# What is your favorite 50 years of music?



## S P Summers (Dec 23, 2016)

I remember seeing a thread like this ages ago, but it looks like it hasn't been done in a while.

* Consider the following hypothetical scenario: You have to choose a 50 year period in the history of music. The only music you will have available to listen to for the rest of your life, is from that 50 year period...*

It's a difficult choice, isn't it? All of the works you'd have to sacrifice to include those few essential compositions you simply could not live without...

*My answer: 1871-1921*

Starting with 1871, I get to keep *all* of the four Scharwenka PC's, Moszkowski's greatest works, the Rubinstein PC#5, Saint-Saëns' PC#3 and onward; as well as my favorite works from the lesser-known great pianist-composers of that period. I simply could not live without the Medtner PC#1, Op.33 (Published 1921).

I consider the piano concerti published within that 50 years, collectively; to be the greatest achievement in the history of mankind- both artistically *and* intellectually.

Note: I considered my answer based on years of publication, *not* years of composition. For publication and composition dates, refer to: http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Composers


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

*1933-83*

Toch's best works, Schmitt's _Symphonie concertante_, and Schnittke up to his 3rd String Quartet. 
(plus many gems inbetween!)


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

Without even a second of hesitation: 1950 - 2000. Amen! :kiss::cheers:


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

*My answer: 1900-1950

**After the invention of commercialised music things went down hill quick..............*


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> *My answer: 1900-1950
> 
> **After the invention of commercialised music things went down hill quick..............*


So..no...no....no Z...Z...Zappa for you??


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

1804-1854. Beethoven's middle and late periods, all of Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and many of my favorite works by Liszt including his Transcendental Etudes and B Minor sonata.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

This is not very well thought out but I'm gonna say tie between 1560-1610 (Tallis's Lamentations through Monteverdi's Vespers) and 1937-1987 (_Lulu_ through Ligeti's first book of etudes).

The very sad thing here is no Bach.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

ST4 said:


> So..no...no....no Z...Z...Zappa for you??


Oh No, I almost forgot about the exceptions to my rule thanks 

Well its a big list I guess- Yes add the Big Z, Oh and the early Yes albums, Oh and early King Crimson, Early Jethro Tull, Peter Green (mainly the early stuff there too) and Stockhausen...... mmmm and Post 1950's Varese not much really but better add that- then 1970's Oz prog rock you know Spectrum, Ariel, Ayers Rock etc, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Early AC/DC, Oh and Jack Bruce yep that would do............


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

1920 - 1970? Would that work?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ST4 said:


> 1920 - 1970? Would that work?


So even when you are spinning Puccini he still is not in?


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

Pugg said:


> So even when you are spinning Puccini he still is not in?


What are you asking?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

ST4 said:


> 1920 - 1970? Would that work?


Yep that would probably cover it, yeah just before disco came in


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

1780-1830. Because that's when all the good music was written.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

KenOC said:


> 1780-1830. Because that's when all the good music was written.


I beg to differ.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ST4 said:


> What are you asking?


Widening your timeline limit a bit......


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Widening your timeline limit a bit......


My timeline goes from around 1200 to 2017, this thread is for 50 years of that timeline 

Btw, the post you responded to, was directed at Eddie's comment right above it...


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

1863-1913

Most of the later romantic composers upto and including all of Mahler, and ending with Stravinsky's Sacre.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

I'd choose 2017-2067 and hope for the best!


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## S P Summers (Dec 23, 2016)

Bettina said:


> 1804-1854. Beethoven's middle and late periods, all of Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and many of my favorite works by Liszt including his Transcendental Etudes and B Minor sonata.


 Interesting, my answer to this question when I first considered it about two years ago (before I had an account and just lurked on these forums reading posts), was 1802-1852. My answer back then was ultimately decided upon by Schumann (my favorite "mainstream" composer along with Beethoven), and Liszt's Transcendental Etudes; I simply could not exclude them...

_However_, that was before I started diving deep, deep into the most "uncharted territory" of the 19th and early 20th... There was an entire generation of superhuman pianist-composers, whose piano compositions (particularly the concerti); surpass the PC's of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Brahms, and (sometimes) even Beethoven and Liszt ; in my opinion. I understand what an incredibly bold statement that is to make, but the fact is; they _are_ that good.

I am bringing this up because I see you in many of the threads I read, and we seem to have similar preference in music (although I might be a _little_ bit more obsessed with the piano)... I'd like to recommend some of these incredible PC's I've mentioned, I think you'll love them. _I_ love them so much that I'd be willing to trade away all of the music from 1802-1852 for them!

Anyway, reply to this post or PM me if you'd like me to send you a list of "essential listening"- top tier PC's by forgotten, elite pianist-composers of the 19th/early 20th.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I'll go for 1880-1930. I have most of my favorite piano concertos, from Brahms 2 to Ravel Left Hand, plus much music from many of my favorite composers. Sadness (extreme) for what is lost; joy at what remains.


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Bettina said:


> 1804-1854. Beethoven's middle and late periods, all of Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and many of my favorite works by Liszt including his Transcendental Etudes and B Minor sonata.


That seems pretty unbeatable to me... You can also fit in La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Nabucco...
Also Das Rheingold, Tannhauser, Lohengrin
And Berlioz! (although sadly not Les Troyens)


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## CypressWillow (Apr 2, 2013)

Bettina said:


> 1804-1854. Beethoven's middle and late periods, all of Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and many of my favorite works by Liszt including his Transcendental Etudes and B Minor sonata.


Well said, Bettina. My choice exactly.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Any 50 years during which J.S. Bach was alive-it doesn't really matter-his greatness would have appeared in any 50 year interval between 1685-1750.

No composer presents me with so much pleasure.


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

I'll tentatively go with 1911 - 1961. That gets me Debussy's chamber sonatas, _Petrushka_ to _Agon_, Ravel from _Daphnis et Chloe_ onward, most of Bartok (though not the First String Quartet, alas), everything important by Copland, and ending with Ligeti's _Atmospheres_ and early electronic works by Stockhausen and Berio. Unfortunately Mahler's Ninth and Schoenberg's miracle year of 1909 (Five Pieces for Orchestra and _Erwartung_) just miss the cutoff, as does Britten's _War Requiem_ and all of minimalism... but as a sort of consolation prize I get both the stage and film versions of _West Side Story_.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

For me, 1865-1915. There's many of my Stravinsky and Ravel favorites, all of Mahler, plenty of Tchaikovsky and Brahms, Wagner, Bruckner, and a lot of other great stuff.


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## lextune (Nov 25, 2016)

I can't do it. 

I won't do it! 

....but since I am here, lol. I have managed to pick 100 years I could live with. 1815 to 1915.

From Beethoven's Op.101, and Schubert's masterworks, to all of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Alkan, and Brahms, (among others), to all of Scriabin, and all of Debussy's major works...

Best I could do.


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## KevinFromFrance (Jul 27, 2017)

Portamento said:


> *1933-83*
> 
> Toch's best works, Schmitt's _Symphonie concertante_, and Schnittke up to his 3rd String Quartet.
> (plus many gems inbetween!)


I think you're right !


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

1875-1925
An explosion of great music during that time, both solo piano and symphonic. Late romantic and early modern is my favorite music.
I wanted to pick 1920 but decided to go with 1925 so Sibelius 7 could be included.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

1900-1950 like Eddie. There you got Stravinsky, Bartok, Prokofiev, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Varese, Schoenberg. Plus you got Delta Blues, Dixieland Jazz.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Do the 50 years have to be contiguous or can I pick various years up to a total of 50 separate years that correspond with the release/completion dates of my favorite works?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

^ now there is some thinking for ya


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> ^ now there is some thinking for ya


Also going to make for a lot of work and research to determine all those dates.


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

If only I could listen to 50 years, I pick *1862 to 1912*. Then I can take Wagner's mature operas (from Tristan und Isolde), ALL of Bruckner and of course ALL of Mahler. This is what I feel today.


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Widening your timeline limit a bit......


Pugg, read the title of this thread :lol:

My actual timeline goes from 1098 - 2017 actually, if you need to know  
I'm not sure how wider you can get than that really, considering the further back the less we have and know accurately about composers and notation. :tiphat:


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## AfterHours (Mar 27, 2017)

This is so so so difficult, but ... 1818 - 1868 ... I think 

Later periods have a higher frequency of great/amazing works, but I don't think any other has as many of the very greatest masterpieces of music history as this one. I didn't investigate this in too much depth so it's possible a minor alteration in the book-ending dates would yield an even better set.

Of course, it feels stupid to leave out Mozart and Bach and most of Brahms' masterpieces, and Mahler and Shostakovich and Wagner's Ring and so on and so forth... But it is impossible to to fit peak-Beethoven/Schubert in with any of those in a 50-year time span, so...

Off the top of my head (I'm sure I'm forgetting several other deserving works at the moment), here is a handful of the greatest works of the 1818-1868 period (roughly, in ranked order):

Symphony No. 9 in D Minor "Choral" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) 
Symphony No. 9 in C Major "The Great" - Franz Schubert (1826)
Tristan und Isolde - Richard Wagner (1859) 
String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1825) 
String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1826) 
String Quintet in C Major - Franz Schubert (1828) 
Winterreise - Franz Schubert (1828) 
Missa Solemnis – Ludwig van Beethoven (1823) 
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1822) 
Symphonie Fantastique - Hector Berlioz (1830) 
Ein Deutsches Requiem - Johannes Brahms (1868) 
Grande Messe des morts - Hector Berlioz (1837) 
Symphony No. 8 in B Minor "Unfinished" - Franz Schubert (1822) 
Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major - Franz Schubert (1828) 
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor "Death and the Maiden" - Franz Schubert (1824) 
Faust Symphony - Franz Liszt (1857) 
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1820) 
Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major - Franz Schubert (1828) 
Piano Sonata in B Minor - Franz Liszt (1853) 
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major "Hammerklavier" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1818) 
Symphony No. 4 in A major "Italian" - Felix Mendelssohn (1831) 
Symphony No. 4 in D minor - Robert Schumann (1841; 1851) 
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major (Original Composition with Grosse Fugue) - Ludwig van Beethoven (1825)
Piano Quintet in A Major "Trout" - Franz Schubert (1819) 
Piano Quintet in F minor - Johannes Brahms (1864) 
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1825)
Violin Concerto in E Minor - Felix Mendelssohn (1844) 
Octet for Strings in E-flat major - Felix Mendelssohn (1825) 
Piano Concerto in A Minor - Robert Schumann (1845) 
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor - Johannes Brahms (1858) 
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major - Franz Liszt (1849) 
String Quartet No. 15 in G Major - Franz Schubert (1826) 
Piano Concerto in A minor - Edvard Grieg (1868) 
Diabelli Variations - Ludwig van Beethoven (1823) 
String Quartet No. 16 in F Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1826)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor - Frederic Chopin (1829) 
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major - Franz Liszt (1861) 
Piano Trio No. 1 in B major - Johannes Brahms (1854) 
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1821) 
Fantasia in F Minor for Piano, Four Hands - Franz Schubert (1828) 
Violin Concerto in G Minor - Max Bruch (1866) 
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor "The Funeral March" - Frederich Chopin (1839)


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