# How many CDs would a complete Telemann edition require?



## ribonucleic (Aug 20, 2014)

By comparison, the "Mozart 225" box set fills 200 CDs.

Think Telemann would need 300?


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Certainly more, probably closer to 1000. Telemann wrote more music than Bach and Handel combined.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

However many Telemann recordings make up a complete set; for me five or six CDs are plenty. I've got some Telemann in my library by Jean-Pierre Rampal, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and for something HIP, Musica Antiqua Koln; and maybe a few other things by Telemann in my collections here and there on compilation CDs. Telemann is a fine composer in my opinion; something of a poor man's German Vivaldi; but I wouldn't spend time or money on 300 or 1,000 CDs of it.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Too many. .................


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## christomacin (Oct 21, 2017)

I have about 15 or 20 Telemann CD's and I think that's more than enough. I certainly don't need any more. You should definitely have the Tafelmusik, some trumpet concertos, the viola concertos, the recorder suite, the fantasias for flute and a few other things for sure. Still I don't think the vast quantities of his music a complete edition would require are essential or even advisable. Spend the bulk of your money on Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Rameau, I say. Purcell is probably more worthy of large scale collecting as well.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

christomacin said:


> I have about 15 or 20 Telemann CD's and I think that's more than enough. I certainly don't need any more. You should definitely have the Tafelmusik, some trumpet concertos, the viola concertos, the recorder suite, the fantasias for flute and a few other things for sure. Still I don't think the vast quantities of his music a complete edition would require are essential or even advisable. Spend the bulk of your money on Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Rameau, I say. Purcell is probably more worthy of large scale collecting as well.


Here to defend Telemann: I find Telemann to be a better and more interesting composer than Vivaldi IMHO. I mean, if you like catchy tunes, endless sequencing and formulaic concertos, then Vivaldi is your man. And I really do like Vivaldi (his sequences are good and his formulas sustain interest) but Telemann, while his tunes may not be as catchy, wrote far more varied music; and though he's more uneven than Vivaldi (and he can be tediously banal) that also makes him a more interesting composer. I would take an opera by Telemann over Vivaldi any day. I would also take any number of his Passions over Vivaldi's liturgical works. I have all Bach's music, most of Händel apart from a dozen or so operas (?), all of D Scarlatti's keyboard works and some liturgical works by him, and all of Vivaldi's Opus numbers. I'd love to see more Telemann published. His passions and oratorios can be quite good. And though it's fighting words to write it: I do think Telemann remains a better composer than a lot of the modern/contemporary composer trotted out as the great composers of our day-who I find even more formulaic, mundane and banal. Not naming names. Not gonna go there.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Vivaldi was the earliest and most influential composer of the "modern" baroque solo concerto and he has some more obviously fun and picturesque pieces like the 4 seasons but I also think that Telemann is at least good overall and does not deserve the bad rap. Ironically, a lot of this was due to 19th century scholars like Spitta who could not forgive the contemporaries that they preferred Telemann to Bach (despite the two being friends and Telemann godfather of Carl PHILIPP Emanuel), and these same scholars had edited a couple or so cantatas as Bach that eventually turned out to be by Telemann...

Musica Antiqua recorded ~10-12 discs, 4 of which are Tafelmusik which is a great and colorful collection. The Hamburg "water music" (Ebb und Flut) is entertaining and tuneful. A selection of woodwind concerti is also very nice, including the famous one for flute and recorder with a great folksy finale. The oboe concerti have been recorded by many famous players, both modern and historic, also the viola concerto, probably still one one of the 3-5 most famous ones for this instrument.

I have a handful of vocal music, too, but do not know this as well. There is a Last Judgement oratorio and a nice disc with (mostly) funeral cantatas with Cantus Cölln on harmonia mundi.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Isn't this reminiscent of Bach's "Buß und Reu"


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

ribonucleic said:


> By comparison, the "Mozart 225" box set fills 200 CDs.
> 
> Think Telemann would need 300?


I think so too, having said that the Telemann set on Brilliant classic ( 50 cd) will give you a lot of pleasure.


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## Laraine Anne Barker (8 mo ago)

ribonucleic said:


> By comparison, the "Mozart 225" box set fills 200 CDs.
> 
> Think Telemann would need 300?


Somebody seems to be doing a complete edition. Volumes 2, 5 and 6 are on offer, download only (NZ$12 for FLAC) at Presto. I have no idea why the other volumes are missing. With Telemann being so prolific, I certainly won't be around to see the edition completed.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

christomacin said:


> I have about 15 or 20 Telemann CD's and I think that's more than enough. I certainly don't need any more. You should definitely have the Tafelmusik, some trumpet concertos, the viola concertos, the recorder suite, the fantasias for flute and a few other things for sure. Still I don't think the vast quantities of his music a complete edition would require are essential or even advisable. Spend the bulk of your money on Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Rameau, I say. Purcell is probably more worthy of large scale collecting as well.


I find that the best Telemann resides in his sacred choral works. As for Vivaldi, I wouldn't spend a dime on his music.


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## Laraine Anne Barker (8 mo ago)

Bulldog said:


> I find that the best Telemann resides in his sacred choral works. As for Vivaldi, I wouldn't spend a dime on his music.


We are all different in our tastes, which is what makes us interesting. I like Telemann's chamber music best. As for Vivaldi, I can't understand anyone not liking my own favourite Vivaldi: the sonatas for cello and continuo. They were my favourite works even in the days of LPs and I DID have The Four Seasons as well. The only musical friend I ever had (gone now for over two years, and I still miss him) was crazy about Wagner, and I can't stand Wagner: too noisy and unmelodic. But we both shared a passion for early music and the period instrument movement. He liked Vivaldi but not Albinoni, which puzzled me. I asked him if it was because of the dirge called Albinoni's Adagio. He said yes and I told him it was composed by Rem Giazotto who, as a musicologist and supposed authority on Albinoni, should have had more sense. For me Albinoni's adagio is the slow movement of the Oboe Concerto In D Minor, Op. 9 No. See No. 14 on the list here: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDH55349. I love the way Goodwin's oboe floats over the gentle rocking of the accompanying strings.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Laraine Anne Barker said:


> The only musical friend I ever had (gone now for over two years, and I still miss him) was crazy about Wagner, and I can't stand Wagner: too noisy and unmelodic.





Laraine Anne Barker said:


> My personal biggest hate (apart from the 20th and 21st centuries) is Wagner. And I can tell you why: too noisy and unmelodious.





Laraine Anne Barker said:


> Thanks but you don't have my number one, Mozart's Haydn string quartets. I too prefer any Mozart opera to Wagner. I'm allergic to Wagner.





Laraine Anne Barker said:


> My late friend Walter (the only musical friend I have ever had) couldn't stand Bach and I think there was a lot of Beethoven he didn't like. He was a keen Wagner fan, and I hate Wagner.


I respect your preferences, but have to still wonder - did Walter try to help you get familiar with things like


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## Yabetz (Sep 6, 2021)

Wagner "unmelodic"? That says "I've never listened to Wagner".


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Crazy.

If each CD of a 1000 CD set had only 60 minutes on it, and you listened to 8 of the CDs every day, it would take you 17 weeks at 8 hours a day (7 days a week) to listen to them all.


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## Yabetz (Sep 6, 2021)

Regardless of the quality of Telemann's music (and I like Telemann) just the act of producing that much of anything is impressive.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Yabetz said:


> Regardless of the quality of Telemann's music (and I like Telemann) just the act of producing that much of anything is impressive.


Not to mention the coasts, a of making it b selling it . I wonder how many people a complete work by Telemann will buy.


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

Perhaps a box set might not be as gargantuan as some people think - half of what Telemann composed is lost. That said, as most of what is extant hasn't been disinterred since his death it's still nigh-on impossible to say probably even roughly how many discs would make up a comprehensive collection.


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## Laraine Anne Barker (8 mo ago)

Yabetz said:


> Wagner "unmelodic"? That says "I've never listened to Wagner".


I heard enough on the radio.


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## Yabetz (Sep 6, 2021)

Laraine Anne Barker said:


> I heard enough on the radio.


Well, to each his/her own.


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## Laraine Anne Barker (8 mo ago)

Exactly. We are all different. I think my late friend Walter had a hard time convincing his wife about Wagner. After all, she heard enough of him (from another room). Walter had his "gaps" too. I heard that he didn't like Beethoven (yet he had all the piano concertos!) and didn't like Mozart (apart from the operas) or Bach. I suspect it might have been because his father got him played along with recordings of their violin concertos when he was young. I should have asked him about Mozart's "Haydn" quartets, which I consider among the greatest compositions in the world, but I did send him some Haydn string quartets (well-known ones) and was astonished when he said he didn't like them. My middle sister came along for the ride when I decided to teach myself appreciation of Classical music, but she landed up preferringthe big orchestral 19th century music whereas I found myself much preferring chamber and solo. I never met Walter. We became friends because I bought some CDs from him on TradeMe. There are lots of recommendations for beginners today, but there was nothing in my young days. I got some very unsuitable music. How about Landowska playing Bach fugues on that monstrosity she fondly called a harpsichord? It's a wonder (to me anyway) that I didn't land up disliking both the instrument and Bach himself.


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## Yabetz (Sep 6, 2021)

Laraine Anne Barker said:


> Exactly. We are all different. I think my late friend Walter had a hard time convincing his wife about Wagner. After all, she heard enough of him (from another room). Walter had his "gaps" too. I heard that he didn't like Beethoven (yet he had all the piano concertos!) and didn't like Mozart (apart from the operas) or Bach. I suspect it might have been because his father got him played along with recordings of their violin concertos when he was young. I should have asked him about Mozart's "Haydn" quartets, which I consider among the greatest compositions in the world, but I did send him some Haydn string quartets (well-known ones) and was astonished when he said he didn't like them. My middle sister came along for the ride when I decided to teach myself appreciation of Classical music, but she landed up preferringthe big orchestral 19th century music whereas I found myself much preferring chamber and solo. I never met Walter. We became friends because I bought some CDs from him on TradeMe. There are lots of recommendations for beginners today, but there was nothing in my young days. I got some very unsuitable music. How about Landowska playing Bach fugues on that monstrosity she fondly called a harpsichord? It's a wonder (to me anyway) that I didn't land up disliking both the instrument and Bach himself.


Yep, de gustibus non est disputandum. We like what we like. But at least we're both into the genre. Cheers.


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