Discovery of previously unknown work by the most "sung" composer...

[kolaboy]

Thomas Arne's song Sweetest Bard That Ever Sung. I heard it in a broadcast featuring little known songs on the subject of Shakespeare some years ago, and it has remained with me ever since.

[Delicious Manager]

Going back to unsung works by Mozart, one I always cite is the wonderful incidental music Thamos of Egypt. It dates from around the same time as his opera Idomeneo and represents about 40 minutes of orchestral movements vocal solo numbers and choruses which are all top-notch Mozart, but which never see the light of day. I would also make a strong case for some of the under-performed symphonies, especially No 21 (K 134) and No 33 (K 319), the latter of which includes in its first movement, the first subject of what would later become the magnificent last movement of the Jupiter Symphony.

Handel wrote three Concerti a due cori, which were composed as interval pieces to be performed between the acts of his operas. They comprise suites of 'recycled' Handel material and were probably written as much as publicity tools for Handel as anything else. They make great, entertaining listening, however, and I'm amazed they have never been taken up as regular concert items (many people would know most of the tunes, after all).

Back to Tchaikovsky. His incidental music to The Snow Maiden (the same story that inspired Rimsky-Korsakov's opera) is well worth a listen, as is that he wrote for a production of Hamlet (the fantasy overture we now know is an extended version of the original overture to the incidental music). I would say that, compared to its greatness as a piece of music, Manfred is dreadfully unsung.

Some of Shostakovich's best works are all but ignored, including his Fifth String Quartet (written at the same time as the mighty Tenth Symphony), the second concertos for cello and violin and his cantata The Execution of Stepan Razin, one of the most powerful choral/orchestral works of the 20th century. And what about Vaughan Williams' Job? Arguably his finest piece, it never gets heard in the concert hall, which is both a crime and a tragedy.

I couldn't finish without putting in a bid for Holst's Egdon Heath. Holst himself considered it his best work and I would have to agree; it has a stark and menacing beauty unequalled anywhere else in his output.

[JimL]

Going back to unsung works by Mozart, one I always cite is the wonderful incidental music Thamos of Egypt. It dates from around the same time as his opera Idomeneo and represents about 40 minutes of orchestral movements vocal solo numbers and choruses which are all top-notch Mozart, but which never see the light of day. I would also make a strong case for some of the under-performed symphonies, especially No 21 (K 134) and No 33 (K 319), the latter of which includes in its first movement, the first subject of what would later become the magnificent last movement of the Jupiter Symphony.

Handel wrote three Concerti a due cori, which were composed as interval pieces to be performed between the acts of his operas. They comprise suites of 'recycled' Handel material and were probably written as much as publicity tools for Handel as anything else. They make great, entertaining listening, however, and I'm amazed they have never been taken up as regular concert items (many people would know most of the tunes, after all).

Back to Tchaikovsky. His incidental music to The Snow Maiden (the same story that inspired Rimsky-Korsakov's opera) is well worth a listen, as is that he wrote for a production of Hamlet (the fantasy overture we now know is an extended version of the original overture to the incidental music). I would say that, compared to its greatness as a piece of music, Manfred is dreadfully unsung.

Some of Shostakovich's best works are all but ignored, including his Fifth String Quartet (written at the same time as the mighty Tenth Symphony), the second concertos for cello and violin and his cantata The Execution of Stepan Razin, one of the most powerful choral/orchestral works of the 20th century. And what about Vaughan Williams' Job? Arguably his finest piece, it never gets heard in the concert hall, which is both a crime and a tragedy.

I couldn't finish without putting in a bid for Holst's Egdon Heath. Holst himself considered it his best work and I would have to agree; it has a stark and menacing beauty unequalled anywhere else in his output.

Beg to differ with you about K 319.  Here in the States, at least, the B-flat Symphony is a repertory piece.

[Delicious Manager]

Beg to differ with you about K 319.  Here in the States, at least, the B-flat Symphony is a repertory piece.

Interesting how traditions in different countries vary. You'd be hard pushed to find K319 programmed here in the UK. Conversely, some of my American friends bemoan what they see as the under-representation of Sibelius in American concert programmes, whereas he does quite well here.

[JimL]

Beg to differ with you about K 319.  Here in the States, at least, the B-flat Symphony is a repertory piece.

Interesting how traditions in different countries vary. You'd be hard pushed to find K319 programmed here in the UK. Conversely, some of my American friends bemoan what they see as the under-representation of Sibelius in American concert programmes, whereas he does quite well here.

Two Mozart symphonies that are sadly underrepresented on programs are Nos 28 in C, K 200 and 30 in D, K 202.  Instead we get overloaded with K 201 in A, which is a nice enough symphony but overperformed or K 318 in G which is essentially an old-fashioned opera overture without an opera (although it does have some rather ingenious elements in its construction).

[Alan Howe]

Gentlemen, we're way off topic here...

[sdtom]

i]Egdon Heath[/i]. Holst himself considered it his best work and I would have to agree; it has a stark and menacing beauty unequalled anywhere else in his output.

[/quote]

We are certainly in agreement as far as Egdon Heath is concerned. I have the Naxos recording which also has another favorite Beni Mora on it. If it were possible to wear out a CD this would be one!

[Alan Howe]

Ahem! Back to the topic, please!

[eschiss1]

Was listening to a realization of sketches to a Beethoven unfinished late string quintet over at IMSLP- is that near enough to topic? (I was a bit befuddled by it for reasons I could go into some other time. Four words: Schubert symphony(?) on Centaur.)

[TerraEpon]

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=10889&name_role1=1&genre=66&bcorder=19&comp_id=261951 obviously.

I keep seeing that and wondering what the hell it actually is.

[eschiss1]

Oh. I can answer that question, sort of. I meant that as my answer... It presents itself as a reconstruction of an unfinished symphony of Schubert, I think.
A review in Fanfare (one of several, but the others were more positive) when that CD came out suggested, though, that it had a whole great feeling of "doesn't feel right" about it. (And for at least one of the same reasons, at that, that came to mind when I listened to the Beethoven quintet reconstruction.) But that belongs probably to a separate thread about judging, or at least guessing in a good informed (though of course never perfect) way, whether a work is genuine or spurious...

[sdtom]

Yes, the Tchaikovsky Symphony in Eb is from before the Pathetique, so the "No. 7" nomenclature is wrong.

Reading this thread about the 7th Symphony got me to pull out the Chandos recording that I had of this one and it made me realize why I had not re-visited it for a long time. To further muddy the waters the mix Chandos chose was trebly to say the least.
Tom

[oldman]

Probably the most interesting discovery of a sung composer is to be found in the reconstruction of the finale of Bruckner's symphony #9.  I was frankly astonished at how much of the supposedly fragmentary finale actually existed!  The introduction to the "final revised edition" of the finale makes fascinating reading! It is available in full at

http://www.abruckner.com/Data/articles/articlesEnglish/cohrsB9finale/BG_Cohrs_Introduction_SPCM2012.pdf

[eschiss1]

I notice from a listing in BBC's "In Tune" this week a performance of a "recently recovered" album leaf by Brahms. Previously unknown to me, anyway.  What's this about, might I ask?
(In somewhat less recent news there was a well-received - as I recall - motet by Vivaldi that turned up among manuscripts by a less sung contemporary of his... I found that interesting.)

[chill319]

Reading the original article, there is simply no way to know whether the discovered composition is by W. A. Mozart. (This may be patently obvious to members, and I may be missing a joke. If so, please ignore what follows.)

For starters, Mozart was certainly not 13 in 1780, so exactly how is that connection being made?

Second, the experts trotted out in support of this attribution sound less than expert (or less than certain). One is an anonymous "professional music copyist" (in this day and age does that refer to a user of Sibelius or Finale?); the other is a foundation, and despite the sincere wishes of the U.S. Supreme Court, it takes one or more actual well-informed individuals willing to go on record to establish the veracity of an attribution.

Third, we're assured that the piece is not in Mozart's hand. That simplifies things.

Fourth, when Mozart _was_ 13, he and his father sometimes used monasteries as we use Holiday Inns,  and, ever the obliging guests, "sang for their suppers" by leaving behind music, even new symphonies, written for their hosts to play. More than once a piece now known to be by Leopold, signed "Mozart," has been attributed to Wolfgang on stylistic grounds for one specious reason or another.

Fifth, recall the music and arrangements by other composers published as Mozart's own during the 18th century.

In sum, while the discovered piece may indeed be by W.A. Mozart, the (digital!) article raises more questions than it answers.