Major Composers Who Wrote a Small Amount of Music

[Florestan]

George Enescu with only 34 opus numbers is a good candidate.

[vers la flamme]

Gustav Mahler is the top example I can think of: 9 (or 10, or 11, depending on who's counting) symphonies and a small handful of song cycles, and virtually nothing else.

Neither Alban Berg nor Anton Webern wrote all that much either.

[ritter]

Manuel de Falla, Pierre Boulez, Richard Wagner....

[JBS]

Given the amount of music involved in those operas, I'm not sure Wagner would qualify as writing a small amount of music.
The Ring on its own requires more CDs than the Complete Boulez or (and I'm nominating this composer) the Tout Satie set.

[springrite]

Barraque, Varese, Lekeu are all major composers, no?

[Florestan]

Given the amount of music involved in those operas, I'm not sure Wagner would qualify as writing a small amount of music.
The Ring on its own requires more CDs than the Complete Boulez or (and I'm nominating this composer) the Tout Satie set.

Good point.

[Florestan]

Barraque, Varese, Lekeu are all major composers, no?

Depends on who you ask. My answer is no.

[springrite]

Depends on who you ask. My answer is no.

In that case, I won't mention Decaux... 

[Florestan]

In that case, I won't mention Decaux... 

I mentioned him in the other thread.   

[Maestro267]

Varese is 100% a major composer. An absolute pioneer, one of the all-time greats.

[staxomega]

Varese is 100% a major composer. An absolute pioneer, one of the all-time greats.

"A thread to shit on composers I don't like." I'm not sure on what planet Varèse isn't considered a major contributor to 20c music.

[JBS]

Leonin
Perotin
Machaut

[Florestan]

"A thread to shit on composers I don't like."

That's really uncalled for.

[Daverz]

George Enescu with only 34 opus numbers is a good candidate.

Not a Milhaud size ouvre, but still pretty respectable IMO, given the density and quality of what Enescu completed.

Someone must have mentioned Dukas.

[Karl Henning]

Barraque, Varese, Lekeu are all major composers, no?

Of those three, Varèse, yes.

[Roasted Swan]

Go Carl Ruggles - major no, but certainly interesting!

[Jo498]

Leonin
Perotin
Machaut

Nobody knows how much the first two wrote as many pieces might be lost of not properly attributed (usually not attributed at all). Esp. Leoninus is an almost legendardy figure we have very little biographical/historical knowledge about.

Machaut supposedly wrote 23 motets and more than 100 "songs" (ballads, "virelais" whatever). These pieces might be shortish, but it's hardly a small oeuvre, especially  considering that these works are from 650 years ago with some stuff likely getting lost or being unattributed.

There are very few composers before the late 19th century that wrote very little music. Usually it's amateurs (like Van Wassenaer who wrote a bunch of concerti that were long attributed to Pergolesi) or those who died very young (like e.g. Arriaga).

[Mandryka]

Does anyone know how much music Duparc wrote?

[springrite]

Does anyone know how much music Duparc wrote?

Just s handful of songs (Less than 20).

[Florestan]

I realize now that the OP question might be interpreted as either "a small amount of works" or "a small amount of notes". Pick your choice at will.

Oh, and drop the "major" qualification. It's divisive and prone to misunderstandings.