# Underrated aspects of some composers



## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

What are some aspects of your favorite (or at least the ones you enjoy) composers that you've noticed isn't really focused on when talking about said composer?

The reason I ask this is because I've been _liszt_ening to some Liszt piano works today, and it dawned on me that, while there's much talk about his difficulty, his advancement in harmony, and his lyricism, that there's not much focus on how _expressive_ his music is. Other than the Sonata, I don't really hear much in terms of Liszt's expressive quality

Case study no. 1: Feuille Morte (Elegie d'apres Soriano)
Unfortunately I couldn't find a recording of the work on youtube to share with you all, which is a shame because it's a beautiful piece. Anyway, the work has an almost operatic quality, with one theme being almost like a song of death and the contrasting theme a love song. While it's not a popular work at all, it makes me think of Chopin's ballades.

Case study no 2: Hungarian Rhapsody 5




More operatic, a true gem hidden among a set of pieces many like to dismiss as "just show-offy" salon music. This one is very moving, really makes the piano sing
[really, a lot of the rhapsodies are great examples of his expressiveness, see nos. 3, 13, 14 especially]

Of course, this may just be my fault for not reading up more on Liszt. Anyway, what are some things about your favorite composers that you think isn't really talked about?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I feel that most of Mozart's darker works are left somewhat ignored, and his gift for heightened emotion with contrapuntal complexity: Adagio and Fugue K546, Misericordias K222 are perfect examples. A lot of his choral music from his youth are probably the best pieces of his early period as well, which aren't given as much focus as later choral music.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

Cosmos said:


> [really, a lot of the rhapsodies are great examples of his expressiveness, see nos. 3, 13, 14 especially]


Most of them have expressive beginnings, due to the structure of having the Lassu followed by the Friska. Of course, 5 only really has a Lassu, and is indeed beautiful. When mentioning the more expressive ones though, we can't forget 8 (which might be my favourite Lassu), and 16, 17, 18!

I used to one of the people who avoided and derided the Hungarian Rhapsodies; not anymore. These days I see them as works that should only magnify Liszt's standing as a composer. They are perfect in the context of what they strive to be, and I get much enjoyment out of them. As mentioned, they are often surprisingly beautiful and poignant.

And, of course, I certainly agree with Liszt's having marvelous, nay, _extraordinary_ expressive capabilities.


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## mikey (Nov 26, 2013)

Beethoven's comedic works tend to be overshadowed by his more 'masculine' ones - op.31 no.1 and 8th Symphony final movt for example.

Vaughan Williams darker tendancies aren't as known as his pastoral side - Job, 4th and 6th symphonies.

Schubert's gentle lyricism can outshine his more disturbing works - slow movt of great Amaj Sonata, Wanderer Fantasy, schwanengesang

Liszt's virtuosic works and countless notes often lose out to the sparseness of his late works.

The endless orchestration topics on Schumann symphonies sometimes overlook how original the 4th is in structure and how stunningly beautiful and well orchestrated imho the slow mov of the 2nd is.

That will do for now partly coz I can't think of anymore ways to link the 2 halves of the sentence.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I feel that most of Mozart's darker works are left somewhat ignored, and his gift for heightened emotion with contrapuntal complexity: Adagio and Fugue K546, Misericordias K222 are perfect examples. A lot of his choral music from his youth are probably the best pieces of his early period as well, which aren't given as much focus as later choral music.


Yeah! he wrote a very dark piece that I think should be more famous, nobody knows about it... how it was called?... oh, yeah... Requiem, or something like that


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Mendelssohn's painful dissonances.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Although this reply isn't a dissection of a composer's actual style in order to point out certain elements that might go unnoticed, the first thing which sprang to mind was the choral works of Janacek, which formed a substantial chunk of his output throughout his working life. The late Glagolitic Mass completely overshadows the rest, which is a great shame even allowing for how fine that particular work is.

Favourites of mine include the gentle The Eternal Gospel (1914) and the heartbreaking Elegy on the Death of My Daughter Olga (1903-4).


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