Musical rut
Fri, Oct 1 2010, 10:27PM
I'm in a musical rut. Could anyone point out some less well-known composers or up-and-coming ones other than Golijov or Ades who happen to like melody? I'm despondent. I keep listening to the same things over again even though some works do deserve repeated listenings. Off the subject, is Ades The Tempest all it has been publicized to be?
Sat, Oct 2 2010, 11:32PM
#2
RE: Musical rut
I'd also strongly suggest Magnus Lindberg - his clarinet concerto is superb, and his violin concerto is pretty marvellous as well. You could also try Jake Heggie, whose new disc of songs is smashing. There are plenty of others, frequently to be found in the pages of Gramophone.
Hope that helps,
James
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 12:07AM
#3
RE: Musical rut
Your replies are most helpful. Thanks.
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 10:22AM
#4
RE: Musical rut
who happen to like melody?
On a point of order: what's yr definition of 'melody'?
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 7:19PM
#5
RE: Musical rut
The way I. See ity'st i
s any pattern of notes that can be readily be recalled by the untrained ear. This excluded psyterns of notes usiing scales such as the 12 tone
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 7:17PM
#6
RE: Musical rut
The way I. See ity'st i
s any pattern of notes that can be readily be recalled by the untrained ear. This excluded psyterns of notes usiing scales such as the 12 tone
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 7:55PM
#7
RE: Musical rut
I`m no use to you then, I´m with Varese on this one when he said that tunes are just the gossips in music. I love the anecdote of when Ives was at a concert and a listener stood up and starting booing some dissonant new piece, and the great man told him to sit down and use his ears like a man.
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 8:45PM
#8
RE: Musical rut
I am open to your suggestions though. Sorry about all the typos. Was typing on my Androin phone.
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 8:50PM
#9
RE: Musical rut
What I mean by composers who like melody is composers who are writing for a wide public, not just for other composers or a very restricted in-the-know audience. By this I don't mean that I am critical of composers who try to challenge listeners. Listeners should be challenged as well as entertained. Music is not solely culinary experience.
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 9:02PM
#10
RE: Musical rut
Perhaps you might enjoy H.K. Gruber. The pieces I´ve heard were melodic as most people would understand the word.
Sun, Oct 3 2010, 10:43PM
#11
RE: Musical rut
In fact, most music by living (or recently deceased) composers - at least to judge by recordings - is fundamentally tonal & melodic. The idea that all new music is of the crash bang wallop variety seems to have been invented by the media in the 1960s, and is kept alive by all those who prefer criticism to listening...
The melodies often aren't developed the way they were up to the 20th century, but they're still there. Even in Britain there are more James MacMillans than Harrison Birtwistles, as it were (which isn't to disparage Birtwistle's music).
Mon, Oct 11 2010, 4:57PM
#12
RE: Musical rut
How familiar are you with Schnittke? I made an Amazon list of very memorable pieces:
http://www.amazon.com/Schnittke-for-Pleasure/lm/V2NSIVUW8H8L/ref=cm_srch...
And if you really want melody, I think Bernstein is not taken seriously enough as a composer. Songfest, for example, is a ridiculously ignored masterpiece.
Mon, Oct 11 2010, 5:14PM
#13
RE: Musical rut RE: Musical rut
I think Bernstein is not taken seriously enough as a composer. Songfest, for example, is a ridiculously ignored masterpiece.
Bingo! And good to see '12 tone Lizzie' acknowledge the fact. A very distinguished English composer (who, I guess, ought to remain nameless) once told me he thought it knocked spots off Henze's Voices.
Mon, Oct 11 2010, 7:35PM
#14
RE: Musical rut
Forget Henze, I'd put it up with Child of Our Time and above Britten's Spring Symphony.
12tonelizzie's only a nickname! And of course my namesake could turn out highly entertaining tonal music:
Tue, Oct 12 2010, 11:03PM
#15
RE: Musical rut
You might want to try Jennifer Higdon; her Concerto for Orchestra and City Scape are wonderful.
Have you tried Rautavaara, Peteris Vasks, Godar (from Slovakia), Silvestrov (from Ukraine), Kancheli (Georgia) - and better known, Arvo Part. Significantly all from eastern Europe, where they haven't forgotten how to write a melody.