Sung composers that you just "don't get"

[Amphissa]

I agree with Gauk. There are some Romantic era composers, both sung and unsung, whose music just doesn't do anything for me (boring) or I just don't enjoy listening to (irritating). There are also some of the composer royalty outside the purview of UC who bore me to tears. But the thing is, I understand what they are doing, so I "get" them. I just don't waste time on them.

[Alan Howe]

As I pointed out before, this thread dates back to the former incarnation of UC which permitted the discussion of later music. Hardly surprisingly, debate was mostly about this later music and the problem of comprehension ('getting it') involved. As Amphissa has said, Romantic-era music doesn't really elicit the same problematic response. Thus, we might not like a particular composer from this era, but that's not the same as not understanding him/her.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I think this thread has run out of steam.

[sdtom]

I find that the more I listen to a composer the more "I get." The exception are some of the newer composers such as Glass who I have a difficult time with.
Tom

[Alan Howe]

I agree with Gareth. Still, we'll see...

[semloh]

.... the steam has evaporated .....

[Amphissa]

What I don't "get" is the level of appreciation for some composers that bore or irritate me. 

[Gareth Vaughan]

Well that's because "one man's meat is another man's poison", I suppose. You may have read on this forum my views on Gorecki's 3rd symphony - it bored me to death, yet hundreds of people thought it was really wonderful. I thought they were being conned... I didn't "get" its popularity. You may disagree, of course, and are entitled to do so.

[Mark Thomas]

It really isn't possible to debate, or draw any conclusions from, personal taste. We are none of us obliged to like, or indeed "get" (whatever that means), any individual piece of music, or the whole oeuvre of a composer. That's why discussions along the lines of "I like" and "I don't don't like" are so sterile, even though they might go on for 18 pages! Explaining why we have these preferences is a great deal more illuminating, but that's often much harder to do.

[jerfilm]

My last word....

Quite right, Mark.  For some folks, it seems to be an attitude.  For many years, we sat next to a delightful couple at the MO concerts - got to be good friends, meet for dinner, that sort of thing.  But he "got" the 20th century stuff and whenever (Which was every week during the Skrowaczewski tenure) they performed one, he'd turn to me and say "Wasn't that inspiring?" or some similar remark.  And he wasn't kidding.  For me, he always made me feel like an ignorant bumpkin from the Boondocks.  I know, I know, that's also an attitude.  Bad one, at that.  But he and his wife were both Doctors and his daughter played 2nd violin in the orchestra....... which simply reinforced my prejudiced attitude......

J

[Amphissa]

I guess my rolling-eyes emoticon was not enough to clue that my comment was intended tongue in cheek. Yes, it is true that there is music that I do not care to spend time listening to. But if others like it, I have no problem with that, or with them. That applies to those who enjoy modernist abrasive stuff as well as Baroque or other styles of music that I don't really want to spend time listening to.

Except, of course, for those who like Mozart. How anyone can listen to that drek is beyond me. They are so severely brain damaged, I'm surprised they can feed themselves.

Do I need an emoticon for that?

[semloh]

I don't see the point in having a thread that is used to express personal dislikes of 'sung' composers. I dare say we could all name one that we believe is overrated - I certainly have done so - but it just doesn't seem to fit with the purpose and spirit of UC, so I'm all for closing this thread.

[Mark Thomas]

OK. Executive decision. Thread closed!!