# The Rare Spotted Australian Composer (S. australianus composerum)



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Greetings fellow TCers! :tiphat:

I was having a conversation with this guy I know in the US about Carl Vine's piano sonatas one day. He was telling me that he loves the first sonata, but Carl Vine is an esoteric name in the US. I had been wondering after that conversation how many people outside Australia know any of our professional composers at all, so I decided to make this thread to see how many of you are familiar with these people and their music. These are probably the top six most famous composers in Australia I can think of.

No. 1: Ross Edwards.
Edwards is famous for his "maninya" style of dance-like music. He is well known in Australia particularly for his Marimba Dances, Dawn Mantras, and his violin concerto subtitled "Maninyas." This is the third movement of that concerto: 




No. 2: Peter Sculthorpe.
Born in 1929 Launceston, Tasmania, he is the second oldest of the six. His music is heavily influenced on Indonesian Gamelan music. He is primarily known for his orchestral pieces "Sun Music" (there are several of those), "Kakadu," and "Earth Cry." He is also known for his 18 or so string quartets. This is "Earth Cry:" 




No. 3: Nigel Westlake.
I am assuming he is the among the best known out of the composers here. He has written several guitar works that I know and is also known for his film soundtracks. He is most famous here for his "Antarctica Suite" for guitar and orchestra (taken from his soundtrack to a documentary about Antarctica) and his soundtrack to the movie "Babe." This is the best known movement of the "Antarctica Suite": 




No. 4: Carl Vine.
This composer is primarily known for his piano sonatas and seven symphonies (but he might write more, you never know). His music can be somewhat more aggressive and dissonant than the three above, but his music is quite popular here. This is the first movement of his first piano sonata: 




No. 5: Percy Graniger.
The oldest (and probably most eccentric) of the six, born in Melbourne (the city in which I am currently residing). He has collected and arranged many English and Irish folk songs as well as composing some highly original compositions such as his ballet score "The Warriors." This is a recording of him in 1908 playing his piece "Sheperd's Hey." 




No. 6: Brett Dean.
My personal favourite of the six. Brett Dean's music is probably the most "European sounding." It is often densely atonal and the least (oh I hate this word) "accessible." He has played viola in the Berlin Phil and his most famous composition would probably be his incredible opera "Bliss" based on the novel by Peter Carey:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Sculthorpe (one of my favourite contemporaries), Meale, Grainger, Westlake, and Hyde come to mind.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

None of your links work.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

They used to work. Strange that.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Anyway, have you heard of Brenton Broadstock?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Played one of his compositions in a string orchestra last year (i played first violin in that rather than viola). Forgotten the piece though. Great composer!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

violadude said:


> None of your links work.


They do now


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Are any of these composers marsupials ?








:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I know Sculthorpe, Vine, and Graniger. I started a thread on Vine because I loved his Piano Concerto and thought some of his symphonies were quite good. I'm anxious to hear his recently premiered Violin Concerto.


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## Guest (Dec 4, 2011)

Two year old thread, here.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

I think Elena Kats-Chernin might be more widely known than Brett Dean, or at least well-known enough to expand your list to seven...
GG


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Agree with your list there, new member ComposerOfAvantGarde! I have some music of every composer listed there on recording, and been in the same concert hall with two of them (though I did not meet Sculthrope and Westlake in person). The six you listed are certainly the best known folks, and they do contribute to modern Australian music - any music, not just "art music".

So, when are _you_ going to be next in that list?  One day, we shall see ...


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

superhorn said:


> Are any of these composers marsupials ?
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Grainger is a marsupial. The rest are monotremes!


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