# Composers and the Elements



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

This is a experiment of the imagination.

There are 4 elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Air), but if you want to add more, like Ice or such, do so.

What composer, in your imaginative opinion, was the "master" of any of these?

For me:

Fire - Beethoven, Dvorak

Water - Ravel

Earth - Stravinsky, Bartok

Air - Copland

Just to give a few ideas.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

Fire - Beethoven
Earth - Bach
Air- Mozart

Its hard to find a element for the composer.


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## StevenOBrien (Jun 27, 2011)

Fire - Beethoven
Water - Handel (Sorry, couldn't resist )
Earth - Stravinsky
Air - Mozart


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## crmoorhead (Apr 6, 2011)

*Fire *

Berlioz: One of the most revolutionary of the Romantics
Wagner: The insurmountable Wagner. The Gods are full of fire, and so are Wagner's operas.
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis and the 9th especially, but many other pieces. If fire is emotion, Beethoven is an inferno.
Stravinsky: Incendiary music if ever I heard it. The Firebird even has it in the title, but I always think the Rite is more fiery than earthy. Earth is an indolent spirit, not something I associate with Stravinsky. His music can also play like the flicker of flames.

*
Water*

Debussy: Obviously, La Mer, but Debussy's music is very fluid in general
Ravel: Likewise, the impressionist style is very fluid. Jeux d'Eau.
Britten: Created several pieces related to the sea based on his surroundings.

*Earth*

Mahler - human themes and also, obviously, Das Lied von der Erde.
Elgar - who once said "The trees are singing my music, or maybe I am singing them". He always reminds me of the countryside.
Sibelius - Music that reminds me of the land, trees and ancient rocks. Also uses human themes.

*Air*

Faure - Distinctly pleasant, angelic and airy music.
Mozart - Not because his music is lightweight, but because his melodies seem to float on air.
Bach - Simply heavenly!


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

While I agree with Debussy and Ravel, the first great water composer (Liszt, of course) deserves a mention here. He wrote a number of pieces that have much to do with water, and many other pieces that contain watery passages. Here are the ones I know from the former category.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

Oh, and then there's his pieces involving more unruly waters (among other things).






'The Miracle' (when Jesus calms the storm) from 24:34 - 33:30 in the video below.






And more.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Fire - Beethoven, Verdi, Varese
Earth - Elgar, Brahms, Peter Sculthorpe (the Australian outback, that red earth, comes to mind in eg. his 'Sun Music' pieces)
Water - Debussy, Liszt, Ravel, Sibelius
Air - Bruckner, Copland, Boccherini

Contemporary Chinese born composer Qigang Chen wrote an orchestral piece on all of these elements, plus one. Called 'Wu XIng,' it has the Chinese elements - water, wood, fire, earth, metal. Interesting work, very colourful score, I have it on this disc - http://www.amazon.com/Qigang-Chen/dp/B000TPVN70


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Fire - Piazzolla, Stravinsky, Schubert, Mozart
Air - Bach, Zelenka, Mendelssohn, Grieg, Sciarrino, Machaut, Purcell, Vivaldi
Water - Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Delius, Chopin
Earth - Brahms, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Enescu


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

*Jon Leifs*, the Icelandic composer, wrote orchestral & choral music that is very much bound to the elements and impressive natural forces of that island - works entitled "Hekla" (after the volcano), a "Geysir"-portrait, "Drift Ice", "Edda - The Creation of the World" etc. I don´t know a work with a decidedly "airy" title though. Here is the impressive "Geysir":





*Jean Fery Rebel*, the French baroque composer, is practically only remembered for his highly original orchestral suite "Les Elemens", so he covers all of them. The introduction to the suite portrays the Chaos, before the separation of the elements:


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## MaestroViolinist (May 22, 2012)

Air - Mozart 
Fire - Tchaikovsky 

Will have to think of something for Water and Earth.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

*Ligeti* fits all.


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## MaestroViolinist (May 22, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Ligeti* fits all.


:lol: filler


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

EDIT: Better performance of the above-mentioned "Geysir":


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## MaestroViolinist (May 22, 2012)

Right, I've thought of some more:

Water - Debussy

Earth - Handel, Bach, Beethoven


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