Welcome back!

[Alan Howe]

Eitgher we have the forum as it is, devoted to unsung composers of all kinds and all persuasions from all eras

The forum never was "devoted to unsung composers of all kinds and all persuasions from all eras": for example, we never permitted exploration of music written pre-1800 (with the occasional interesting exception). What we have done is to return UC to its roots while preserving other material in the archive.

[Peter1953]

I am very pleased with the changes, most of all that the UC site is now restricted to romantic classical music only. Personally I have absolutely nothing with avant garde and other modern would-be classical music, but I much appreciate other members opinions and feelings towards the changes.  Mark and Alan, you're doing a wonderful and admirable job!

[Mark Thomas]

Thank you very much, Peter.

[Alan Howe]

I'm so pleased, Peter. Thank you!

[Elroel]

Sorry Mark and Alan, but for me you downgraded Unsung Composers from a broad glancing forum into a far less interesting one. Maybe you'd better changed the name into Unsung Romantics, for now you've excluded many great unsung composers.
I'm not sure I have much to offer now to the members, as many works in my collection are apparently too modern.
I love the romantics, let there be no doubt, but it never stopped me from looking over the boundaries, finding there so many beautiful, maybe sometimes more difficult, music. And that was precisely what I found in the 'old' UC.
Only good thing: you left everything in an 'Archive' area, I thank you for that.
I hope UC in its renewed form will still be of interest for many.

Best regards,


Elroel

[malito]

Gentlemen:  I am so pleased to see that you are still in business.  I was bereft at thinking I might lose this wonderful opportunity to continue hearing music I never dreamt I would. I cannot thank you enough.  I do apologize for being a complete idiot with computers.  I have offered a few things like Barisons  and some Cuclin which A.S. had uploaded for me. Believe me when I say htis has meant a GREAT deal to me and given me something to do in what has wound up being a somewhat boring retirement.  Again, thank you so very much.

Malito (Malcolm Parker, Tucson, Arizona)

[Jimfin]

I must agree in feeling saddened at the narrowing of the remit of the site. I can only hope that someone somewhere will be able to set up a complementary site devoted to later unsung music. However, there are plenty of unsung romantics I am fond of, so I shall certainly continue to enjoy what is offered here.

[Amphissa]

Alan and Mark, I can only applaud your solution to the many issues you were grappling with.

Limiting downloads to broadcasts is a prudent compromise in trying to navigate the ins and outs of copyright restrictions. Yes, I will miss the digitized LPs. But UC is not the first site to have chosen this solution to the problem of copyright. Your solution will simplify your management of downloads significantly.

Limiting discussion and downloads to romantic style music is in line with the original purpose of the site, so a return to that original focus is certainly understandable. I've never been able to enjoy the abrasiveness of much modern music and the aimless ambling of more recent composers. Yet I have liked trying out some of the more contemporary composers whose works got posted. As Gian Carlo Menotti once said, "A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate depth of his ignorance." I would rather have heard the works and disliked them than to have not tried them at all. Nonetheless, I fully appreciate your decision.

But finally, and most importantly, I want to express to you my sincere gratitude. I know that you were both wearing down, not having fun, and struggling for solutions. Those of us who have been around awhile have always been grateful most of all for the mere existence of Unsung Composers -- a place to discuss with our fellows our thoughts and to share our discoveries.

Rather than lament the limitations of UC, I shall instead thank you once again for creating and continuing the site.

[oleander55]

Well, like almost everything else I've run across lately, it was too good to last.

[semloh]

I must agree in feeling saddened at the narrowing of the remit of the site. I can only hope that someone somewhere will be able to set up a complementary site devoted to later unsung music. However, there are plenty of unsung romantics I am fond of, so I shall certainly continue to enjoy what is offered here.

Jim, that's good to hear! I too benefited enormously from being exposed to music which fell outside the forum's original remit but, as we both know, these restrictions are necessary to secure its future. There's still a lot to share and explore, we have wonderfully informed and articulate members, and I am pleased that we will continue to have your company. 

A complementary forum dedicated to other genres of Unsungs would be great, especially for those members who are interested in that type of music, have generously contributed to this forum, and are now perhaps feeling at a loss. But it takes someone who, like Mark and Alan, have the passion, ability and fortitude to set up and run a forum....

[Sydney Grew]

. . . I can only hope that someone somewhere will be able to set up a complementary site devoted to later unsung music. . . .

Done! (Please refer to separate thread.)

. . . However, there are plenty of unsung romantics I am fond of, so I shall certainly continue to enjoy what is offered here.

Likewise.

[jerfilm]

I, too, applaud your decision and thank you for all of your labors.  It's a wonderful site.  Recently for me it has been almost unwieldly scouring through all of the many posts and ultimately marking about 85% of them as "read".   I can only imagine how time consuming it had become for Mark and Alan.  And welcome to the team, Semloh......
Jerry

[edurban]

Thanks for the refocus, gentlemen.  I generally feel that it is better to ignore something that doesn't interest me than to complain about it, but lately the threads I passed over seemed to outnumber the ones that quickened my pulse.  Thanks for taking the pains to work through this issue, and for all your hard work over the years.

David

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks to one and all for these messages posted whilst the UK was asleep.

I'm particularly grateful to those of you who regret the changes, for the measured and understanding way in which you've reacted to them. Thanks also to Sydney Grew for expanding his existing forum - it's a very sensible and welcome move.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks to all who have posted here - especially to those who have expressed disappointment at our return to our roots. I sincerely hope you will still feel able to contribute as and when you feel so moved.