Musical Bon-Bons vs. the "Main Course"

[Leon]

The thought struck me how some composers are given short shrift because of a perception that their work consititutes "musical bon-bons" or lightweight pleasant music, but not as important as the heavyweight masterpieces.

Names such as the Johann Strauss II, Offenbach, even Rossini and Mozart are sometimes disparaged in comparison to Mahler, Wagner, Beethoven, Bach, etc.

My feeling is that there is a time and place for all this music which is all of a high quality, imo.  This past weekend I was listening to Johann Strauss Jr. recordings and loving them.  Earlier in the week, I was listening to Wagner, Liszt and others and loving that.

So, this thread is for people to suggest who in their mind is a "bon-bon" composer, and what is their place in the big scheme of things?

After a delicious main course there is nothing like a light, sweet, treat, e.g. a bon-bon, to top it off.

[Mn Dave]

'Brahms [...] inscribed a few measures from the "Blue Danube", and then wrote beneath it: "Unfortunately, NOT by Johannes Brahms."'

[Florestan]

Names such as the Johann Strauss II, Offenbach, even Rossini and Mozart are sometimes disparaged in comparison to Mahler, Wagner, Beethoven, Bach, etc.

If Mahler had had nothing but disdain for light, even kitschy, music, he wouldn't have composed anything. 

He was certainly much less of a high-brow than some Mahlerites for whom Music is God and Mahler (pbuh) is the only prophet   

[Scarpia]

'Brahms [...] inscribed a few measures from the "Blue Danube", and then wrote beneath it: "Unfortunately, NOT by Johannes Brahms."'

Brahms also wrote Waltzes, and presumably admired Strauss for his felicity in that area.

[Florestan]

I think you have hit upon an important point: that the fans of the, so-called, heavyweight composers are usually much more judgmental about composers they consider lightwieght than the composer "gods" they worship.

From Mahler himself (quoted by memory): <<When I was young, I was thinking "I"; as I grew up, I was thinking "I and Mozart"; as time went by, I was thinking "Mozart and I"; now I am thinking "Mozart".>> 

[Mn Dave]

Brahms also wrote Waltzes, and presumably admired Strauss for his felicity in that area.

Yes, I was just listening to his waltzes the other day and if you'd been reading the listening thread you'd know that. 

[Opus106]

Bon-bon-iness is a function of popularity. If we plot the weight of a piece against popularity (in a typical 2D Cartesian coordinate system, popularity increasing along the Y-axis, and weight along X... *wishes he was Randall Munroe*), we see a graph that sharply falls with popularity while increasing in weight. We can classify the left-most part of the graph as being the most bon-bon. At x=contemporary, the opinions are so widely divided, we have a singularity.

[DavidW]

But I think it's a U shaped graph, eventually popularity starts increasing again with seriousness (like Mozart's Requiem).  God forbid you write a piece that falls right at the minimum!  Neither too serious nor too light... nobody would care.  I think much of my listening falls into that domain.

[Opus106]

I don't think you were being entirely serious, but one of the most popular classical works is Beethoven's 5th Symphony - not usually considered a bon-bon.

It's somewhere in the middle. It's much less bon-bon than say, Fur Elise, but more Bon-bon than Schnittke 5. I have analysed this, you know!

[Florestan]

Bon-bon-iness is a function of popularity.

Now, of course "popular, therefore good" is a gross fallacy, but so is "popular, therefore bad". 

[Opus106]

But I think it's a U shaped graph, eventually popularity starts increasing again with seriousness (like Mozart's Requiem).

Oh, I forgot to mention. That graph is valid only for the J2000 epoch.

[karlhenning]

Satie, Saint-Saëns . . . might even say, Cage . . . .

[Florestan]

Fur Elise

Beethoven's Bagatelles are an excellent example of bon-bons, in the best acception of the word. 

[DavidW]

Satie, Saint-Saëns . . . might even say, Cage . . . .

I thought of Cage as well but I guess I was thinking of suite for toy piano!

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep5fNEeoh74

[karlhenning]

Beethoven's Bagatelles are an excellent example of bon-bons, in the best acception of the word. 

Oh, those are bon-bons to make even a world-class pianist sweat!

[Florestan]

Der Rosenkavalier --- best served with champagne!

[karlhenning]

I thought of Cage as well but I guess I was thinking of suite for toy piano!

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ep5fNEeoh74

Yes, good fun!

[Florestan]

The Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major ("for beginners"),

Actually, do you know of any beginner able to play it? 

[Opus106]

The Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major ("for beginners"), and Fur Elise are but two examples of very well wrought musical gems that, because of over exposure (usually as early learning pieces for countless piano students), their worth has been cheapened.

Not that both Mozart and Beethoven did not write deeper music, but that, I feel, is little cause to turn a downcast eye towards these two examples.

It is fortunate that while growing and up until the point I started listening to western classical, most elevators in which I travelled were not equipped with speakers for playing music nor did my dentist have any music on in her clinic.

[Opus106]

Actually, do you know of any beginner able to play it? 

Anyone who is beginning to play Mozart's piano sonata No. 16 would qualify, I suppose.