le Nôtre on November 25, 2020, 01:01:18 PM
When listening to Wolf, I am always reminded of Harold Schonberg's opinion (which I share), "No greater songs exist."
Poor Schubert! Poor Schumann!
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 24, 2020, 08:50:43 AMOthers I enjoy:
Joly Braga Santos
Kurt Atterberg
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Hugo Alfvén
Gian Francesco Malipiero
Alfredo Casella
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ottorino Respighi
Vagn Holmboe
Joachim Raff
Franz Schmidt
Florent Schmitt
Albert Roussel
Witold Lutoslawski
Peteris Vasks
Malcolm Arnold
Robert Simpson
Camargo Guarnieri
William Schuman
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Josef Suk
Arthur Honegger
Zoltán Kodaly
Lazslo Lajtha
Johan Svendsen
Ludvig Irgens-Jensen
Leevi Madetoja
Erkki Melartin
Uuno Klami
Kalevi Aho
Charles Stanford
And many more!
Some of these composers I'd argue aren't 'relatively' obscure at all. Respighi's
Roman Trilogy alone is incredibly well-known to anyone who has a knowledge of 20th Century orchestral music. They're really big 'hits'. Lutoslawski is quite known amongst fans of post-war Polish music. Obviously, Honegger isn't unknown to anyone who is familiar with 1920s French music (Les Six especially). Kodály is quite known to most classical listeners if not for the suite from
Háry János than for
Sonata for Solo Cello (which is mainstream repertoire for cellists). Vasks must be Latvia's most well-known composer even if people aren't aware at first that he's from this country. Stanford is certainly known in England I'd imagine, especially for his songs and choral music (also being Vaughan Williams' teacher certainly helps as well). As for the others, some more individual cases could be made, but I'm too tired to go any further. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 26, 2020, 03:07:48 PM
Some of these composers I'd argue aren't 'relatively' obscure at all. Respighi's Roman Trilogy alone is incredibly well-known to anyone who has a knowledge of 20th Century orchestral music. They're really big 'hits'. Lutoslawski is quite known amongst fans of post-war Polish music. Obviously, Honegger isn't unknown to anyone who is familiar with 1920s French music (Les Six especially). Kodály is quite known to most classical listeners if not for the suite from Háry János than for Sonata for Solo Cello (which is mainstream repertoire for cellists). Vasks must be Latvia's most well-known composer even if people aren't aware at first that he's from this country. Stanford is certainly known in England I'd imagine, especially for his songs and choral music (also being Vaughan Williams' teacher certainly helps as well). As for the others, some more individual cases could be made, but I'm too tired to go any further. :)
Yes, I realized I was too imprecise, but most of them are obscure in concert halls. So they're not as known as they should.
Quote from: Dave B on November 26, 2020, 05:29:43 AM
To use a rough analogy, I'm asking the musical equivalent of this......what charming little towns and villages in Europe might there be besides all the well known capitals and other major cities?, and I'm asking this of very accomplished world travelers.
Aha, this helps. May I assume that your musical tastes usually veer towards tonal music? Possibly baroque, romantic and impressionistic music? Or would you be tempted to discover atonal, expressionistic music aswell?
Chamber music, piano, harpsichord, lute, large and small orchestras, organ, opera, mélodies and Lieder?
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 26, 2020, 03:07:48 PM
Some of these composers I'd argue aren't 'relatively' obscure at all. Respighi's Roman Trilogy alone is incredibly well-known to anyone who has a knowledge of 20th Century orchestral music. They're really big 'hits'. Lutoslawski is quite known amongst fans of post-war Polish music. Obviously, Honegger isn't unknown to anyone who is familiar with 1920s French music (Les Six especially). Kodály is quite known to most classical listeners if not for the suite from Háry János than for Sonata for Solo Cello (which is mainstream repertoire for cellists). Vasks must be Latvia's most well-known composer even if people aren't aware at first that he's from this country. Stanford is certainly known in England I'd imagine, especially for his songs and choral music (also being Vaughan Williams' teacher certainly helps as well). As for the others, some more individual cases could be made, but I'm too tired to go any further. :)
I had missed Respighi! Yes, I'd agree that his Trilogy is well known. Must admit, I've certainly heard of Honegger, but really don't know his music....same for Lutoslawski. :-[
Quote from: pjme on November 27, 2020, 12:18:43 AM
Aha, this helps. May I assume that your musical tastes usually veer towards tonal music? Possibly baroque, romantic and impressionistic music? Or would you be tempted to discover atonal, expressionistic music aswell?
Chamber music, piano, harpsichord, lute, large and small orchestras, organ, opera, mélodies and Lieder?
Excellent questions! Music is such a broad field...so many genres and also time periods.
PD
These ones have meant the most to me over the years:
Volkmar Andreae
Malcolm Arnold
Kurt Atterberg
Arnold Bax
Joly Braga Santos
Alfredo Casella
Jean-Michel Damase
Gerald Finzi
Howard Hanson
Dmitri Kabalevsky
George Lloyd
Erkki Melartin
EJ Moeran
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Joachim Raff
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Josef Suk
Sergei Taneyev
Eduard Tubin
All these composers are, of course, well-known to most of us, but not to the general public.
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 27, 2020, 03:53:00 AM
I had missed Respighi! Yes, I'd agree that his Trilogy is well known. Must admit, I've certainly heard of Honegger, but really don't know his music....same for Lutoslawski. :-[
Sounds like you've got some some exploring to do, PD. ;) :)
Not extremely obscure, but Clérambault
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3r-CgxD4NQ
in general French baroque is underrated because cheerful and too «simple» for some people.
I'm afraid I couldn't give a list because I think any of the composers that I listen to are well-known in some way or another. But I'll throw out one name: Charles Koechlin. If you don't know any of his music and are interested in the byways of Impressionism, then Koechlin should fit the bill.
(https://www.musicologie.org/Biographies/k/i/Koechlin_2.jpg)
Oh and it's Koechlin's b-day, so HB to him. I'll have to listen to some of his music today at some point.
Quote from: kyjo on November 27, 2020, 10:05:09 AM
These ones have meant the most to me over the years:
Volkmar Andreae
Malcolm Arnold
Kurt Atterberg
Arnold Bax
Joly Braga Santos
Alfredo Casella
Jean-Michel Damase
Gerald Finzi
Howard Hanson
Dmitri Kabalevsky
George Lloyd
Erkki Melartin
EJ Moeran
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Joachim Raff
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Josef Suk
Sergei Taneyev
Eduard Tubin
All these composers are, of course, well-known to most of us, but not to the general public.
We must bear in mind that the general public doesn't really know who a lot of classical composers are to begin with. I mean they know a few of them like Beethoven and Mozart, but that's the basic extent of their knowledge. Of course, I'm speaking from my own experience when I ask people about classical music.
Quote from: kyjo on November 27, 2020, 10:05:09 AM
These ones have meant the most to me over the years:
Volkmar Andreae
Malcolm Arnold
Kurt Atterberg
Arnold Bax
Joly Braga Santos
Alfredo Casella
Jean-Michel Damase
Gerald Finzi
Howard Hanson
Dmitri Kabalevsky
George Lloyd
Erkki Melartin
EJ Moeran
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Joachim Raff
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Josef Suk
Sergei Taneyev
Eduard Tubin
All these composers are, of course, well-known to most of us, but not to the general public.
I relate to this list as well.
I'd add Stanley Bate, Richard Arnell and Erik Chisholm.
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 27, 2020, 10:16:58 AM
Sounds like you've got some some exploring to do, PD. ;) :)
Oh, yes! There's always more to explore, but must also make time to visit ones favorites! ;D
PD
p.s. And yes, I'd second Gerald Finzi and Josef Suk too! :)
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 27, 2020, 12:53:18 PM
Oh, yes! There's always more to explore, but must also make time to visit ones favorites! ;D
PD
p.s. And yes, I'd second Gerald Finzi and Josef Suk too! :)
If you need any help with Honegger or Lutoslawski, let me know! :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 27, 2020, 01:05:21 PM
If you need any help with Honegger or Lutoslawski, let me know! :)
Thanks!
PD
I've tried to only include composers whose music has personal significance to me, so you can see where my biases lie. Could potentially cut this list down a bit.
Medieval/Renaissance - I'm never sure who the well known composers here are, but will assume most people will have heard of Hildegard, Machaut, Dufay, Josquin, Palestrina, Tallis etc
John Dunstaple
Philippe de Vitry
Matteo da Perugia
Alexander Agricola
Nicolas Gombert
John Browne
Robert Fayrfax
Luca Marenzio
Cristóbal de Morales
Francisco Guerrero
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Thomas Tomkins
Baroque - i.e. Bach, Handel, Telemann, Vivaldi, Rameau, etc
Louis Couperin
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Johann Jakob Froberger
Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (possibly not that obscure anymore)
Biagio Marini
Marin Marais (also possibly not that obscure, if only due to the movie)
Jean de Sainte-Colombe (Sr.)
Robert de Visée
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Barbara Strozzi
Jan Dismas Zelenka
Jean-Marie Leclair
Classical - i.e. Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Boccherini, Gluck
Antonio Soler
Leopold Koželuh [Kozeluch]
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (slightly too well-known to qualify)
Jan Ladislav Dussek
Maria Szymanowska
Ferdinand Ries
Antonín [Anton, Antoine] Rejcha [Reicha] (not obscure if you're a woodwind player)
Ignaz Pleyel
Václav Jan Tomašek
Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek (borderline Romantic)
Early Romantic - i.e. Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Rossini, etc
Theodor Kirchner
Clara Schumann (increasingly less obscure)
Stephen Heller
Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (in moderation)
Fanny Hensel
Jan Křtitel Václav Kalivoda [Kalliwoda]
George Onslow
Franz Berwald
Louise Farrenc
Niels Wilhelm Gade
Mid & Late Romantic - i.e. Brahms, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Dvořák, Sibelius, etc.
Vitězslav Novák
Ernő [Ernst] Dohnányi
Josef Suk
Cécile Chaminade
Mel Bonis
Emmanuel Chabrier (not obscure to opera fans)
(also, the non-operatic music of Charles Gounod and Georges Bizet, who are otherwise too well-known to qualify)
Friedrich Gernsheim
Robert Fuchs
Max Reger (not obscure in Germany)
Karl Goldmark
Eduard Franck
Paul Juon
Alexander von Zemlinsky
Emilie Mayer
Wilhelm Berger
Ferruccio Busoni (not obscure to pianists)
Ethel Smyth
Julius Röntgen
Agathe Backer-Grøndahl
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Anton Arensky
Nikolay Medtner (increasingly less obscure)
Sergei Taneyev
Vasily Kalinnikov
Anatoly Lyadov
Modern - i.e. Stravinsky, Bartók, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, etc.
Ruth Crawford Seeger
Leo Ornstein
Alberto Ginastera
Edgard Varèse (not that obscure, I guess)
Ernst Krenek
Bohuslav Martinů
Vítězslava Kápralová
Erwin Schulhoff (increasingly less obscure)
Karol Szymanowski (increasingly less obscure)
Sándor Veress
Florent Schmitt
Frank Martin
Jacques Ibert
Egon Wellesz
Artur Schnabel (yes, he also composed)
Boris Blacher
Karl Amadeus Hartmann
Franz Schreker
Federico Mompou
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
Roberto Gerhard
Nikos Skalkottas
Erik Chisholm
George Enescu (yes, he too also composed)
Rebecca Clarke
Ahmed Adnan Saygun
Goffredo Petrassi
Matthijs Vermeulen
Nikolay Roslavets
Nikolay Myaskovsky
Grażyna Bacewicz
Vytautas Bacevičius
Ivan Vyshnegradsky [Wyschnegradsky]
Nikolay Obukhov [Obouhow]
Vagn Holmboe (not obscure in Denmark)
Rued Langgaard (increasingly less obscure)
Fartein Valen
Hilding Rosenberg
Post-1945 avantgarde - i.e. Cage, Feldman, Xenakis, Ligeti, Stockhausen, Boulez, Nono etc
Earle Brown
Christian Wolff
James Tenney
George Perle
Pauline Oliveros
Robert Ashley
Cornelius Cardew
Elisabeth Lutyens
Harrison Birtwistle
Michael Finnissy
György Kurtág
Emmanuel Nunes
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Vinko Globokar
Hans Werner Henze
Mauricio Kagel
Henri Pousseur
Heinz Holliger
Jean Barraqué
Franco Donatoni
Maurice Ohana
Hugues Dufourt
Tristan Murail
Gérard Grisey
Aldo Clementi
Salvatore Sciarrino
Cristóbal Halffter
Isang Yun
Hermann Meier
Galina Ustvolskaya
Arne Nordheim
James Dillon
Bryn Harrison
Franck Bedrossian
Iancu Dumitrescu
Ana-Maria Avram
Malin Bång
Ole-Henrik Moe
Milica Djordjević
Adriana Hölszky
Enno Poppe
Chaya Czernowin
Brian Ferneyhough
Liza Lim
Chris Dench
Brice Pauset
Michaël Lévinas
Junghae Lee
Mathias Spahlinger
Dmitri Kourliandski
Clara Iannotta
Johannes Schöllhorn
Rebecca Saunders
Richard Barrett
Alwynne Pritchard
Luca Francesconi
François-Bernard Mâche
Rolf Riehm
Åke Parmerud
Maja S. K. Ratkje
Simon Steen-Andersen
Natasha Barrett
Roland Kayn
Post-1945 traditionalist - i.e. Britten, Copland, Shostakovich, Messiaen, Górecki, Pärt, Adams, Glass, etc
George Rochberg
William Bolcom
Minna Keal
Kenneth Leighton
Edmund Rubbra
Robert Simpson
Witold Lutosławski
Krzysztof Penderecki (maybe not that obscure)
Miloslav Kabeláč
Xavier Montsalvatge
Mieczysław [Moishe, Moses] Weinberg [Vainberg, Vaynberg, Vajnberg] (increasingly less obscure in spite of the ten or twelve different potential name transliterations)
Per Nørgård
Allan Pettersson
Linda Buckley
Bent Sørensen
Poul Ruders
Aaron Kernis
Valentin Silvestrov
Hans Abrahamsen
Lowell Liebermann
Robin Holloway
Gerald Barry
Anders Eliasson
Post-1945 other - i.e. electronic music, polystylists, experimentalists, sound artists & "miscellaneous"
Lou Harrison
Frederic Rzewski
Henry Brant
Terry Riley
Laurence Crane
Howard Skempton
Zygmunt Krauze
Włodzimierz Kotoński
Jo Kondo
Horațiu Rădulescu
Alfred Schnittke
Claude Vivier
Fausto Romitelli
Frank Denyer
Stuart Saunders Smith
Catherine Lamb
Chiyoko Szlavnics
Klaus Lang
Gérard Pesson
Jennifer Walshe
Yannis Kyriakides
Calliope Tsoupaki
James Weeks
Walter Zimmermann
Christopher Fox
José Maceda
Kate Soper
Olivia Block
Éliane Radigue
Evan Johnson
Annea Lockwood
Francisco López
Ikue Mori
Luc Ferrari
Vanessa Rossetto
Mirjam Tally
Julius Eastman
Linda Catlin Smith
John Luther Adams (increasingly less obscure)
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 27, 2020, 12:21:58 PM
We must bear in mind that the general public doesn't really know who a lot of classical composers are to begin with. I mean they know a few of them like Beethoven and Mozart, but that's the basic extent of their knowledge. Of course, I'm speaking from my own experience when I ask people about classical music.
Instead of "general public" I should've said "general classical music enthusiasts".
Quote from: kyjo on November 27, 2020, 05:07:22 PM
Instead of "general public" I should've said "general classical music enthusiasts".
Ah yes, that makes more sense. ;)
Quote from: kyjo on November 27, 2020, 05:07:22 PM
Instead of "general public" I should've said "general classical music enthusiasts".
I have been an enthusiast for more than 30 years but of the three composers added by Vandermolen I have never even heard/read the names! Of the longer list, I have heard most of the names (except Damase) but have heard music only from ca. 12/19. So I'd say that Bate or Arnell or Andreae can be taken as rather obscure without exaggeration.
"(Kyjo)
Volkmar Andreae
Malcolm Arnold
Kurt Atterberg
Arnold Bax
Joly Braga Santos
Alfredo Casella
Jean-Michel Damase
Gerald Finzi
Howard Hanson
Dmitri Kabalevsky
George Lloyd
Erkki Melartin
EJ Moeran
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Joachim Raff
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Josef Suk
Sergei Taneyev
Eduard Tubin
All these composers are, of course, well-known to most of us, but not to the general public.
Vandermolen:
I relate to this list as well.
I'd add Stanley Bate, Richard Arnell and Erik Chisholm."
I think there are 51 composers on the lists here so far, that I haven't heard of, the contemporary ones listed by AMW being by far the main source ...
Mamma mia, what an overpowering avalanche ???
I do like the idea of "charming little towns and villages in Europe ". Here are three examples from Flanders.
Tongeren , Belgian Limburg. Possibly the oldest Belgian city. Arthur Meulemans' early symphonic poem "Plinius 'fountain"(1913) evokes a natural spring and parc, near Tongeren. Late -impressionism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongeren
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliniusbron
https://youtu.be/72TRfI6U9a0
https://youtu.be/E_9C-fUVhnk
https://youtu.be/p8j6CKMKfjE
Brugge / Bruges: Daniel Sternefeld - Song and Dance at the Court of Queen Mary of Burgundy (1976). A symphonic suite, based on renaissance songs and dances. Sternefeld was a great conductor. He had a superb knowledge of the orchestra and orchestration. He knew the scores of Respighi, Ravel, Debussy Stravinsky....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Burgundy
https://youtu.be/FZi0nnJCzmQ
Lier : "Pallieter", a symphonic poem by Flor Alpaerts (another conductor/composer who loved Richard Strauss...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lier,_Belgium
Pallieter (1916) is the principal character of a (once...) famous and loved (regional/nationalistic) novel by Felix Timmermans. Pallieter is a "bon vivant",an epicurean who mocks the world, but has deep love for his native city and the river Nete...During a feast he meets Marieke, they fall in love and marry. Pallieter fathers triplets ;), and when he discovers that his beloved Nete will be canalised (brr, modern times!) , the young family walks out into the wide world.
https://youtu.be/nl_cCbmazBk
https://youtu.be/YkeEMqzeEMc
https://youtu.be/rD-JhCt1Bwg
To round off, three French villages / regions (and music) I know and like:
Saint Valéry sur Somme:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
Symphonic poem "A Saint Valéry" (1930) by Louis Fourestier (conductor/composer).
https://youtu.be/QmlBA_qhWNI
Vézelay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9zelay
Vézelay, Evocation symphonique for baritone, chorus and orchestra (1952) by Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht (conductor / composer)
https://youtu.be/cddmE3y8xbE
https://youtu.be/FOWUjAAYuQc
https://youtu.be/hSjRYXk0EIE
https://youtu.be/CCLOicqtfiw
https://youtu.be/zLvtlqzS2cI
La Brière region (with villages like Trignac, Herbignac etc.)
Paul Ladmirault: La Brière. Scènes cinématographiques, after the score for a (silent) film by Léon Poirier (1927).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bri%C3%A8re_Regional_Natural_Park
https://youtu.be/M02acXm7m3I
https://youtu.be/z2xk-Pzk0j8
"In 1925 at the end of the silent era of films Ladmirault wrote the music for a Poirier film, La Brière. The next year he used the material to put together a symphonic poem. Although successfully performed he had doubts and considered that maybe his work sounded too rustic when compared with the more strident compositions of Ravel and Stravinsky. The 2nd movement, La Foire d'Herbignac wakes the tranquil setting of the first movement (Paysage triste) with its jocular folk tune rhythm. The 4th movement, the Idylle was encored at the first performance and gave Ladmirault much needed reassurance that his composition was worthy after all. It contains a languid melody with dreamy tenderness and is similar in character to the opening movement."
Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Nov01/Ladmirault.htm#ixzz6fBCwpfKt
Quote from: amw on November 27, 2020, 04:05:12 PM
I've tried to only include composers whose music has personal significance to me, so you can see where my biases lie. Could potentially cut this list down a bit.
....Insert....
....really....
....long....
....list....
....that....
....never....
....ends....
I admire your restraint. :-\
...and this last one...Opulent music from Croatia.
https://www.youtube.com/v/013HGwYumu0
Ragnar Søderlind (b. 1945)
Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017)
Kjell Mork Karlsen (b. 1947)
Arthur Butterworth (1923-2014)
So little of Kjell Mork Karlsen's orchestral works are available but here is an excerpt of his Symphony No. 2 so you can get the feel. It's dramatic and full of intensity with large orchestra, chorus, and organ. He has composed 12 symphonies so far with many never having been performed and I think only No. 3 is available. :(
https://clyp.it/kwij2xff (https://clyp.it/kwij2xff)
Quote from: relm1 on December 02, 2020, 05:42:42 AM
Ragnar Søderlind (b. 1945)
Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017)
Kjell Mork Karlsen (b. 1947)
Arthur Butterworth (1923-2014)
So little of Kjell Mork Karlsen's orchestral works are available but here is an excerpt of his Symphony No. 2 so you can get the feel. It's dramatic and full of intensity with large orchestra, chorus, and organ. He has composed 12 symphonies so far with many never having been performed and I think only No. 3 is available. :(
https://clyp.it/kwij2xff (https://clyp.it/kwij2xff)
Don't know Arthur Butterworth...any relationship to George (which I recommend to our original poster); his "On the Banks of Banks of Green Willow" and "A Shropshire Lad" are wonderful! Alas, he died way too young (during WWI).
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 02, 2020, 09:16:25 AM
Don't know Arthur Butterworth...any relationship to George (which I recommend to our original poster); his "On the Banks of Banks of Green Willow" and "A Shropshire Lad" are wonderful! Alas, he died way too young (during WWI).
PD
No relation other than being English and enamored with Ralph Vaughan Williams and saving served in a World War.
Quote from: relm1 on December 03, 2020, 06:25:33 AM
No relation other than being English and enamored with Ralph Vaughan Williams and saving served in a World War.
Thanks! :)
PD