Why are these composers so obscure?

[jimf]

Why do you think that the following composers have remained in obscurity? Do you also like the piano works by these composers?

Peterson-Berger
Alnaes
Schytte
Heller
Novak
Medtner
Bortkiewicz
Kalomiris
Grainger
MacDowell

Do you also know where I could find works by those composers (apart from MacDowell and Medtner)? Imslp seems to be lacking of the majority of their works...
Thanks in advance,
Jim

[indianajo]

Warner Brothers never accompanied any of the cartoons with their music, like they did Mozart Verde and Rossini. I'm listening to Barber of Seville today, replaying Bugs Bunny visuals in my head with more adult comedy in English.    Neither did Walt Disney cover their pieces.  I learned about JS Bach from Mr Disney and Stowkowski.  Sneer if you wish, my parents had heard some Beethoven symphonies and Tchaikovsky overtures they liked on distant AM radio stations, but the artists on your list weren't covered in the nineteen forties in the coalfields.  
High School band introduced me to Percy Grainger; good luck on finding Handel in the Strand or some of the other parlor piano tricks.  My favorite of his is Lincolnshire Posey, irretrievably a wind band piece, IMHO.  
Other pieces on your list, listening to the WFMT-FM rebroadcast doesn't even allow me to remember them.  

[andreslr6]

I've always believed it's our fault (the performer's fault) that good composers stay in the dark, that's why I always encourage playing new music and/or little known music. Of course, there's also unknown music that's not popular because it's mediocre, but there's also whole lot more of very known music that I believe doesn't need to be played anymore, at least for a few years.

Anyways, a good way to discover this composers is by playing the little music you can find that is published, let the public hear it as well, remember that the performer is a composer too, not just because we are the one that "finish" a composition by playing it, but because we are the connection between the composer and the listener.

So, whatever you find about them, and any other new composer you find interesting, start playing it and put it in your repertoire.

[j_menz]

Not sure bout the others, but Grainger's piano music is still in print = 4 vols complete works. You can get it at sheet music plus.

The others are probably obtainable with a bit of googleferreting.

On the main question, composers (or pieces) remain obscure so long as people don't play them. Sounds simple.  Mostly, it's that they aren't included in the teaching repertoire as much (and possibly in the end moreso) than that they aren't performed.

If pianists don't play them, people don't hear them; and if teachers don't introduce them even pianists may remain oblivious to their merits or existence.

[iansinclair]

At the risk of sounding like the Grinch, I am familiar with some of these folks.  Grainger did some really good stuff, and is well worth finding and playing if you like it.  On the other hand, some of the others on the list rest in well earned obscurity...

[landru]

Mostly, it's that they aren't included in the teaching repertoire as much (and possibly in the end moreso) than that they aren't performed.

If pianists don't play them, people don't hear them; and if teachers don't introduce them even pianists may remain oblivious to their merits or existence.

Exactly. I've brought pieces by Peterson-Berger, Dussek, Henselt and Mompou to my teacher and she has shown no enthusiasm at all about them. IMO they were very good pieces that could teach some technique to me, but I fear she was a little bit lazy about teaching something outside of her experience.

[williampiano]

Personally, I don't quite agree that MacDowell and Heller are too obscure. I tend to hear their music played at least somewhat commonly in studio recitals. Many of the teachers I know consider their music to be good for improving technique, so I tend to notice their music being played by many intermediate to early advanced students. I would agree with the rest you've listed though. I think the works of Medtner and Bortkiewicz are quite beautiful and underplayed and Grainger's to be very fun and enjoyable to listen to. As for the rest of the composers on your list, I don't believe I am too familiar with them, so thanks for the post. I'll be sure to give some of their music a listen. 

[eric0773]

After reading your list, I listened to some of Schytte's short works and find them marvellous. I did not know that composer before, so thanks a lot for sharing.

Example 1 :

Example 2 (low quality, unfortunately) :

His works are available on IMSLP. The easier ones can constitute very pleasing sight-reading material (although most are still too tough for me).

Phillip Sear (second YouTube video) has recorded plenty of works by other unjustifiably obscure composers. His channel is a gold mine!

[jimf]

Thanks for replying!
Eric0773: I am sure that you are going to love his piano concerto. You can find it on youtube!

PS:I forgot to mention Samaras, Martinu, Moszkowski(?) and Hannikainen!  
And do you know where I could find more piano works by Grainger, Peterson-Berger and Novak?

[49410enrique]

it's sad really. i love many of those you listed (especially bortkiewicz, medtner, and grainger!). actually isn't there a quote floating around somewhere where rachmaninoff even stated he believed medtner to be the most important or best composer alive at his time? i'll try to dig it up if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

bortkiewicz, i don't know why he fell into a period of relative obscurity, he wrote some of the most beautiful piano music i have ever heard (and if you missed either thal's or my agreement with his sentiment that his piano concerto no 1 is one of if not the greatest of romantic piano and orchestra works, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen, his etudes are also astonishingly beautiful).

grainger i think fell victim to his 'out of place'  style, he was more in the tonal vein and tradition of composition at a time when there was a lot of buzz and experimentation and fascination with new atonal techniques. there s a really good book out there on him i came across years ago with a section exploring and explaining why he didn't /doesn't get the attention he prolly should.

i would also add kosenko to that list (if you missed his piano concerto yt link i posted in the concerto thread yesterday). i like him a lot. if you want to learn a bit more about him, i uploaded some notes to my scribd feed yesterday which talks about him and his incredible op 19 set of etudes-of which he wrote more than one set ( if you like baroque dance styles, bach, etc. these op 19 are well worth your exploring
https://www.scribd.com/doc/118746155/Viktor-Victor-Stepanovych-Kosenko-Piano-Music-Vol-1-Eleven-Etudes-in-the-Form-of-Old-Dances-Op-19 )
example
this seems to be the most 'popular' (at least amongst those that even know of its existance) of the bunch:

i've also not seen this specifically discussed but this is by far THE LONGEST ETUDE I HAVE EVER SEEN. if there is a longer one, it must be a monster becuase this thing is huge. it is also one of the most varied etudes i have come across with regard to the multitude and variety of technical challenges it presents (see notes i linked to), as most etudes usually have a single or small set of related difficulties you must deal with, this one is all over the place!

[jimf]

it's sad really. i love many of those you listed (especially bortkiewicz, medtner, and grainger!). actually isn't there a quote floating around somewhere where rachmaninoff even stated he believed medtner to be the most important or best composer alive at his time? i'll try to dig it up if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

bortkiewicz, i don't know why he fell into a period of relative obscurity, he wrote some of the most beautiful piano music i have ever heard (and if you missed either thal's or my agreement with his sentiment that his piano concerto no 1 is one of if not the greatest of romantic piano and orchestra works, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen, his etudes are also astonishingly beautiful).

grainger i think fell victim to his 'out of place'  style, he was more in the tonal vein and tradition of composition at a time when there was a lot of buzz and experimentation and fascination with new atonal techniques. there s a really good book out there on him i came across years ago with a section exploring and explaining why he didn't /doesn't get the attention he prolly should.

i would also add kosenko to that list (if you missed his piano concerto yt link i posted in the concerto thread yesterday). i like him a lot. if you want to learn a bit more about him, i uploaded some notes to my scribd feed yesterday which talks about him and his incredible op 19 set of etudes-of which he wrote more than one set ( if you like baroque dance styles, bach, etc. these op 19 are well worth your exploring
https://www.scribd.com/doc/118746155/Viktor-Victor-Stepanovych-Kosenko-Piano-Music-Vol-1-Eleven-Etudes-in-the-Form-of-Old-Dances-Op-19 )
example
this seems to be the most 'popular' (at least amongst those that even know of its existance) of the bunch:

i've also not seen this specifically discussed but this is by far THE LONGEST ETUDE I HAVE EVER SEEN. if there is a longer one, it must be a monster becuase this thing is huge. it is also one of the most varied etudes i have come across with regard to the multitude and variety of technical challenges it presents (see notes i linked to), as most etudes usually have a single or small set of related difficulties you must deal with, this one is all over the place!

Wow, what a great gem you have uncovered! He is very underrated indeed... I just listened to his piano concerto, all I can say is WOW...  
About Bortkiewicz, I also think that his first concerto is one of the best written, I would put it next to my other champions, Rach 3, Grieg, Stenhammar 1, Liszt 1, Prok 3 and Moszkowski...  
(As you can see I LOVE the romantic era...)  

[thesixthsensemusic]

Medtner isn't obscure at all. I came across dozens of his works when browsing old vinyls in the local record store and he was a staple of the repertoire of Emil Gilels and other great Soviet pianists.

[naturlaut]

Obscurity can apply to both the public and the professionals.  Many of these composers are well known among pianists but they aren't well received with public (eg, Medtner's sonatas) and hence the lack of public's recognition.  And this vicious cycle chases around its tail on and on.

With the popularization of imslp, YouTube and a couple of these internet forums (or fora) a lot of these composers are now seeing the limelight more and more.  Big recording labels like Hyperion also helped a lot. 

A lot of these composers weren't very good at marketing themselves to begin with.  Rachmaninoff became successful due to his move to the US: he actually stopped composing after the came (from 1917 to 1943 he wrote on 6 works) and made his living as a performer, both on stage and in the studio.  Medtner's career, however, didn't even set foot in the US; and in between the world wars this reticent composer really needed a lot of promoting and marketing, which he never got.  Same happened to Bortkiewicz.

The composers' circle is startling small, and if you are not part of it, history will not remember you at all.