# An (novel) idea: Putilizer Prize Weekly



## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

*An (novel) idea: Puilitzer Prize Weekly*

Now that the official SS is soon wrapping up [and being succeeded by the selections of Mr. Realdealblues.] I was thinking about doing a weekly - on Friday perhaps - program of works which won the Putilizer Prize and then we could all share our experiences on this novel piece which I am guessing most of y'all have not even heard or if you have not many times and hence don't have much familiarity with the piece.

We'd begin chronologically so week 1 would have 1943's Schuman's Secular Cantata No. 2: A Free Song

So, well how about it?


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

If it's going to be a thread about the discussion of said works which won the Pulitzer Prize I'd probably be interested. If it's just going to be another thread where people post CD covers then no thanks, I probably won't participate. Just my 2 cents.


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## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

violadude said:


> If it's going to be a thread about the discussion of said works which won the Pulitzer Prize I'd probably be interested. If it's just going to be another thread where people post CD covers then no thanks, I probably won't participate. Just my 2 cents.


Both. The primary intention of this series much like SS is exposure. A lot of people fell in love with a lot of symphonies that they wouldn't have explored or loved otherwise! Of course you can post CD covers but most of these works have only a single performance and some don't - they'll have to be skipped. And you, Mr. VD, are requested to engage in thoughtful musical conversations along with other luminaries like Mahlerian or SeptimalTritone. Get the ball rolling.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

No, no...I posted that there is for most works only one recording, then realised you had just said the same thing.

I'd be very interested in this as a listening project.


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## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

SimonNZ said:


> No, no...I posted that there is for most works only one recording, then realised you had just said the same thing.
> 
> I'd be very interested in this as a listening project.


Mr. NZ, have you heard JLA's Becoming Ocean?


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Sounds interesting. I think there would be reasonable interest.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Herrenvolk said:


> Mr. NZ, have you heard JLA's Becoming Ocean?


Only once, when it came out. Can't remember what I thought very clearly now, so it would be good to relisten at some point, though I can't have liked it as much as Songbirdsongs, which I've played a number of times (and now may even play again later today).

Is Become Ocean a particular favorite of yours?


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Become Ocean did make our top 200 Post-1950 works list (#170).


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

I've included a few winners in my A la carte polls, and these are the percentages of voters who said they liked them:

1945 - Copland: Appalachian Spring - 61%
1947 - Ives: Symphony no.3 - 43%
1960 - Carter: String quartet no.3 - 33%
1963 - Barber: Piano concerto - 53%
1969 - Husa: Music for Prague 1968 - 7%
1970 - Wuorinen: Time's Encomium - 14%
2003 - Adams J: On the Transmigration of Souls - 19%
2004 - Moravec: Tempest Fantasy - 3%
2008 - Lang: The Little Match Girl Passion - 9%
2009 - Reich: Double Sextet - 22%
2010 - Higdon: Violin concerto - 11%
2013 - Shaw: Partita for 8 voices - 2% 
2014 - Adams JL: Become Ocean - 20%

So I think a dedicated project would be a really good way of getting people to hear new music - I assume most of those low percentages are due to the music being unknown rather than disliked. 

But on the other hand, any given discussion of modern music can easily turn into a sh!tstorm of rage and contempt...


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

My impression is that stylistically, the Pullitzer Prize works are generally not militantly avantgarde. Rather they are middle of the road pieces, and shouldn´t tend to provoke. 
I might pop in from time to time in such a thread, but only briefly. I only know quite few of these works, and am curious about some of the others.


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## Bayreuth (Jan 20, 2015)

I actually think this could be a great idea as long as it succeeds at mixing discovery with discussion. Maybe those of us who have not listened to most of this music could have from monday to friday to listen to the weekly piece and get to know it well and then on the two days of weekend we could organize a serious, purely musical debate in the same thread. In other words, 5 days of CD covers, recommendations and first impressions and 2 days of serious, profound musical discussion. I think it can be really interesting if people have the option of choosing if they want to skip either of the parts.

I like it, Herrenvolk.


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## Adam Weber (Apr 9, 2015)

I think it sounds like a great idea.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> My impression is that stylistically, the Pullitzer Prize works are generally not militantly avantgarde. Rather they are middle of the road pieces, and shouldn´t tend to provoke.


Well yes, I suppose on the one side people won't be inclined to be overly dismissive, and on the other side people won't be inclined to overly react to dismissiveness.


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## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

Bayreuth said:


> I actually think this could be a great idea as long as it succeeds at mixing discovery with discussion. Maybe those of us who have not listened to most of this music could have from monday to friday to listen to the weekly piece and get to know it well and then on the two days of weekend we could organize a serious, purely musical debate in the same thread. In other words, 5 days of CD covers, recommendations and first impressions and 2 days of serious, profound musical discussion. I think it can be really interesting if people have the option of choosing if they want to skip either of the parts.
> 
> I like it, Herrenvolk.


You bettered my idea, good sir.


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