# Who Was Less Repetitious Haydn or Bach?



## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

When I listen to Bach for any extended period of time he gets too repetitious for me. What do you think; who was less repetitious Haydn or Bach?


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Hmmm. 

I don't find either repetitious. They just have a certain signature sound like most other composers.


----------



## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

We could try to rephrase the question; 'who do you think had more variation in their music, Haydn or Bach?'


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

That's like asking "Which continent has more variation in its landscape, North America or Asia?"

There's probably a demonstrable right answer, but nobody will be ambitious enough to demonstrate it.

That said, I'll take a flying leap and say Bach, if only for his harmonic adventurousness.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I just wish I had 0.07% of the ability of either one of them.

When I put pen to paper, the only thing that comes out are words.


----------



## Jeffrey Smith (Jan 2, 2016)

Well, Bach was more prone to recycle his music than Haydn. But I tend to agree with Weston...

*Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale
Their infinite variety. Oth'r composers cloy
The appetites they feed, but they make hungry
Where most they satisfy. . . .*


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Klassic said:


> When I listen to Bach for any extended period of time he gets too repetitious for me. What do you think; who was less repetitious Haydn or Bach?


Bach was repetitious in two ways:

1. _Within a piece._ He liked to write imitative counterpoint, canonic music, fugues.

2. _Among different pieces._ He liked to reuse melodic material.

I know nothing about Haydn, but I'll just report that the way melodic material is repeated in some of the op 33 quartets is really interesting to me as a listener.

Beethoven's repetitiousness in his middle period seems a weakness to me - just listen to the first movement of the Waldstein. Bach's repetitiousness is not a weakness I think.

But the king of repetition in pre 20th century music is Schubert. I leave it to others to comment on whether it's a strength, weakness or neither. In the 20th century repetition becomes a major style feature again.

Interesting to think of the meaning of repetition in music: maybe something to do with memory, nostalgia, personal identity, stability, order, regularity, law, . . .


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Bach's idiom was the fugue and the fugue was about the themes coming in and out, developed into technical perfection.


----------

