# Why do we care about under-recognized late romantic composers?



## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

What's it all about with under-recognized late romantic composers? Why spend time on them?

1. I find their music attractive, would like to hear and learn more, live (best) or recorded.
2. I find that their music helps build good connections with other listeners who care about it too.
3. The resurrection of unheard works as scores, performances, recordings seems _miraculous_.
4. Develops my musical taste and capability of making and communicating thoughtful judgments.
5. I understand highly-established composers better, through comparison with lesser-knowns.
6. My resentment of the earlier suppression of concerts, recordings, and awareness of these under-recognized composers now has an outlet for expression and positive advocacy.
7. I identify as a composer, want my music to be recognized too!
8. It is ethical to develop the capability for respect of elders, tradition.
9. The survival of classical music requires outlets for difference, and variety in repertoire.
10. I feel musical modernism and post-modernism are limited while this revived music can feel new.

How about you?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I care about under-recognized composers of any era because sometimes you find hidden gems that way!


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

i don’t agree with modernism being limited, but I love late Romanticism. Feels less rigid to me than music before, and with more impressionistic qualities, and still is tightly structured. In many ways, I feel it has the best of both worlds in more traditional and new music. Vaughan Williams is my favourite late/post Romantic composer. Maybe they are less recognized because they are technically less innovative.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> i don't agree with modernism being limited, but I love late Romanticism. Feels less rigid to me than music before, and with more impressionistic qualities, and still is tightly structured. In many ways, I feel it has the best of both worlds in more traditional and new music. Vaughan Williams is my favourite late/post Romantic composer. Maybe they are less recognized because they are technically less innovative.


If you look at today's world, what is in the mainstream is not the same quality as what is underground and there are certainly lots of gems to be found in the underground music scene of today. That's where I'm coming from.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I may be in disagreement, here. Not strongly though. But I do tend to think that we have more or less (maybe 75%) got it right in assigning value to this or that music. It is a product of some kind of "wisdom of crowds", I think. And, if this is true then we probably know the most powerfully moving and stimulating music of any given genre (except contemporary music). But there is so much music to listen to and I would prefer to explore a genre or form that I am less familiar with than pan for gold among the less well known music in genres and forms that I am already very familiar with. 

A decade ago I knew a lot of orchestral music but hardly any chamber music. Opening up that area of my ignorance was, I suspect, more rewarding than searching for hidden gems of Romantic orchestral music. And right now I know so little - and don't even have much of a feel for - early music and yet believing in the wisdom of crowds know that I must be missing something big. I am also relatively ignorant of opera after Mozart and will one day invest more time in this.

I do listen to contemporary music a fair bit, though, and this is music that the crowd-jury is still out on. So in that area at least I must indeed be panning for gold.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Phil loves classical said:


> i don't agree with modernism being limited, but I love late Romanticism. Feels less rigid to me than music before, and with more impressionistic qualities, and still is tightly structured. In many ways, I feel it has the best of both worlds in more traditional and new music. Vaughan Williams is my favourite late/post Romantic composer. Maybe they are less recognized because they are technically less innovative.


Is RVW under recognised? I always thought he was regarded as Britain's premiere 20thC symphonist.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Because (as the Captain says above) there are gems to be found:
Elmas Piano Concerto #3 (1900) Adagio (start at 17:30). It's as if Elmas says, 'Ok, you want something beautiful from 70 years ago?'






Or this wonderful Adagio from Langgaard Pianio Concerto (1885) start at 15:55:


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I am interested in ones that were more original and foreshadow some later innovations. Anyone have suggestions?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Enthusiast said:


> I may be in disagreement, here. Not strongly though. But I do tend to think that we have more or less (maybe 75%) got it right in assigning value to this or that music. It is a product of some kind of "wisdom of crowds", I think. And, if this is true then we probably know the most powerfully moving and stimulating music of any given genre (except contemporary music).


I've done a lot of exploring in the genre under discussion, and I've concluded that your observation is correct. There's plenty of obscure repertoire, and some of it is arresting at first listen but doesn't hold up well. Most of what does, is already well-known. There are exceptions, though, whether or not they amount to 25% of the whole.

In some cases it probably comes down to what we consider "obscure." How many are really familiar with the chamber music of Vincent D'Indy? I just listened to his first and second string quartets, works I've never seen programmed or talked about, and found them to be absolutely stunning pieces of music - among the finest works in their genre, I'll go out on a limb and say. I then proceeded to listen to the second and third quartets of Guy Ropartz (D'Indy's slightly younger contemporary) and was again stunned by the quality of music which is even more obscure. I could cite many more worthwhile examples of late Romantic music by lesser-known composers (and well-known composers of lesser-known works): Thuille, Braunfels, Schmitt, Lekeu, Magnard, Koechlin, Alfano, Dohnanyi, Madetoja, Stenhammar, Hurlstone, Loeffler...

The several decades surrounding the turn of the 20th century constitute a complex and fascinating era, with composers feeling the hot breath of Schoenbergian or Stravinskian Modernism on their necks while balancing the varied influences of Wagner, Brahms and Debussy and forging their own personal and national languages, steering their varied courses between the traditional and the new. It's probably my favorite period in the history of music, and that impels me to explore its hidden corners. I've found the project worthwhile.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Roger Knox said:


> What's it all about with under-recognized late romantic composers? Why spend time on them?
> 
> 1. I find their music attractive, would like to hear and learn more, live (best) or recorded.
> 2. I find that their music helps build good connections with other listeners who care about it too.
> ...


Everything you wrote is spot on. But #5 is so important and misunderstood. When you know the symphonies of Spohr, Lachner, Raff, Rubinstein, and their ilk, it's easy to understand why the Brahms 1st was such a big deal, and how, in comparison, it IS better by anything anyone else was writing.

I knew, at least by recording, the so-called standard repertoire by the time I was 20 - and was already searching the forgotten highways and byways of the musical world. In the late 60s the obscure offerings were quite slim. Early on in the cd era it became clear that the next 20 or so years were going to be really interesting as companies like Marco Polo were bending over backwards to bring us music heretofore unknown. What a blessing! An embarassment of riches. Multiple recordings of the Raff symphonies, the nearly complete works of Franz Schmidt. Tons of Bax, Weingartner, Korngold...simply amazing. The only thing that is unfortunate is that for all the recorded work, it hasn't really translated into live performances.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

*Why do we care about under-recognized late romantic composers? *

"Hey Lennie, what's so great about this Mahler guy?"


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

IMO, the value of the music of 'obscure', less well-known composers depends to some extent how much one likes the music that followed them. For me, it's (with some exceptions) not so much. So when I find lesser known gems from the late romantic period, I'm often ecstatic. In response to those who would diminish or even disparage this music, I would point out that some record companies, particularly Hyperion, would disagree.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Because record company A&R guys are always looking for new things to record that they can convince people to buy -- and Late Romanticism is pretty much a sure thing. I once actually thoght that the Scriabin Third was a real piece of music.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> I've done a lot of exploring in the genre under discussion, and I've concluded that your observation is correct. There's plenty of obscure repertoire, and some of it is arresting at first listen but doesn't hold up well. Most of what does, is already well-known. There are exceptions, though, whether or not they amount to 25% of the whole.
> 
> In some cases it probably comes down to what we consider "obscure." How many are really familiar with the chamber music of Vincent D'Indy? I just listened to his first and second string quartets, works I've never seen programmed or talked about, and found them to be absolutely stunning pieces of music - among the finest works in their genre, I'll go out on a limb and say. I then proceeded to listen to the second and third quartets of Guy Ropartz (D'Indy's slightly younger contemporary) and was again stunned by the quality of music which is even more obscure. I could cite many more worthwhile examples of late Romantic music by lesser-known composers (and well-known composers of lesser-known works): Thuille, Braunfels, Schmitt, Lekeu, Magnard, Koechlin, Alfano, Dohnanyi, Madetoja, Stenhammar, Hurlstone, Loeffler...
> 
> The several decades surrounding the turn of the 20th century constitute a complex and fascinating era, with composers feeling the hot breath of Schoenbergian or Stravinskian Modernism on their necks while balancing the varied influences of Wagner, Brahms and Debussy and forging their own personal and national languages, steering their varied courses between the traditional and the new. It's probably my favorite period in the history of music, and that impels me to explore its hidden corners. I've found the project worthwhile.


Funny, reading the first paragraph of your post (which I agree with entirely), I was thinking, "What about Vincent D'Indy?" And there he is in the next paragraph. I almost feel guilty about the comments I made in a previous thread about his deluded political ideas, but he is a textbook example of why in general it is so much better to listen to a composer's music than to read his letters. I'll toss out another name in addition to the worthy ones you have listed: Reynaldo Hahn. Many of these composers were to a large extent miniaturists or otherwise had relatively modest ambitions, yet realized them skillfully and beautifully.

But I also agree with the comment above about finding hidden gems in every era.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

fluteman said:


> Funny, reading the first paragraph of your post (which I agree with entirely), I was thinking, "What about Vincent D'Indy?" And there he is in the next paragraph. I almost feel guilty about the comments I made in a previous thread about his deluded political ideas, but he is a textbook example of why in general it is so much better to listen to a composer's music than to read his letters. I'll toss out another name in addition to the worthy ones you have listed: Reynaldo Hahn. Many of these composers were to a large extent miniaturists or otherwise had relatively modest ambitions, yet realized them skillfully and beautifully.
> 
> But I also agree with the comment above about finding hidden gems in every era.


It's funny, but in the booklet accompanying the D'Indy quartets there was a lot of interesting information about him, but nothing about his politics and prejudices. It was downright refreshing.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

stomanek said:


> Is RVW under recognised? I always thought he was regarded as Britain's premiere 20thC symphonist.


Maybe not Vaughan Williams in particular, but Harty, Finzi, Rott and others. Some will say they deserve the recognition they receive, like all other composers. But for me, their music comes alive beyond the written notes, more than many more acclaimed composers.


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## Melvin (Mar 25, 2011)

The current era of CD recording is great. After hundreds of recordings of the standard repertoire, who needs a thousandth recording of Brahm's first anything? There are so many unfairly ignored composers who are now coming to light finally through some great dedicated niche record labels and an apparently enthusiastic listening audience (since a lot of great stuff has been published in recent years).

Personally I was pulled in because of my love for chamber music of this era, of which only a handful was offered by the big-name composers. (For example, the Piano Quintet. Once you've listened to the 5 or 6 big ones, if you want to hear another Piano Quintet, you'll be entering into the frontier.) Taneyev, Medtner, Schmidt, etc

I hope someone records more Ferdinand Thieriot, or Charles Wakefield Cadman


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

amfortas said:


> *Why do we care about under-recognized late romantic composers? *
> 
> "Hey Lennie, what's so great about this Mahler guy?"


A good example of a composer who was felt to be rather vulgar until he was considered great. I grew up through the period just after his greatness was established and suddenly audiences could not get enough of him. I do agree that there are out there some composers who are seriously under-valued and may perhaps one day be widely acknowledged as great. But I think that, say, some fifty years after a composer's death his/her reputation will be fairly established for better or for worse. There have been exceptions.


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

Roger Knox said:


> What's it all about with under-recognized late romantic composers? Why spend time on them?
> 
> 1. I find their music attractive, would like to hear and learn more, live (best) or recorded.
> 2. I find that their music helps build good connections with other listeners who care about it too.
> ...


I wish you had provided a list of the under-recognised late romatic composers, as you perceive them, so that we know who you are referring to. As things are, it's anyone's guess.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Woodduck said:


> How many are really familiar with the chamber music of Vincent D'Indy? I just listened to his first and second string quartets, works I've never seen programmed or talked about, and found them to be absolutely stunning pieces of music - among the finest works in their genre...


These three quartets have been in my playlist for the last month or two. They are indeed stunning. The third in particular appeals to me. I am fairly conversant with D'Indy's chamber music since I am partial to French composers of his period and later, but you are right to point out that these gems are well-hidden in plain sight.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> It's funny, but in the booklet accompanying the D'Indy quartets there was a lot of interesting information about him, but nothing about his politics and prejudices. It was downright refreshing.


Fortunately, one doesn't hear much about the "politics and prejudices" of most famous artists of the past, never mind the under-recognized ones. There are one or two exceptions. Alas. For more delightful but under-recognized chamber music, check out D'Indy's Suite Op. 91.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Genoveva said:


> I wish you had provided a list of the under-recognised late romatic composers, as you perceive them, so that we know who you are referring to. As things are, it's anyone's guess.


Thanks Genoveva for your question re specific composers, which I can answer re Germany and Austria. In the thread under *Orchestral Music* named _Neglected German and Austrian orchestral composers and works of the late romantic era_, the three posts numbered below name specific composers ("under-recognized" now seems to me preferable to neglected):

#116 - composers born 1820-1849
#74 - composers born 1850-1874
#48 - composers born 1875-1900

There are excellent comments from other posters on the thread, but I'm responsible for the choice of composers (orchestral, excluding concertos or orchestral songs). The well-recognized Bruckner, Brahms, Mahler and R. Strauss are not included, nor are composers I don't find recommendable for orchestral music. I'm a latecomer in the movement to revive less well-known romantic composers, having joined TalkClassical last July after hearing the LPO/Bychkov recording of Franz Schmidt's _Second Symphony_ and thought, "What's going on, after 50 years in the classical music field why haven't I even heard of orchestral music by Franz Schmidt?"


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I care about under-recognized composers of any era because sometimes you find hidden gems that way!


Finding hidden gems is definitely another reason!


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

Roger Knox said:


> Thanks Genoveva for your question re specific composers, which I can answer re Germany and Austria. In the thread under *Orchestral Music* named _Neglected German and Austrian orchestral composers and works of the late romantic era_, the three posts numbered below name specific composers ("under-recognized" now seems to me preferable to neglected):
> 
> #116 - composers born 1820-1849
> #74 - composers born 1850-1874
> ...


Some time ago when I had the spare time I went through all of my composers and placed them into various time brackets according to their birth year. Over the period from 1820 to 1900 I have works by a total of 249 composers of various nationalities. Not all of them are "romantic", as there are some "impressionist" composers, as well as light classical/operetta composers, and neoclassical composers.

On my nomenclature, I regard birth years in the period 1820-39 as "mid romantic", and 1840-1859 as "late romantic". After that, there are obviously many romantic composers, but the story becomes mixed the further you go towards 1900. As you will also appreciate, there are many romantics in the 20th C as well as "neo-romantics". Some of the later composers changed their style several times, so it's not always easy to label them specifically as belonging to one type or another.

All of the well-known composers are included in the list of 249, bar none. Some of the others are quite well known but there are some very obscure ones, of which and I may only have one or two works in some cases. I have played all their works at some stage but can't say that I'm currently familiar with many of them. I could provide a list of them all here but don't think it would be very helpful, as it's just a list of names. If you like I could send you a PM with the list. If there are any names that appeal to you I could have a closer look to see exactly what I have.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

MarkW said:


> I once actually thoght that the Scriabin Third was a real piece of music.


Like the Sibelius 8th?


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Genoveva said:


> All of the well-known composers are included in the list of 249, bar none. Some of the others are quite well known but there are some very obscure ones, of which and I may only have one or two works in some cases. I have played all their works at some stage but can't say that I'm currently familiar with many of them. I could provide a list of them all here but don't think it would be very helpful, as it's just a list of names. If you like I could send you a PM with the list. If there are any names that appeal to you I could have a closer look to see exactly what I have.


Thanks for your message and information. Please send me the list as a PM, it would be interesting to compare notes


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

Roger Knox said:


> Thanks for your message and information. Please send me the list as a PM, it would be interesting to compare notes


I have sent you 4 lists covering composers with births from 1820-1900. They won't all be "romantic" composers for reasons explained. In some cases I don't have a lot of the composer's work, just the odd piece or two that happened to be part of some CDs with a selection of works on them.

If there are any composers that interest you, it might be best to raise them here to see if there is any wider interest. To explore their works further, I'd suggest using wiki as a first port of call for information, and then have a look at the Arkiv website to see what music is available. If you really want to get "stuck in" you could pursue matters further by looking at the Presto Classical website which contains useful information on best/latest recordings for many composers.


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Love me some Hans Rott, some Franz Schmidt etc. Great stuff. But admittedly never reaches Brucknerian or Mahlerian heights. But somehow that doesn't detract from it, because Schmidt's language, when paid attention to, is revealed to be uniquely beautiful.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Tallisman said:


> Love me some Hans Rott, some Franz Schmidt etc. Great stuff. But admittedly never reaches Brucknerian or Mahlerian heights. But somehow that doesn't detract from it, because Schmidt's language, when paid attention to, is revealed to be uniquely beautiful.


I love the music of Franz Schmidt - a vastly under-rated composer. Everything he wrote has a certain dignity and gravitas. His neglect is accountable for several reasons: he wrote in a tonal manner at a time when that was seriously out of style, his music is definitely difficult to play (the 2nd symphony especially so), and there's the political angle: fair or not, he did join the Nazi party, although people who knew him, including Jewish friends, said he was politically naive and joined out of necessity (he was quite ill at the time). Another problem is that his music like that of others just doesn't travel well. I'd like to think that anyone who enjoys Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms would find Schmidt quite agreeable. His oratorio, Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln, is actually quite popular in German speaking countries and frequently performed. Alas, the symphonies have a spottier presence. The 4th was going strong in the US about 15 years ago thanks to one conductor: Yakov Kreizberg who did it in several cities. But since he died, performances have gone away. The Berlin Philharmonic is finally getting around to doing it next month and who knows, maybe that'll reignite some interest. But I won't hold my breath. Thank god for CDs!


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## Melvin (Mar 25, 2011)

Here's one reason to care, I was thinking the other day...
There are those late romantics such as Sibelius or Mahler that are indisputable giants. 
But sometimes I think some luck was involved in making household names out of some other late romantics... How well would we recognize the name of Rachmaninov if not for the meteoric success of one piece: the 2nd concerto? Say he died before writing this piece.. That would leave him in the heap along with all the other forgotten composers all the same. He would rarely be remarked upon except by the intrepid musical explorer like you or I who would find a delightful wealth of unfairly neglected music under his obscure name.

Another reason for favorable consideration:
A number of the composers we like to listen to are considered derivative. Well, what I think is that Ravel and Debussy combined didn't write nearly enough pieces by themselves to satisfy the potentiality of the idiom which they created, so I graciously welcome the "derivative" composers they brought
Brahms burns everything, so he hasn't written enough pieces either, SO: even though Herzogenberg has been derided as "dull uninspired Brahms rip-off" and ect by more than one critic, I personally welcome the expansion upon the Brahmsian musical realm.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Roger Knox said:


> What's it all about with under-recognized late romantic composers? Why spend time on them?
> 
> 1. I find their music attractive, would like to hear and learn more, live (best) or recorded.
> 2. I find that their music helps build good connections with other listeners who care about it too.
> ...


1, 3, 6 and especially 10. There, I said it!


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Roger Knox said:


> Like the Sibelius 8th?


No, Scriabin's third symphony exists. It was probably meant as a disparaging comment from someone who doesn't like the piece.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

errors in this version of the message


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

DeepR said:


> No, Scriabin's third symphony exists. It was probably meant as a disparaging comment from someone who doesn't like the piece.


Thank you, I was thinking of Scriabin's unfinished _Mysterium_.

(Note: I just read that he left prefatory notes, from which Alexander Nemtin has co-created a new work.)


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Melvin said:


> Personally I was pulled in because of my love for chamber music of this era, of which only a handful was offered by the big-name composers. (For example, the Piano Quintet. Once you've listened to the 5 or 6 big ones, if you want to hear another Piano Quintet, you'll be entering into the frontier.) Taneyev, Medtner, Schmidt, etc


Agreed, there are many great Piano Quintets and more recordings and performances these days, with so many outstanding young pianists and string players. (Re "entering into the frontier:" the one by Gabriel Pierne is where the pianist falls into the river and is saved only by the piece finally coming to an end!) As a listener I'm more of a Piano Quartettist at the moment -- Suk, Chausson, Bridge, Tanayev -- but know Quintettism will be back.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Melvin said:


> Another reason for favorable consideration:
> A number of the composers we like to listen to are considered derivative. Well, what I think is that Ravel and Debussy combined didn't write nearly enough pieces by themselves to satisfy the potentiality of the idiom which they created, so I graciously welcome the "derivative" composers they brought


For me, no matter how much Debussy and Ravel composed, and they both published a reasonably large oeuvre in both size and scope, it would not have been enough to satisfy the "potentiality of the idiom which they created". Their impact on western music is still clearly heard in music written today.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

At the risk of repeating myself from another post I have moved backward chronologically, from composing in a modernist idiom (still do), to having an interest in late romanticism and other areas as a listening and writer. I agree with the above posts on the important early 20th-century developments in France. But overall, in 20th-century classical music we lost a lot in expressive feeling and communication with our audience. Within the music profession, as I have been, the cost has been heavy. For me, "care about under-recognized late romantic composers" is itself emotional, maybe showing a bond with people who should have had better treatment?


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

I care about under recognized late romantic composers because that group includes virtually ALL late romantic guitar composers

so as a guitarist, I'm supporting our side in this one


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Nate Miller said:


> I care about under recognized late romantic composers because that group includes virtually ALL late romantic guitar composers


I don't know much about this -- is there an explanation for the lack of recognition of "virtually ALL late romantic guitar composers?"


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Genoveva said:


> I have sent you 4 lists covering composers with births from 1820-1900. They won't all be "romantic" composers for reasons explained. In some cases I don't have a lot of the composer's work, just the odd piece or two that happened to be part of some CDs with a selection of works on them.
> 
> If there are any composers that interest you, it might be best to raise them here to see if there is any wider interest. To explore their works further, I'd suggest using wiki as a first port of call for information, and then have a look at the Arkiv website to see what music is available. If you really want to get "stuck in" you could pursue matters further by looking at the Presto Classical website which contains useful information on best/latest recordings for many composers.


Thank you again, Genova. Felix Woyrsch is one composer you've listed I'm interested in learning more about. I just listened to his Symphony No. 1, which I like more and more as you get to the third and fourth movements.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

DeepR said:


> No, Scriabin's third symphony exists. It was probably meant as a disparaging comment from someone who doesn't like the piece.


Yes, that was me. I heard it live in Symphony Hall when I was 15 and was blown away. But there were no recordings yet so I waited for one -- and having now heard several, I have to say the magic has fled.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

Because they have been victims of two recent trends: (1) the move towards serial/eternal/aleator etc music started by Schoenberg and his contemporaries, which by the 1950s had shunted late Romantic tonal composers into the shade (2) the tendency of so many symphony orchestras to put on live concerts featuring established composers and not taking risks with unfamiliar romantic/ late Romantic works. This is on top of the historical factor, that some composers 'caught on' with the public, and became established, whereas others didn't and simply languished in their shade. This is particularly true of all those Scandinavian composers overshadowed by Sibelius and - a little bit later - Nielsen.

Fortunately the recording industry has helped to rectify the balance by ferreting out these lesser-known composers so that we can assess their works. CPO has been particularly adventurous, along with BIS, Chandos and Naxos.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

R. Strauss was a monster of orchestration. I just relistened to the digital Alpine Symphony by Karajan in 1981. I find a lot of music sounding too constricted in expression and form up till Brahms. Late romanticism is so much more fluid.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I might ask, why do we care a whit about an over-exposed, over-aggressive composer like Beethoven?

"Under-recognized" is balm for my soul.


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## AeolianStrains (Apr 4, 2018)

The hidden gems comment is right. There has been a notable absence of the ladies of the wider Romantic period, too. Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Alma Mahler have been getting their due, and to a lesser extent Amy Beach, but Augusta Holmès, Louise Farrenc, Dora Pejačević, Emilie Mayer, Edith Smyth, and I'm sure scores more that I've yet to learn about. Without either digging into the Romantic period more fully or else focusing on women, their talents would largely languish.

I'll also echo nos. 1 & 10 from the original list. It may not be the most adventurous at times, but the period largely feels like a boost to the soul.


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

Roger Knox said:


> I don't know much about this -- is there an explanation for the lack of recognition of "virtually ALL late romantic guitar composers?"


What about Rodrigo?


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