Joined
·
149 Posts
hello,
I've noticed an interesting phenomena: that taste can depend on nationality. I can't decide whether this is a good or bad thing.
On the negative side is this: it limits one. If one hears one's own countries music exclusively, you loose something. Many countries contributed ( though the big four, Italy, France and Germany-Austria and Russia seem to have the largest share ), to the devopment of music. Often you see people from different countries only hearing their own composers, and you think; do they know what they're missing?
On the positive side, it is interesting to indentify with composers who speak your own language ( Nothing will convince me to like english classical song however ). By the way they write, you can almost hear the sounds of the language, as though, though you can't hear the words, you can understand what the instruments are saying easier.
From my own experience, The english musical tradition is strong in Canada. Canada is an essentially british culture with strong american influences. It essentially french in quebec, but quebec is very different from the rest of Canada. I know my french Canadian composition teacher has an entirely different musical tradition from mine; he speaks of Debussy as though he was the best composer in history! Canada has no national composer. I hate to be honest but; Canadian composers suck. They rate just behind Guatemala in popularity and quality stakes .
So most of Canada identifies strongly with the british compositional tradition. The most popular composers are still the "three germans" Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but among the greats listed is also Tallis, Byrd,Holst, Dowland, Walton and especially the all pervasive "english four" Purcell, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten. Those last four are shockingly common, so much so that at the local library there are around 50 Purcell, 30 Britten, 30 Vaughan Williams and 40 Elgar CDs, but only around 25 Beethoven, and then mainly his quartets not his symphonies. Also other british composers, Delius, Tippet, Bax, Brian all the way down to really obscure ones like Thomas Arne and Peter Warlock! The last two there are two CDs of each
.
This means I have a quite good idea of English music. English composers are quite common here. As are some early american composers, but no where near the volume of british composers.
Does this occur in other countries? It certainly seems some americans have heard quite a bit of their own, but not enough of others, music ( in another forum I read post titled: "Glass or Copland, which is the greatest composer of all time" )
I've heard this form of Nationalism takes a sinister turn in some countries. For instance, the Vienna Philharmonic won't hire anyone who doesn't look "Austrian" ( i.e. isn't white ). Ever since I read that I've made sure not to buy any CDs by them
What are your thoughts?
godzilla
PS; a benefit of the local Elgar fanaticism is that I've heard fifteen different reccordings of the 'Cello concerto
I've noticed an interesting phenomena: that taste can depend on nationality. I can't decide whether this is a good or bad thing.
On the negative side is this: it limits one. If one hears one's own countries music exclusively, you loose something. Many countries contributed ( though the big four, Italy, France and Germany-Austria and Russia seem to have the largest share ), to the devopment of music. Often you see people from different countries only hearing their own composers, and you think; do they know what they're missing?
On the positive side, it is interesting to indentify with composers who speak your own language ( Nothing will convince me to like english classical song however ). By the way they write, you can almost hear the sounds of the language, as though, though you can't hear the words, you can understand what the instruments are saying easier.
From my own experience, The english musical tradition is strong in Canada. Canada is an essentially british culture with strong american influences. It essentially french in quebec, but quebec is very different from the rest of Canada. I know my french Canadian composition teacher has an entirely different musical tradition from mine; he speaks of Debussy as though he was the best composer in history! Canada has no national composer. I hate to be honest but; Canadian composers suck. They rate just behind Guatemala in popularity and quality stakes .
So most of Canada identifies strongly with the british compositional tradition. The most popular composers are still the "three germans" Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but among the greats listed is also Tallis, Byrd,Holst, Dowland, Walton and especially the all pervasive "english four" Purcell, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten. Those last four are shockingly common, so much so that at the local library there are around 50 Purcell, 30 Britten, 30 Vaughan Williams and 40 Elgar CDs, but only around 25 Beethoven, and then mainly his quartets not his symphonies. Also other british composers, Delius, Tippet, Bax, Brian all the way down to really obscure ones like Thomas Arne and Peter Warlock! The last two there are two CDs of each
. This means I have a quite good idea of English music. English composers are quite common here. As are some early american composers, but no where near the volume of british composers.
Does this occur in other countries? It certainly seems some americans have heard quite a bit of their own, but not enough of others, music ( in another forum I read post titled: "Glass or Copland, which is the greatest composer of all time"
)I've heard this form of Nationalism takes a sinister turn in some countries. For instance, the Vienna Philharmonic won't hire anyone who doesn't look "Austrian" ( i.e. isn't white ). Ever since I read that I've made sure not to buy any CDs by them
What are your thoughts?
godzilla
PS; a benefit of the local Elgar fanaticism is that I've heard fifteen different reccordings of the 'Cello concerto
