I consider the Nielsen 5th Symphony one of the greatest masterpieces ever
written by anyone. Every movement is strikingly original and engaging
throughout. Why this symphony is not more popular is one of the greatest
mysteries of all time.
The 1st movement is one of the most sinister pieces of music ever written.
That snare drum and clarinet wrench the heart with dread. The following
movement is equally imbued with a sense of dread. This music just overflows
with anxiety. It is like the end of the world is upon us - or is it The
Rapture! All I know for sure is that this music has an intensity about it
that no other composer ever equaled.
I never tire of this symphony but it exhausts me. It feels like it takes
years off of my life - or maybe it is adding years to my life. I never know
for sure. In any event this is music to drive you either insane or sane.
Take your choice.
Music is the greatest of all the arts. None of the other arts can compare.
Not to know great music means that you have missed out most horribly. Yea,
become acquainted with the Nielsen 5th and you have truly arrived. It is an
apotheosis.
Mr. Sherman is an expert on the bicycle and all that relates to it. But
maybe I know a thing or two about great music since I have spent my whole
life doing little else except listening to it. This 5th Symphony of Nielsen
will repay repeated listening. If you do not like it at first, just keep at
it. Eventually you will love it. It is easily the equal of Beethoven.
Best Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
Doesn't stop him being a pillock.
Are you kidding? -- that symphony makes me think of a march to a
prison camp in winter. Neilsen trend towards Shostakovich -- which
might suit Tom's politics, but still, he needs something more happy.
The second movement is happier, but not happy enough.
Here's my vote: he's living in Iowa, give him some good Iowa music --
Dvorak New World, written in NY but finished up in Iowa (I think). No
muss no fuss -- much less angst. Or the Slavonic Dances -- the
happiest of music from the Bohemian tunemeister. Or how about Virgil
Thompson "The Plow the Broke the Plain." Good mid-west, government
sponsored WPA music. Git along little dogies! -- Jay Beattie.
A somewhat truncated mpeg of "The Plow that Broke the Plains" is
available online at the Internet Archive (I think it's a little corny
but I love historical ephemera.) The farmer shown in part of it is, I
read, one Bam White who, along with his son Melt are major characters
in the book "The Worst Hard Times", a fabulous read in itself and
highly recommended if you're experiencing winter downtime and need a
reason to stay awake. Americans used to think we could achieve the
impossible, and sometimes we actually could. Whatever happened to
that?
sa
>> Are you kidding? -- that symphony makes me think of a march to a
prison camp in winter. Neilsen trend towards Shostakovich -- which
might suit Tom's politics, but still, he needs something more happy.
The second movement is happier, but not happy enough.
I will admit you have to be ready for some angst. One cannot live on happy
music alone.
>> Here's my vote: he's living in Iowa, give him some good Iowa music --
Dvorak New World, written in NY but finished up in Iowa (I think). No
muss no fuss -- much less angst. Or the Slavonic Dances -- the
happiest of music from the Bohemian tunemeister. Or how about Virgil
Thompson "The Plow the Broke the Plain." Good mid-west, government
sponsored WPA music. Git along little dogies! -- Jay Beattie.
I am assuming that Mr. Sherman is already well acquainted with the above
music. I am trying to give him something that he may not know even though he
is of Danish ancestry.
> Doesn't stop him being a pillock.
Now there's a coincidence!
Mike
--
Mike Causer
Not always: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masquerade_%28Nielsen%29>.
> -- which
> might suit Tom's politics, but still, he needs something more happy.
> The second movement is happier, but not happy enough.
>
> Here's my vote: he's living in Iowa, give him some good Iowa music --
> Dvorak New World, written in NY but finished up in Iowa (I think). No
> muss no fuss -- much less angst. Or the Slavonic Dances -- the
> happiest of music from the Bohemian tunemeister.[...]
I would have picked the Czech Suite, or possibly the Carnival Overture
as the happiest.
--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
Thanks Ed.
> before I pass
> from this vale of tears. Here it is - a recommendation for him to acquire
> the Karl Nielsen Symphony No. 5. Nielsen was Danish and Mr. Sherman has
> often referred to his Danish ancestry on these newsgroups. This 5th Symphony
> will ennoble anyone who gives it an honest listen.[...]
>
Ed must be mellowing with age. :)
Yes, Carnival Overture -- I loved that one as a kid. It was bundled on
an album with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony playing the "New
World." I don't know the Czech Suite (at least I don't recall it),
but all the Bohemian folk-song based music is really tuney. Dvorak was
a rock star in his time. -- Jay Beattie.
>> Yes, Carnival Overture -- I loved that one as a kid. It was bundled on
an album with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony playing the "New
World." I don't know the Czech Suite (at least I don't recall it),
but all the Bohemian folk-song based music is really tuney. Dvorak was
a rock star in his time. -- Jay Beattie.
Who doesn't like Dvorak, but still he was not on the same level as Beethoven
and Brahms, Schubert and Schumann. The Germans are the masters of music. No
other people came close to them in the realm of fine art music except
possibly the Russians. However, other peoples do have very fine folk music
which can easily compete with German folk music.
What has always interested me is why the English and the Irish never
produced any great composers. The English dearly love music (I think there
are at least 5 major symphony orchestras in London alone), but apparently
composition is not in their nature. Even Elgar was only so-so. Vaughn
Williams - really horrible stuff! Handel and Delius were Germans only
residing in England.
See
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqZwgedukdk&feature=PlayList&p=241E153799BA6522&index=3>
for the Czech Suite - you will want is in a high definition format after
hearing it.
It should be considered that London due to its relatively compact
geography has more orchestras than musicians to staff them, with many
musicians playing in two, three or even more groups.
> but apparently
> composition is not in their nature. Even Elgar was only so-so. Vaughn
> Williams - really horrible stuff! Handel and Delius were Germans only
> residing in England.
>
"If Purcell had lived, he would have written greater music than this" -
G.F. Handel on part of Jeptha being compared to Purcell.
Thomas Linley and George Pinto were potentially great English composers,
had they not died way too young.
Britten was very good. I would also highly recommend Simpson.
Yes, but consider the English appetite for this type of music. Only in
London - not in New York!
>> but apparently composition is not in their nature. Even Elgar was only
>> so-so. Vaughn Williams - really horrible stuff! Handel and Delius were
>> Germans only residing in England.
>>
> "If Purcell had lived, he would have written greater music than this" -
> G.F. Handel on part of Jeptha being compared to Purcell.
Yes, but much of baroque music was formula music and is not to be compared
with later music.
> Thomas Linley and George Pinto were potentially great English composers,
> had they not died way too young.
???
Britten was NOT very good. He was just barely passable. I think what screwed
him up the most was his homosexuality. I cannot think of a single
composition of his that will stand the test of time.
Well, you can recommend Simpson, but no one has ever heard of him. That says
it all in the field of fine art music. If you not renown, then you are
nothing and rightfully so.
I will not bother to look up either of these two English composers since
they have no renown. Not to have renown in the world of fine art music
(classical music) means that you did not make it. Why waste time on
nonentities.
A closed mind is a wonderful thing to behold. It means you have learned
everything you have ever wanted to learn and that you do not want to learn
anything new. Now perhaps you begin to appreciate why Ed Dolan is so Great!
I always like playing Purcell -- a lot of good brass choir music. And
if you go way back, the English had some great Renaissance composers
like Tallis (Spam in Aluminum), Byrd and the Holbornes, Dowland, etc.,
but you have to like that kind of music and all those nasally sounding
instruments.
Personally, I love Enigma Variations, the Planets and a lot of band
music written by both Hosts and Elgar. I also like RVW's In the Fen
Country and a lot of his symphonies (I have the symphonies done by
Adrian Boult on EMI). Frank likes the Lark Ascending, which is also
engaging. But none of these later English composers really stretched
their genres like Mozart or the three Bs. The Germans really did have
a lock on musical genius for quite a while. But then the English got
the Beatles, which more than evened the score.
BTW, none of this orchestral music is all that great for roller riding
(required bicycle content -- and except for Mendelssohn's Italian
Symphony, which was good enough for "Breaking Away." ) -- Jay Beattie.
>> I always like playing Purcell -- a lot of good brass choir music. And
if you go way back, the English had some great Renaissance composers
like Tallis (Spam in Aluminum), Byrd and the Holbornes, Dowland, etc.,
but you have to like that kind of music and all those nasally sounding
instruments.
>> Personally, I love Enigma Variations, the Planets and a lot of band
music written by both Hosts [Holst) and Elgar. I also like RVW's In the Fen
Country and a lot of his symphonies (I have the symphonies done by
Adrian Boult on EMI). Frank likes the Lark Ascending, which is also
engaging. But none of these later English composers really stretched
their genres like Mozart or the three Bs. The Germans really did have
a lock on musical genius for quite a while. But then the English got
the Beatles, which more than evened the score.
>> BTW, none of this orchestral music is all that great for roller riding
(required bicycle content -- and except for Mendelssohn's Italian
Symphony, which was good enough for "Breaking Away." ) -- Jay Beattie.
Jay is trying to make the best of a bad situation (but he is right about
Elgar's Enigma Variations). But it takes nothing away from the English that
they produced no great composers. After all, the English genius was for
literature, not music. And the French genius was for the visual arts, again
not music. That is why Paris is the most beautiful city in the world.
The Beatles were an abomination only exceeded by Elvis Presley in bad taste,
but that is pop music for you - ever the opiate of the masses. We
aristocrats consider pop music as only suitable for kids under the age of
12.
Bruckner was the greatest bore who ever lived. Only monks like that kind of
crap. Genres do not need to be stretched when they are already perfect.
Brahms wrote the most civilized music of any composer who ever lived.
Furthermore, he was his own severest critic. You cannot find a single piece
of music by Brahms that is not excellent. You cannot say this about any
other composer, not even Beethoven.
A popular song (in some circles) just for Ed Dolan:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_0WXSpmS-w>.
Nope, not enough information. You ought to know by now that I never go to a
link unless I know what to expect.
I am now monitoring several cycling newsgroups and do not have a clue to
what you are referencing. All posts must be complete in and of themselves. I
will never go to a link unless I know what to expect. Hints are for the
birds.
Here is Tom Sherman being cryptic. Anyone interested in deciphering this? Of
course not. It is why Mr. Sherman is forever at odds with all mankind. It is
hubris to think that anyone is going to make an effort to bother with
eccentricities like this.
He needs to know I will NEVER go to a link unless I can know what to expect.
He is just wasting his time posting links until he fulfills this very basic
task of providing the necessary information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHGOl-jfUK0
--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971