British Music

[lechner1110]

  Also I would like to say Happy Christmas and many many thanks for all members

  Best wishes from Japan

[jerfilm]

Joyous Holidays to everyone and special thanks to those of you who have spent countless hours digitizing music for us.  This is truly the most amazing forum on the web and I'm so blessed to have gotten to know you all.......

Jerry

[Ser Amantio di Nicolao]

Merry Christmas from the US East Coast (we still have a good few hours to go here).  And seconding (thirding?  Fourthing?) all the good things being said...I've only been here a couple of months, and I've already lost track of the number of times I've wanted to do backflips out of my chair upon seeing the latest download.

I'll probably take a crack at the Constantinescu oratorio later today, but for right now I have Christmas presents to listen to.  Pepita Jiménez, anyone? 

[Alan Howe]

Well, John Veale writes music which I can understand, appreciate and, indeed, love! The upload of Symphony No.3 by Latvian - for which many, many thanks - reveals a composer with an overwhelming sense of the need to communicate in a readily comprehensible idiom. The work, though no doubt in Veale's own style (with which I am hardly familiar), seems pretty deeply indebted to his teacher, Roy Harris - but what a powerful and exciting score it is. A wonderful Xmas present for me...

[Jimfin]

A.S., nice to see someone else is here in Japan! I don't meet many  people interested in unsung composers here!

[Dundonnell]

Well, John Veale writes music which I can understand, appreciate and, indeed, love! The upload of Symphony No.3 by Latvian - for which many, many thanks - reveals a composer with an overwhelming sense of the need to communicate in a readily comprehensible idiom. The work, though no doubt in Veale's own style (with which I am hardly familiar), seems pretty deeply indebted to his teacher, Roy Harris - but what a powerful and exciting score it is. A wonderful Xmas present for me...

More about the Veale 3rd:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Feb04/veale_symphony3.htm

[JollyRoger]

If you enjoy the darker music of Kenneth Leighton (as I do) I think you will thoroughly enjoy the music of William Wordsworth.
My favorite symphony is his 2nd, which is available on Lyrita CD(with the 3rd)
But of those posted for download at unsung, the 5th is by far the best. I am very grateful to the person who posted his music.
Any other music by this composer would be most welcome...

[JollyRoger]

More about the Veale 3rd:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Feb04/veale_symphony3.htm

Its highly unfortunate that in this kink, the writer refers to the writer refers to Veales perception of the Iraq War as "An Illegal one". I wish this were omitted as it does not endear me to this composer.

[Mark Thomas]

That's a shame, because the music itself is powerful and life-affirning. Perhaps reading this biography of Veal might broaden our perception of the man.

[BFerrell]

Iraq? Please let's not go there. Politics and music make very, very bad bedfellows.

[Jimfin]

I quite agree: I'm sure the members on here have a variety of political views which we should keep to ourselves. A number of my favourite composers held views which I strongly disagree with (I'm not saying who, or you'll work my views out!), but I love them nevertheless, and whatever they might have thought of me, had they known me, they opened their hearts in music to me, so let's keep anything political far from this forum.

[albion]

Any other music by [William Wordsworth] would be most welcome...

I am hoping at some point next year to increase Wordsworth's representation in the archive with a number of significant orchestral works -

Sinfonia in A minor for Strings, Op.6 (1939)
Theme and Variations, Op.19 (1941)
Divertimento in D, Op.58 (1954)
A Highland Overture, Op.76 (1964)
Jubilation: A Festivity for Full Orchestra, Op.78 (1965)
Spring Festival Overture, Op.90 (1970)
Symposium for Violin and Orchestra, Op.94 (1972)

along with several other broadcasts from the collection of a contributing member.

[semloh]

Iraq? Please let's not go there. Politics and music make very, very bad bedfellows.

We can't escape the fact that music often serves political purposes, whether or not intended by the composer. 20thC British, American, and Soviet music in particular is often quite explicit in its political purpose, whether it's a message, a comment or a rallying call. Nobody can tell me that they can meaningfully discuss Shostakovich's symphonies without reference to politics - it's unthinkable! Much early music likewise had propagandist functions, including quite explicit 'calls to arms'.

So, personally, I don't think it's a topic to be avoided, especially when it arises in connection with an unsung composer of interest! .

BUT it does call for contributions to stick to the topic of the music or the composer, and not to discuss political issues. I dare say our administrators/moderators will keep us in order! 

[Alan Howe]

There is a difference between Shostakovich and Veale, though: the former was a composer caught up in the vicissitudes of life in a communist state whereas the latter was simply a composer who held a particular political point of view. It is impossible to discuss Shostakovich's music without reference to politics; with Veale, it is of no more than passing interest or of none at all.

[Dundonnell]

Any other music by [William Wordsworth] would be most welcome...

I am hoping at some point next year to increase Wordsworth's representation in the archive with a number of significant orchestral works -

Sinfonia in A minor for Strings, Op.6 (1939)
Theme and Variations, Op.19 (1941)
Divertimento in D, Op.58 (1954)
A Highland Overture, Op.76 (1964)
Jubilation: A Festivity for Full Orchestra, Op.78 (1965)
Spring Festival Overture, Op.90 (1970)
Symposium for Violin and Orchestra, Op.94 (1972)

along with several other broadcasts from the collection of a contributing member.

Those additions would be more truly amazing additions to the site