which composer would survive...............???

[berniano]

Here's an idea that may or may not be worth pondering, but I'm curious for your opinions  


      If through some freak, unimaginable (except for now ) occurrence, all the music of all classical composers was destroyed, except for that of one composer--- which composer's works would you preserve and why?


This is different from asking "Who is your favorite composer?" because for me, I'd be torn between Rachmaninov, Beethoven, and Bach for personal preference, but would certainly preserve Bach's works for their huge value in the development of counterpoint and musical quality.

any thoughts??

[nanabush]

I was going to say Bach too. 

[perfect_pitch]

I was going to say Bach too. 

OH *** NO... DEAR GOD NO!!! I'd pray for Chopin, Beethoven or Liszt.

[camstrings]

Schoenberg if only to see whether we would all be whistling those 12 tone tunes....a curious social experiment. 

[gep]

What a horrible thougth experiment....

I'd say Bach, assuming we would then have his complete oeuvre. So including the other 30 or 40 concerti now lost, the other 2/3rds or so of his chamber music now gone, the other 100+ church Cantatas and the few dozen secular ones we miss. All those other pieces gone into oblivion?

But I'd be torn to pieces considering all other things we would have lost.

here's a thought provoking thought: would it be better to loose everything, for the one composer's work preserved would remind us constanly of what we had lost? So perhaps better to start on a clean slate then?
Your thoughts?

[weissenberg2]

Perhaps Bach, he had a large corpius for all instruments.

Maybe Dvorak.

[go12_3]

Bach would have to survive, I love his music

[slow_concert_pianist]

Bach is generally regarded as the "Abraham" of music so, theoretically, without him there would be no music - well certainly as it is known today.

There is no greater perfection musically or mathematically than the mirror fugue. I am heartened that just about every single famous composer appears to have appreciated Bach in the way I do.

[iroveashe]

No one believes in God any more, but everyone believes in Bach.

Seems to be a fitting quote for this thread

[berniano]

here's a thought provoking thought: would it be better to loose everything, for the one composer's work preserved would remind us constanly of what we had lost? So perhaps better to start on a clean slate then?
Your thoughts?

But would it really be a clean slate if we still remember what was lost? It would be interesting to seee what composers of our day would come up with if all they had to build upon was Bach. Quite possibly the compositional path would be different today considering that we have improved the functionality of instruments so greatly. I mean, imagine what Beethoven or even Liszt and Chopin would have done with the modern grand piano? Composers of this era would have and do have so many resources, and I wonder to what extent they would incorporate technology if all they had to build upon was Bach.


But wow............Bach sure seems to be the winner here.

[berniano]

No one believes in God any more, but everyone believes in Bach.

Seems to be a fitting quote for this thread

I have always understood that Bach himself believed in God 

[iroveashe]

I have always understood that Bach himself believed in God 

Yup.

[thorn]

If Bach survived and music re-evolved in a similar way then what would be the point of it disappearing.

I wouldn't pick Schoenberg myself but it would be interesting to see what evolved from that, maybe it would go backwards and in a few hundred years we would have Bach style compositions in place of contemporary music of today?

Maybe I would save Messiaen over Schoenberg for such a purpose.

[teccomin]

Liszt, because he has transcribed from so many different composers All thats left to do is reverse-transcribe them.

[hztb]

I have always understood that Bach himself believed in God 

Well he had good reasons to believe in himself.

[Bob]

I think I'd go with a late Romantic, probably Mahler, and hope people could work backwards and forwards from that.  It's orchestral so that would be preserved. 

Although that is more orchestral.

For piano... same idea... Maybe Brahms? 

Or Liszt...

Or Wagner.  Or Stravinksy.

[systemdowns]

Beethoven, if I could only play one i'd choose him, the greatest.

[starlady]

If the question is which composer's works I would personally prefer to save, I would say Bach.  But if the question is which composer's works give the best coverage of the whole range of Western music, it has to be Beethoven.  I think Bach would have loved Beethoven, and I know that Scriabin and Stravinsky did.

--s.

[Bob]

I'm also thinking Bach now after having browsed through the thread.  More for having the rules in his music though, more for the theory.

I'm also wondering how a composer could be completed wiped out like the poster above.  And how people wouldn't remember them.

[shaulhadar]

hi, and cool post!!!
i must say i would rescue my good old friend Frederic Chopin. In my opinion he was the greatest after Beethoven, but lived only to the age of 39, and thus died when he was the most evolved musically and mature, and i admit i would like to hear some more music from him, so my vote goes there

[musiklover96]

definitely chopin
his music has such incredible depth, which in my opinion, is not matched by any other composer

[lisztrachmaninovfan]

This question is too painful to think about. But if I had to, I'd choose Liszt, because he still has countless amounts of transcriptions of other composers.

He also has many types of works, including choral works, symphonic poems, countless piano works, and even some symphonies. Sadly only one opera though. 

[kelly_kelly]

Oh wow... only on a piano forum would Chopin come up in this context I would choose the composer with the broadest distribution of great works, including instrumental/concerti for a range of instruments (including the piano... as a violist I wish I could say viola too, but I realize that would narrow things down a bit much ), orchestral works, chamber music, choral music, and opera - these are the major categories that I can come up with now, but I'd be interested to see what others think I'm missing/overemphasizing. Many composers that I love don't fill these standards, including our dear Chopin. It seems that one of the typical Bach-Mozart-Beethoven-Brahms group would be best suited... perhaps Mozart the most so? Or perhaps not...

[dapianokid]

OH *** NO... DEAR GOD NO!!! I'd pray for Chopin, (...) or Liszt.

Haha you got lucky. Guys he's on my side!

But Rch got my vote. His etudes rock. most importantly, his god-inspired preludes.

[brogers70]

No one believes in God any more, but everyone believes in Bach.

Seems to be a fitting quote for this thread

If there's ever a vacancy in the Trinity, Bach would be an excellent candidate.

[dapianokid]

Liszt.

[countrymath]

Frank Sinatra.

[thalbergmad]

Xenakis

[ch101]

bach has to.
all other music can be rebuilt , but his cannot be rebuilt.

[lisztrachmaninovfan]

bach has to.
all other music can be rebuilt , but his cannot be rebuilt.

Are you sure? Many composers like Scriabin, Liszt, and Bartok have compositions which could probably never be rebuilt. Though, really no composer has unique compositions that are similar to all periods of music. If we had to answer this question, we'd have to sacrifice some. 

[carbe]

definitely chopin
his music has such incredible depth, which in my opinion, is not matched by any other composer

I agree with you. His classical pieces is something special. I think Chopin will survive, 'cause more and more beginners and new piano players wants to play Chopin.

[djealnla]

Xenakis

LOL

[djealnla]

I nominate Philip Glass and John Cage.

[ahinton]

I nominate Philip Glass and John Cage.

For what, exactly? - and before you answer that (if you wish to and can be bothered), do please bear in mind the old cliché that almost warns us that people who live in glass cages shouldn't throw stones...

I am reminded of Stravinsky's notorious barb "if Richard, then Wagner: if Strauss, then Johann" (to which my reaction on first hearing it was "if Igor, then Prince); in the present context, "if Glass, then Louis: if John, then Bach"...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

"if Glass, then Louis

Well, if you like Louis Glass, then amazingly we have found a composer we both like.

Shocked and stunned.

Thal

[ahinton]

Well, if you like Louis Glass, then amazingly we have found a composer we both like.

Shocked and stunned.

Don't let it go to yuour head, old chap; I'm not that keen on his music, but I find it infinitely more bearable than that of his living American counterpart...

Best,

Alistair

[djealnla]

Don't let it go to yuour head, old chap; I'm not that keen on his music, but I find it infinitely more bearable than that of his living American counterpart...

Best,

Alistair

Why why why why why do why do why do why do why do you why do you why do you why do you why do you dislike why do you dislike why do you dislike why do you dislike why do you dislike Philip why do you dislike Philip why do you dislike Philip why do you dislike Philip why do you dislike Philip Glass why do you dislike Philip Glass why do you dislike Philip Glass why do you dislike Philip Glass?

In short: boo fugality, go additive processes.

Best,

Éric Alfred Leslie Satie

[sjeon]

Lot's of Bach lovers here   I prefer composers in the Romantic period