# Your Favorite 100 Years



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Being a big fan of concertos, and of the composers whose works started me off in classical music--the composers I heard at home as a child and adolescent and teen (there's that imprinting phenomenon again!)--I would choose for my desert island sojourn the 100 years 1845-1944. I know, I know, I lose Bach through Beethoven and some pretty good music post-1944, but I retain the vast majority of the CM that has nourished and sustained me over the decades. I get the Schumann piano concerto all the way through to the Hovhaness Piano Concerto No.1, plus everything and everyone in between, and that's a lot! And I get 8 of my favorite 11 composers, plus a whole bunch more.

What are your favorite 100 years?


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## S P Summers (Dec 23, 2016)

My favorite 100 years are: *1848 - 1947*

I can actually narrow it down to _50_ years if I have to: *1874 - 1923*


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

This will come as a big surprise to everyone: 1785-1885


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

1710-2010. Not exactly 100 years but close enough.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

1850-1950: All of Brahms, Mahler, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky. The whole of Impressionism. The best of Prokofieff and Shostakovich. And I could hear Koussevitsky.


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## RockyIII (Jan 21, 2019)

I'll go with 1700-1800 for Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and some early Beethoven.


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2019)

Whatever the last hundred years were


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

1750-1850
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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

S P Summers said:


> My favorite 100 years are: *1848 - 1947*
> 
> I can actually narrow it down to _50_ years if I have to: *1874 - 1923*


Who/what are you desiring to specifically capture within those two spans?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

KenOC said:


> 1710-2010. Not exactly 100 years but close enough.


Ken, try not to be so obsessed by minutiae!:lol:


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Let's see. I'm sure this will change over time with my tastes, but as of now... probably 1740-1839. I get the tail end of Bach, all of Mozart, all of Beethoven, all of Schubert, some Chopin and Liszt, etc. I would lose a lot of late romanticism but to my taste losing late baroque, classical, and early romantic would have been a bigger loss.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

1820-1920

My favourite composer (Bach) has to be left out anyway, as my favourite period is the romantics, especially the late romantics. I went for the early starting year rather than a late end year, because I want Schubert in there. Now I have the majority of my favourites, including Mahler, Schubert, Brahms, Sibelius, Dvorak, Wagner, Bruckner, Debussy, and Mendelssohn. Too bad about Shosty.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

1875-1975. As another member pointed out, it gathers the main works by the majority of my favorite composers (Dvorak, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Nielsen, Sibelius, Shostakovich, Strauss, VW, Rachmaninov, Bax, Atterberg, etc). It excludes some important works by Lutoslawski, Schnittke, Penderecki et al, but I could live without them.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

A very tough question for me, I either have to give up my favorite composer - Bach, or my favorite musical period - Modernism. 

I would probably take 1700-1800 so I could get all of Bach and Mozart who I consider the two greatest composers.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

2019-2119! Looking forward to it all


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## S P Summers (Dec 23, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> Who/what are you desiring to specifically capture within those two spans?


My 50 year span of 1874 - 1923 gives me most of my very favorite works, which include:

- Moszkowski - Both piano concerti, especially the B Minor Op.3

- Joseph Marx - Romantisches Klavierkonzert in E Major

- Paderewski - Piano Sonata Op.21, Piano Concerto Op.17, Other large scale piano works (Op.11, Op.19, Op.23)

- Godowsky - Piano Sonata in E Minor, Early works

- Władysław Żeleński - Piano Concerto in Eb Major, Op.60

- Salomon Jadassohn - Piano Concerto #2 in F Minor, Op.90

- Medtner - Piano Concerto #1 in C Minor, Op.33, Several piano sonatas.

- All of the Scharwenka piano concerti

- Both Wiklund piano concerti

- Some Bortkiewicz

- Some Dohnányi

- All of Scriabin

- All of Reger

- Early Sorabji

- Late Saint-Saëns, specifically for the Piano Concerto #4, Op.44; as well as Op.70, Op.73, and Op.89

- Lots of Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Ravel

- Busoni Piano Concerto

- There's way more than that, but those are some of the works that are nearest and dearest to my heart from that period.

My 100 year span of 1848 - 1947:

1848 is to include as much Liszt as possible. Specifically the solo piano transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies, transcendental etudes, B minor sonata, as well as S.123, S.124, and S.125 (Hungarian Fantasy + Piano Concerti)... I'm *almost* positive all of that is post-1848.

1947 gives me all of Godowsky, all of Medtner, more Sorabji, the Atterberg piano concerto, pretty much all of Bortkiewicz, and the 2nd Dohnányi piano concerto; to name a few.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

From Beethoven's 9th to Sibelius' 7th is a little more than a 100 years. It's a fine period and I'm not dropping either of them so I'll settle for it. My goodness is it an awesome period for music or what?


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

1803-1902. This would include music from Beethoven's middle period to Pelléas et Mélisande. Yes, I do love Romanticism.


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## S P Summers (Dec 23, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> Who/what are you desiring to specifically capture within those two spans?


If I could add just one piece of music that falls outside of my 100 year span, surprisingly it's NOT a piano piece:

Beethoven - Op.123 - Missa Solemnis. Probably the 1958 Karajan recording, OR the 1955 Klemperer recording.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

1843-1943.

This span includes most of the music I listen to and my four probably favorite composers: all of Wagner's best work beginning with _The Flying Dutchman_ (1843), the complete works of Brahms, all of Sibelius, and all of Rachmaninoff (_Symphonic Dances,_ 1943). Earlier composers I most regret leaving out are Bach and Beethoven.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

1889-1988. Apologies to Schubert and Bach!


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## DBLee (Jan 8, 2018)

Let me stretch that a little--1786-1893. That gives me the late works of Mozart including the Prague Symphony, all of Beethoven, up through Dvorak's last symphony. I even get a little Mahler. If you have to whack some years off, don't take any of my Beethoven.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Yeah, I'm going to have to go with 1800-1900. Beethoven's first symphony was published in 1800, and I want all 9. I get that whole century (Brahms, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz, J. Strauss I and II, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Bruckner), plus a good-sized chunk of Richard Strauss (though I would dearly miss Alpensinfonie and Metamorphosen).


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## ojoncas (Jan 3, 2019)

I love Beethoven, but I also love Bruckner... BUT i also love round numbers...

1800-1900 it is.


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## Trout (Apr 11, 2011)

Well, for any 100-year period to be my favorite, it _must_ encapsulate 1976 for my all-time favorite piece Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_. After that, it becomes trickier. While I adore many works composed in the 21st century, none currently rival my affection for Stravinsky's 1913 classic _Le Sacre du Printemps_. So that automatically removes the last 6 years from my interval, despite my enthusiasm for JL Adams' _Become Ocean_ (2013), Abrahamsen's _let me tell you_ (2013), Wolfe's _Anthracite Fields_ (2014), among others.

Then it starts approaching degrees of impossibility. I thankfully don't have to worry about the numerous mid-20th century masterworks from Messiaen, Copland, Glass (early), Bartok, Boulez, Ligeti, Finzi, and Ives among others. But could I really cut Mahler? Even his early works, like _Symphony No. 1_ (1888) which I absolutely adore? Or Debussy with his _Suite Bergamasque_ (1890)? Or Tchaikovsky 6, late Brahms, late Bruckner, any bit of Sibelius, Faure's _Requiem_ and chamber works, Verdi's _Otello_? And that's not even getting to Magnard, early Schoenberg, early Satie, Chausson, and Bruch. The period starting around 1888 seems to be too overwhelmingly loaded to cut.

But before losing the works from 1988-2013, I would need to stop and re-consider Saariaho (my favorite active composer), John Adams (both of them), late Boulez and Ligeti, much of Kurtág, Dhomont, Unsuk Chin, Radulescu, Vasks, Romitelli, Furrer, Nyman's _Drowning by Numbers_ (1988) and _MGV_ (1993), Schnittke's 5th (1988), and perhaps most importantly Lauridsen's _O Magnum Mysterium_ (1994). Unfortunately, the composition years of my favorites around this time were not as well-coordinated and thus do not quite tip the scale. But I can console myself (slightly) by extending up to 1987 to cover Grisey's _Les espaces acoustiques_, Glass's Portrait Trilogy and _Koyaanisqatsi_, Murail's two hits, Ligeti's 1st book of Etudes, Boulez's _Répons_, Adams' _Nixon in China_, and Cage's _Roaratorio_ among the pieces I looked up.

So, if I had to choose, the answer must be *1888-1987*. That is, though, before anything else comes to mind that swings the scale back the other way...


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

My initial thought was 1800-1899, but there's too much great music that was composed in the early 20th century. So I'm going to have to tweak that a bit... I still need late Beethoven, but I need Ravel, Debussy, Sibelius, late Faure, Mahler, etc, etc... so, without putting too much thought into this, I suppose I'll go with 1813-1912 so I can get Daphnis et Chloe.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

It's interesting to see the power that specific works or composers have in influencing how some people (myself included) choose to begin and/or end their individual centuries--it's like having a large table but a small tablecloth with which to cover it: how best to make it fit for the purpose intended. To each his/her own temporal bell curve, and place under its highest part.


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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

1740-1840

which gives me some of JS Bach and Handel and all of Mozart, Haydn , Beethoven and Schubert. A bonus is Rossini. Perfect!


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

1729-1828. Schubert, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Handel's oratorios, and much of Bach


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Well the Contemporary era won the last poll. I think I'll sign onto the last 100 years as well.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

RockyIII said:


> I'll go with 1700-1800 for Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and some early Beethoven.


I'll go with that as well. Maybe you could tack on a few years and make it 1710-1830.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

1850-1950:cheers::angel::devil:


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## Beebert (Jan 3, 2019)

1740-1840, and then I have almost all the music I consider the best ever written


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## Christina Barrett (May 29, 2020)

The restless 1820-1920, I projected. I used to like Baroque the best, the first years. I just finished taking a college music history course online that leads up to the Baroque period. I've also come across a few Baroque orchestras.


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## caracalla (Feb 19, 2020)

I guess I have to choose between 1550-1650 and 1650-1750, which is horrible. After a photo-finish, I think the earlier period just edges it, but I am wracked with guilt on my desert island. 

No chance of 1580-1650 plus a top-up of 1720-50 I suppose?


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## gregorx (Jan 25, 2020)

1894 - 1994

From Claude Debussy's _Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune_, through Witold Lutoslawski who died in 1994 (his last major composition being his Symphony No. 4 in 1992). In other words, the Modern and post-Modern Periods.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Either 1350-1450 or 1920-2020


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

All replies interesting and welcome, but special notice to S P Summers, flamencosketches, allerius, Portamento, Trout, BrahmsWaAGreatMelodist, and ORigel, for, shall we say, accuracy in counting.:tiphat:


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

My favorite 100 years period in approximately is 1830 - 1930. From Chopin's Piano Concertos to Sibelius' Symphony No. 7. Unfortunately, at the end of this period because of the activities of The Second Viennese School, The Frankfurt School, The New School (from New York) and later also Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (from Birmingham) took place a regression or even breaking with the achievements of European culture.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

1780-1880.

That gets me Mozart's mature music, a lot of Haydn and a reasonable chunk of Brahms. And of course, everything in between.

Can I count all the Bach music rediscovered during that period?


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

This is really hard for me because I love nearly all musical periods equally, but probably 1850-1950. Gets me Brahms, Dvorak, Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, a lot of Shostakovich, Webern, Vaughan Williams and many other composers who make life worth living even if I would never bring this “century” to a desert island - indeed, if that was the case, it would be Bach or bust.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

1800-1900. Covers essentially Beethoven, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky with some Mendelssohn and Brahms thrown in. What else could anyone want?! Even the two early 20th century musicians I admire, Elgar, and Rachmaninoff were essentially musical fossils that survived into the 20th century.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

haziz said:


> 1800-1900. Covers essentially Beethoven, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky with some Mendelssohn and Brahms thrown in. What else could anyone want?! Even the two early 20th century musicians I admire, Elgar, and Rachmaninoff were essentially musical fossils that survived into the 20th century.


Getting back to imprinting and the possibly lifelong effect of what music, CM and otherwise, we heard in our formative years, could you give us a thumbnail of the musical influences you heard early on? Certainly the reason I chose the 100 years I did was to seize those 20th-century pieces and composers I heard at home in my adolescence and then work back to recover the Schumann piano concerto, the earliest PC other than the Bach D-minor to really engage me in those early years.


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## gregorx (Jan 25, 2020)

Andante Largo said:


> Unfortunately, at the end of this period because of the activities of The Second Viennese School, The Frankfurt School, The New School (from New York) and later also Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (from Birmingham) took place a regression or even breaking with the achievements of European culture.


The Frankfurt School has nothing to do with Music. Neither does the New School or the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. I know what axe your grinding. You should take it to one of the political forums.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

gregorx said:


> The Frankfurt School has nothing to do with Music. Neither does the New School or the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. I know what axe your grinding. You should take it to one of the political forums.


I think the point is valid, though I think the phrase "achievements of European culture" is fraught with "blood and soil" connotations and I avoid it. But the postmodern ridiculousness that devalues some of the greatest art *because* it is "European" is also an "achievement of European culture", I guess. That's my ax to grind, and since existence is now so politicized I don't see any reason to compartmentalize it.


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

gregorx said:


> The Frankfurt School has nothing to do with Music. Neither does the New School or the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. I know what axe your grinding. You should take it to one of the political forums.


It is not a matter of politics or culture, but of Marxism and anti-culture ideology in a broader sense. Culture and politics are only carriers of ideology. Music is an element of culture. Neomarxists from the Frankfurt School created the Critical Theory which is manifested in art (critical art). As for the New School, same neomarxists emigrated to NY, moreover e.g. John Cage studied there and later taught composition and one of divisions of the New School is the College of Performing Arts which contain among others School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. CCCS was created by neomarxists. All the institutions I mentioned infected the academic community with anti-culture, including musicians and composers. That's all in a nutshell. Because this is a section about music I will not write more about cultural issues in general and political and ideological issues, which are related to this.
In conclusion, it is not true that the institutions I mentioned have nothing to do with music.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

I agree with quite a bit of that. Politics became religion-lite to a lot of people who prided themselves on what "free thinkers" they were.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

1880-1980. Here it's around the 80% of my daily listening.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

1920 to 2020. I really want to stretch it back another 20-40 years, but, no. If it has to be only 100, I'll choose the last 100, please and thank you.

I adore music going back to the 10th century, but there's no music that can be more meaningful to me culturally and artistically than that of composers whose lifespans overlapped or have come near my own.

For those who _write off_ the art music of the past 100 years: I feel sorry for you. It seems like some kind of weird self-loathing, especially considering music by contemporary composers has never been more abundant, culturally rich, and variable in style. There's no excuse but ignorance.


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## Duncan (Feb 8, 2019)

1851 to 1950 -

Rossini, Donizetti, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Verdi...

Franck, Bruckner, Brahms, Bizet, Fauré...

Puccini, Mahler, Debussy, Sibelius, Ravel, Stravinsky...

Bartok, Prokofiev, Poulenc, Shostakovich, Messiaen...

I would get to live through the American Civil War, the Canadian Confederation, World Wars One and Two seen to successful conclusions...

I would get to hear -

Rosa Ponselle, Amelita Galli-Curci, Claudia Muzio....

Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Giovanni Martinelli, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi...

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra (with Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, beginning of solo career)

I would get to see the absolutely fierce Montréal Canadiens v. Toronto Maple Leafs '30's through 40's rivalry...

Classic films from Hollywood's Golden Age...

This is all dependent upon my wife being able to join me... otherwise I'll quite happily stay right where I'm at thank you very much...

And thus ends post number 3,775 which will probably be the last for the foreseeable future due to work commitments and personal obligations...

_Je vous souhaite le meilleur!_

- Duncan


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> My initial thought was 1800-1899, but there's too much great music that was composed in the early 20th century. So I'm going to have to tweak that a bit... I still need late Beethoven, but I need Ravel, Debussy, Sibelius, late Faure, Mahler, etc, etc... so, without putting too much thought into this, I suppose I'll go with 1813-1912 so I can get Daphnis et Chloe.


Wow, a year later I really don't have an answer. I still love all of the music that I listed in this post, but I can't imagine living without Bach and Mozart, and I certainly wouldn't want to live without music from 1920 onward. I might be inclined to say 1741 (so I get the Goldberg Variations and WTC book 2)-1850, but then I'm missing so much, including my favorite composer... Does the time frame have to be continuous? 

As futile as an exercise like this may be, it really makes you appreciate the expansiveness and diversity of CM. The history of classical music is really almost as beautiful as the music itself.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> As futile as an exercise like this may be, it really makes you appreciate the expansiveness and diversity of CM. The history of classical music is really almost as beautiful as the music itself.


Absolutely. Back when they were still record stores...ahem...the "Classical" section literally covered 1000+ years of music, from mainly the Western world, but also from the entire globe.

It cracks me up when I see popular music divided into a dozen or more categories, and then literally a thousand years of music is given one. Just one. And arguably Italian Baroque music is further from the French Baroque than Country & Western is from Rock & Roll! But so it is.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

For me, it starts @ 1914 and lasts through around 2013.


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## DaddyGeorge (Mar 16, 2020)

1741 - 1841. I know it's 101 years, but I chose the period during which my favorite composers lived their lives or at least part of their lives (Vivaldi died in 1741 and Dvořák was born in 1841 - I couldn't decide that, but what is 1 year?).


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

About 1870 through 1970 or Bruckner through Robert Simpson Symphony 3 and Shostakovich's first 14 symphonies...though Bruckner wrote Locus Iste 1869. It incorporates all of Mahler, Debussy, the American, French and English 20th century groups of note, and the Second Viennese School.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I guess I will have to go with 1910-2010, but that is a bit tentative, and may change in another 20 years.

But that is only because I've been a bit busy and haven't had as much time to explore the last 10 years.

And within that period, I'd have to put a slight emphasis on the mid 20th century (1940-1970).


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

On the early end I had to get two of my favorite pieces: Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Fauré Requiem. Then on the latter end I wanted to at least get Adams Harmonielehre. In between: noteworthy for me is Prokofiev, Debussy, Barber, Hindemith, Sibelius, Bartok, Messiaen. 

So I’m going to go with 1890-1990.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Pretty easy for me. 1875-1975 which covers from Tchaikovsky to Shostakovich.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Interesting to see the various strategies employed to maximize musical return within a defined, fixed temporal straightjacket. Makes one think through one's priorities.


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