list of most prolific symphony composers (revised)
John Bicketts
Here's a list I made of the most prolific symphony writers (that I
know of):
Symphonies
Name Numbered Total Lifespan Country
John Melchior Molter 169 1696-1765 Germany
Karl von Dittersdorf 120 150? 1739-1799 Austria
Franz Joseph Haydn 104 125? 1732-1807 Austria
Christoph Graupner 115? 1683-1760 Germany
John Baptiste Vanhal 100 1739-1813 Holland
Karl Philipp Stamitz 80? 1745-1801 Germany
Giovanni Sammartini 77 1700-1775 Italy
Johann Wenzel Stamitz 70? 1717-1757 Germany
Franz Xaver Richter 70? 1709-1789 Austria
Ignaz Holzbauer 65 1711-1783 Austria
Adalbert Gyrowetz 60+ 1763-1850 Austria
Alan Hovhannes 60? 1911- America
Wolfgang A. Mozart 41 55? 1756-1791 Austria
Johann Christian Bach 50? 1735-1782 Germany
Michael Haydn 43 1737-1806 Austria
Frantisek X. Dusek 40? 1731-1799 Austria
Anton Filtz 39? 1725-1760 aBohemia
Havergal Brian 33 33 1876-1972 Britain
Francois Gossec 30+ 1734-1829 France
Georg Wagenseil 30? 1715-1777 Germany
Leopold Kozeluh c.30 1754-1818 Bohemia
Nikolai Y.Miaskovsky 27 27 1880-1950 Russia
Luigi Boccherini 25? 1743-1805 Italy
Leopold Mozart 25 25?? 1719-1787 Austria
Giovanni Battista Martini 24 1706-1784 Italy
Matthias Georg Monn 21 1717-1750 Austria
Franz Beck 20+?? 1723-1809 Germany
Carl Philipp Emaneul Bach 18 18? 1714-1788 Germany
Bernardo Aliprandi 18? 1710-1792
I hardly gutted the library on this, so if you see any errors or
possible addittions, go ahead and say it.
ps out of all these I've only heard Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini and JC
Bach
--
- John Bicketts
Send email to sfei...@mach3ww.com
Due to unreliable newsfeed, please email AND post replies
Mark Starr
John Bicketts wrote:
>
> Here's a list I made of the most prolific symphony writers (that I
> know of):
> Symphonies
> Name Numbered Total Lifespan Country
>
> John Melchior Molter 169 1696-1765 Germany
The total of Molter's symphonies is less than 169. The thematic
catalogue of his work in the Karlsruhe Library contains many
duplicates and works that are not symphonies. The real total
is around 147.
Moreover, you neglected to include Johann Gottlieb Graun (1703-1771)
who composed 117 symphonies.
> Karl von Dittersdorf 120 150? 1739-1799 Austria
More like 107.
> - John Bicketts
BTW, who wrote the symphony with the most movements? Alan Hovhannes'
"St. Vartan" Symphony has 24 movements.
Who wrote the shortest symphonies? Between 1917-1923, Darius
Milhaud composed six "Symphonies minutes." The timing for each
of these symphonies is approximately four minutes.
Who wrote the longest symphony ever composed? In this category,
there is a huge gap between un-performed symphonies and performed
symphonies, between un-published symphonies and published
symphonies, and between projected symphonies and completed
symphonies. I can name at least three symphonies (or symphonic
poems) that might last somewhere between 2-and-1/2 hours and
five hours. But these are works that have never been performed,
published, or in one case completed. I don't claim to know
the longest symphony ever performed (or recorded). Anyone care to
try his/her luck?
--
^^^^^
ธ.ทณฐจดฏฏดจฐณท.ธ(ฏ`ท._< Regards >_.ทดฏ)ธ.ทณฐจดฏฏดจฐณท.ธ
~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~ from: Mark Starr ~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~
ธ.ทณฐจด> st...@inow.com <ดจฐณท.ธ
<<<< ~~~ >>>>
Kjetil Helstrup
John Bicketts wrote:
>
> Here's a list I made of the most prolific symphony writers (that I
> know of):
> Symphonies
> Name Numbered Total Lifespan Country
>
> John Melchior Molter 169 1696-1765 Germany
> possible addittions, go ahead and say it.
> ps out of all these I've only heard Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini and JC
> Bach
>
> --
>
> - John Bicketts
>
> Send email to sfei...@mach3ww.com
>
> Due to unreliable newsfeed, please email AND post replies
Why are classical collectors so obsessed with numbers?
Isn't this a bit unfair? (while not totally uninteresting, admittedly)
I mean, stack up the scores of the ca 18 symphonies by Mr Aliprandi
next to the ca 10 by Mahler. Then ask again, who was the most prolific?
And what is a symphony anyway? Das Lied? Tchaikovskys Manfred? Bartoks
Concerto for Orchestra? (Why not really?) Shostakovich 14?
Then comes the question of quality....
You see, just give me a year, and *I* can be on top of this list, just
scribbling down short pieces, never mind quality, say two every day,
call them symphonies. Wow, that will be an impressive 730!!!
Kjetil
Kastchei
what i would like to see, is numbers of how many they produced compared
to how many are actually good! let's face it. many of the symphonies
just don't catch you by the ear, or even attempt to swat at it! i think
if they put more time into quality rather than quantity, maybe haydn
would actually have 10 symphonies i like!
mike
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
*^* *^* *^*
*^* *^* You can surrender without a prayer, *^*
*^* Michael Lee Cooney *^* But never really pray without surrender; *^*
*^* *^* You can fight without ever winning, *^*
*^* ml...@acpub.duke.edu *^* But never ever win without a fight. *^*
*^* *^* -Rush *^*
*^* *^* *^*
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Eric Schissel
Er, aren't you confusing Milhaud's petites symphonies with his
operas-minutes to come up with the symphonies-minutes title?
The longest symphony I know of- non-repetitive, of course- is Sorabji's
symphony no. 3 "Jami". Short ones include Brian's symphonia (sp?) brevis
(sym. 22, about 9 minutes) and Webern's symphony (about the same).
-Eric Schissel
Krehbiel, Hanns
A symphony is not a sinfonie is not a sinfonia. In these countings the
specific weight is ignored. What one should count, if it were feasible:
How many noteheads did a composer write in all pieces named symphony
(sinfonia etc.) together?
I think Mahler wouldn't look so bad besides Graun.
Jon Bell
In article <335D6A...@mach3ww.com>,
John Bicketts <sfei...@mach3ww.com> wrote:
>Here's a list I made of the most prolific symphony writers (that I
>know of):
> Symphonies
>Name Numbered Total Lifespan Country
>Franz Joseph Haydn 104 125? 1732-1807 Austria
I think Haydn's total is pretty well established as 107. Two of the
three un-numbered ones survive, and are (at least on Dorati's
complete cycle) known as "A" and "B". The third one has been lost,
but there's an entry for it in Haydn's own catalog of his works.
And if you ask me, there are few "duds" among Haydn's passel of
symphonies! The more I listen to Haydn, the more I marvel at him.
And don't forget the string quartets, and the piano trios, and the
operas...
--
Jon Bell <jtb...@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
John Bicketts
Krehbiel, Hanns wrote:
>
> A symphony is not a sinfonie is not a sinfonia.
I have a German-made vinyl set of Furtwangler's Beethoven symphonies.
and on the labels they are called "sinfonies" - isnt that just
'symphony' in another language?
In these countings the
> specific weight is ignored. What one should count, if it were feasible:
> How many noteheads did a composer write in all pieces named symphony
> (sinfonia etc.) together?
>
> I think Mahler wouldn't look so bad besides Graun.
>
> kreh...@desy.de
--
John Bicketts
Kjetil Helstrup wrote:
>
> John Bicketts wrote:
> >
> > Here's a list I made of the most prolific symphony writers (that I
> > know of):
> > Symphonies
> > Name Numbered Total Lifespan Country
> >
> > Karl von Dittersdorf 120 150? 1739-1799 Austria
> > possible addittions, go ahead and say it.
> > ps out of all these I've only heard Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini and JC
> > Bach
> >
> >
> > - John Bicketts
> >
> > Send email to sfei...@mach3ww.com
> >
> > Due to unreliable newsfeed, please email AND post replies
>
> Isn't this a bit unfair? (while not totally uninteresting, admittedly)
> I mean, stack up the scores of the ca 18 symphonies by Mr Aliprandi
I maybe shouldnt have put him in.. not THAT prolific, really...
And I should have counted Shostakovich's 15, then.
> next to the ca 10 by Mahler.
We could make a list of 'symphonies with the biggest orchestras'- I
think Mahler's 8th would be on the top of it if I'm not mistaken.
Then ask again, who was the most prolific?
> And what is a symphony anyway? Das Lied? Tchaikovskys Manfred? Bartoks
> Concerto for Orchestra? (Why not really?) Shostakovich 14?
> Then comes the question of quality....
Indeed. There is probably a reason why the names of Gyrowetz and
Graupner are not engraved in immortality, though I cant be sure cuz I
havent heard 'em.
> You see, just give me a year, and *I* can be on top of this list, just
> scribbling down short pieces, never mind quality, say two every day,
> call them symphonies. Wow, that will be an impressive 730!!!
>
> Kjetil
--
Eric Schissel
In article <33617C...@mach3ww.com>,
John Bicketts <sfei...@mach3ww.com> wrote:
>We could make a list of 'symphonies with the biggest orchestras'- I
>think Mahler's 8th would be on the top of it if I'm not mistaken.
If we're going to do statistics- I'd rather not- Brian's 1st symphony wins
here by a wide margin among playable and good works. (And it's much better
than Mahler's 8th, though then again, Mahler's 8th is the weakest of his
11 symphonies.)
>
>Indeed. There is probably a reason why the names of Gyrowetz and
>Graupner are not engraved in immortality, though I cant be sure cuz I
>havent heard 'em.
I've heard both IIRC. They do deserve better.
-Eric Schissel
