Innovative Composer Game (Selection Thread)

[Sammy]

This game revolves around those composers who we consider the most innovative in the field of classical composition.  As for defining "innovative", that's for each of us to determine through our selections.

There is no interactive element to this particular game.  You make a selection, it goes immediately to the voting round.  I don't have any specific number of composers in mind; we'll just see how it plays out.  If needed, I'll go with multiple voting rounds followed by a finale.

My two selections for today:

Schoenberg
Wagner

Note:  Almost forgot to mention that you may make one or two selections daily.

[San Antone]

John Cage
Claude Debussy

[Baron Scarpia]

Jean Sibelius
Bohuslav Martinu

(no clutter)

[Mahlerian]

Hector Berlioz
Claudio Monteverdi

[Jo498]

Beethoven

[ritter]

Stravinsky
Webern

[Gurn Blanston]

Vivaldi
J. Haydn

[Cato]

Ivan Wyschnegradsky

Harry Partch

[Sammy]

Selected (15):
Beethoven
Berlioz
Cage
Debussy
Haydn (J.)
Martinu
Monteverdi
Partch
Schoenberg
Sibelius
Stravinsky
Vivaldi
Wagner
Webern
Wyschnegradsky

[Sammy]

This is a thread where I would expect to see a healthy amount of cordial conversation/discussion.  Innovation is a major classical music topic; just be sure to keep it friendly, and do not cast aspersions on the other selections of other members.

[Florestan]

CPE Bach
Franz Liszt

[SymphonicAddict]

Bela Bartok
Gyorgy Ligeti

[Sammy]

Selected (19):
Bach (CPE)
Bartok
Beethoven
Berlioz
Cage
Debussy
Haydn (J.)
Ligeti
Liszt
Martinu
Monteverdi
Partch
Schoenberg
Sibelius
Stravinsky
Vivaldi
Wagner
Webern
Wyschnegradsky

[North Star]

Biber
Chopin

[Marc]

JS Bach
JP Sweelinck

[Sammy]

Selected (23):
Bach (CPE)
Bach (JS)
Bartok
Beethoven
Berlioz
Biber
Cage
Chopin
Debussy
Haydn (J.)
Ligeti
Liszt
Martinu
Monteverdi
Partch
Schoenberg
Sibelius
Stravinsky
Sweelinck
Vivaldi
Wagner
Webern
Wyschnegradsky

[Gurn Blanston]

This is a thread where I would expect to see a healthy amount of cordial conversation/discussion.  Innovation is a major classical music topic; just be sure to keep it friendly, and do not cast aspersions on the other selections of other members.

I'm curious what people consider to be innovative. There are many composers whose music I enjoy, but I don't consider them innovative, merely great exponents of others' innovations.

[Crudblud]

Gesualdo
Stockhausen

[Mahlerian]

I'm curious what people consider to be innovative. There are many composers whose music I enjoy, but I don't consider them innovative, merely great exponents of others' innovations.

For my two choices:

Berlioz, as one of the earliest exponents of the full Romantic style, was an innovator in many respects.  He invented a new kind of orchestration, created new musical forms nearly out of whole cloth, and his harmonic audacity presaged Wagner's later innovations in that regard.

Monteverdi created a new language based on harmony in contrast to the older modal system, used his new language to great dramatic effect, and through it crafted the first operatic masterpieces.

[Cato]

I'm curious what people consider to be innovative. There are many composers whose music I enjoy, but I don't consider them innovative, merely great exponents of others' innovations.

For me, you have Wyschnegradsky, who took Scriabin's late tendencies and married them to quarter-tone scales (along with other divisions).  Harry Partch invented microtonal scales and created his own instruments to produce the notes in a 43-tone scale!