Popularity of composers based on # of pages on Composer Discussion

[springrite]

Brian: 340

Bruckner: 124

Brahms: 44

Sibelius: 89

Stockhausen: 56 (mostly from one person)

RVW: 120

Haydn: 487

Beethoven: 72

Shostakovich: 74

Koechlin: 31

Martinu: 35

Elgar: 148

Prokofiev: 68

Delius: 39

Bach: 23

Schnittke: 48

Bax: 31

Henning: 250



Just a sampling 

[vandermolen]

Thanks that is interesting. No Miaskovsky 

[Gurn Blanston]

That's interesting, Paul. Rather unexpected really. Not the Haydn and Henning, 'H' is always a popular starting letter for a composer's name (or at least there is some explanation somewhere). No, what I mean is Brian far outstripping Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart, who are such popular favorites. I'm not making a value judgment, just being surprised... 

[TheGSMoeller]

Perhaps because such composers as Beethoven and Mozart have already been so heavily discussed in any sort of classical music appreciation medium. Many of us, or at least I speak for myself, search for information and history on those composers that aren't commonly referred to.
That is truly the greatest thing I've gathered from GMG, exploring new works from composers I either never knew about or was not very familiar with.

[Gurn Blanston]

Perhaps because such composers as Beethoven and Mozart have already been so heavily discussed in any sort of classical music appreciation medium. Many of us, or at least I speak for myself, search for information and history on those composers that aren't commonly referred to.
That is truly the greatest thing I've gathered from GMG, exploring new works from composers I either never knew about or was not very familiar with.

Seems sensible enough. It may seem odd, but that's what attracted me to Haydn; liked the music, couldn't find any reliable information about it, developed it myself. I would guess, though, that if you gathered up all the miscellaneous 'loose threads' about Mozart and Beethoven's music and puled it together with their composer pages, the results would be a bit more what one would expect.

[Dax]

I deleted my posts

Why?

[Wakefield]

This counting is interesting, but it brings some inaccuracies. For instance, Bach lovers are notoriously reluctant to post in the thread named "Bach's Bungalow". It's almost a residual thread where are posted those things that don't fit in some other place.  And there are specific threads devoted to a lot of particular Bach works.

About Haydn: It's true, I think he is currently the most popular composer here. And the story of this popularity begins, I'm sure, with the move of Gurn from "the Corner" to "da House". At least, so will be written by historians.     

Maybe a method more accurate would be to count how many times every name is mentioned here.

[North Star]

Quite a few symphony cyclists there, unsurprisingly.

[Gurn Blanston]

I think it is more accurately a reflection of what people's interests are. I have always recognized that we who are actually interested in the composer are far outnumbered by the record collectors, it is just the way of things, no insult intended. But the Composer Page format lends itself to biography and history. I have made a concerted, long term effort to encourage people to post even their recording posts in the Haus, thereby keeping all things Haydn together, but it does tend to skew the page totals. On the other hand, everyone now knows that if they want to know anything about Haydn, bio OR recording, they can go to one place for it. Which is good and bad, given you have to search a bit more...

[NJ Joe]

That is truly the greatest thing I've gathered from GMG, exploring new works from composers I either never knew about or was not very familiar with.

+1

[Sammy]

An interesting list, but I doubt it has much meaning.  Concerning Brian, another board I frequent hardly ever mentions the man.

[Wakefield]

I think it is more accurately a reflection of what people's interests are. I have always recognized that we who are actually interested in the composer are far outnumbered by the record collectors, it is just the way of things, no insult intended. But the Composer Page format lends itself to biography and history. I have made a concerted, long term effort to encourage people to post even their recording posts in the Haus, thereby keeping all things Haydn together, but it does tend to skew the page totals. On the other hand, everyone now knows that if they want to know anything about Haydn, bio OR recording, they can go to one place for it. Which is good and bad, given you have to search a bit more...

Well, at some extent, you have built da Haus this way, but - as a matter of fact - this is not the way that the vast majority of Composer's Pages are built. For better or for worse, this is basically a collectors' forum; learned collectors, but collectors at the end. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, at some extent, you have built da Haus this way, but - as a matter of fact - this is not the way that the vast majority of Composer's Pages are built. For better or for worse, this is basically a collectors' forum; learned collectors, but collectors at the end.

Yes, you are right on all counts. I feel as though a person who starts a thread should take ownership of it to some extent. There are any number of pages here where the OP never even came back to deal with replies. They just started a page for the sake of doing so. But if a thread is well-tended, then it is a benefit for everyone who seeks information in the future. A legacy, as it were.   

[DaveF]

Concerning Brian, another board I frequent hardly ever mentions the man.

The Brian thread here is unusual in being the unofficial forum for the Havergal Brian Society, on which members discuss anything and everything, Brian-related or not - the death of British light entertainer Keith Harris recently, for example.  (I'm a former HBS member myself, and of course a huge Keith Harris and Orville fan, so I'm not criticising this practice - just observing.)

[Gurn Blanston]

The Brian thread here is unusual in being the unofficial forum for the Havergal Brian Society, on which members discuss anything and everything, Brian-related or not - the death of British light entertainer Keith Harris recently, for example.  (I'm a former HBS member myself, and of course a huge Keith Harris and Orville fan, so I'm not criticising this practice - just observing.)

Yes, I noted this phenomenon a long time ago, and I think it is a reasonable, harmless practice that is good for the forum and those members, and there is even a solid nugget of Brian info in there every now and again. 

[Marc]

IMHO, the amount of pages attributed to certain composers in the Composer Discussion at GMG only says something (i.c. everything ) about the amount of pages attibuted to those certain composers in the Composer Discussion at GMG.

[Wakefield]

Yes, you are right on all counts. I feel as though a person who starts a thread should take ownership of it to some extent. There are any number of pages here where the OP never even came back to deal with replies. They just started a page for the sake of doing so. But if a thread is well-tended, then it is a benefit for everyone who seeks information in the future. A legacy, as it were.   

I understand exactly what are you saying. A feeling of ownership and responsibility in regards the threads that we start.

It can sound a bit ridiculous, but this is the reason why, over the years, I have only started two or three threads here: I'm not sure if I can take care of them. Actually, I think I have never started a properly musical thread. I know it can sound a bit prudish, but it's the way I think. 

[Wakefield]

IMHO, the amount of pages attributed to certain composers in the Composer Discussion at GMG only says something (i.c. everything ) about the amount of pages attibuted to those certain composers in the Composer Discussion at GMG.

I doubt it.

[Ken B]

Thanks that is interesting. No Miaskovsky 

Thankfully few so benighted as to diss him, thus no discussion.  Unlike that Haydn fellow. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Thankfully few so benighted as to diss him, thus no discussion.  Unlike that Haydn fellow. 

Hell, even I like Miaskovsky!   0:)