Music I dislike...

[King Stephen]

On this gloomy morning I was thinking of the Classical music and Composers that in general I dislike. Here is my short list.
At the very top I dislike Wagner and 99% of his music. I find, for the most part, that if Franz Liszt were alive today he would be composing for the films. I am not a lover of most of the music of Mahler, nor do I like the 12 tone school of music. I detest the so called French impressionistic school of music by Satie, Debussy and up to and including Ravel. At the top of my list for 20th century composers stands John Cage, the great mushroom lover. To sum all this up, what I like and love in music far out ways the dislikes. Ah! now that I have that of my chest I feel a lot better. How about it my freinds, who is on your "not to listen to list"?

[Peter]

Don't go along with your dislikes until we get to John cage - I'm basically OK up until 1950, from then on I can't think of anything I like, except perhaps Abba!

I've never been a Bruckner fan, not into Janacek, Tippet or Charles Ives, loathe the 2nd viennese school, much rather listen to Tosca than the Beatles!

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'Man know thyself'

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, King, you pretty well trashed all the high spots for me already! I don't care for Wagner, he could have written the Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin and then quit, and Liszt could have stopped after the Hungarian Rhapsodies, too. Of the French impressionists, Ravel wrote a couple of nice chamber pieces, that's about it. And of course, singin' in general is right out, although there are a couple of specific singin' works that I will tolerate (or even love). As for the 20th century, it is not as bleak a picture as you paint it... crap, I guess it is As for the French, I am quite partial to St Saens and Franck though, and Faure and Lalo and Chausson too, so they are not all bad.
As Peter says, the Second Viennese School probably never should have graduated, although Bruckner has his moments, and I once heard a piece by Mahler that was not totally depressing.
I don't like lute music, or any of the Renaissance stuff. Henry VIII my Aunt's Fanny. Certain works of Baroque are so metronomic in repeating 8th notes over and over that they sound like clockwork mechanisms. I hate that, can't concentrate on the music. Did I mention singin'?
Lord, King, this is really getting good to me! We need to do it again some time, the catharsis is tremendous. Everyone, you need to try this. Now I know why Rod feels so good about himself all the time. Revelation!



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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[spaceray]

I love the songs of Schubert,Brahms and Schumann.Love Wolf, Richard Strauss and Mahler songs.I adore the modern French Art songs of Milhaud and Poulenc.I must confess I do not like opera after the Baroque period .I think Wagner's music is awful.I detest popular music of any kind.The sound of the electric guitar cuts through my brain like a knife.I could live very happily with out World Music.

[King Stephen]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Well, King, you pretty well trashed all the high spots for me already! I don't care for Wagner, he could have written the Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin and then quit, and Liszt could have stopped after the Hungarian Rhapsodies, too. Of the French impressionists, Ravel wrote a couple of nice chamber pieces, that's about it. And of course, singin' in general is right out, although there are a couple of specific singin' works that I will tolerate (or even love). As for the 20th century, it is not as bleak a picture as you paint it... crap, I guess it is As for the French, I am quite partial to St Saens and Franck though, and Faure and Lalo and Chausson too, so they are not all bad.
As Peter says, the Second Viennese School probably never should have graduated, although Bruckner has his moments, and I once heard a piece by Mahler that was not totally depressing.
I don't like lute music, or any of the Renaissance stuff. Henry VIII my Aunt's Fanny. Certain works of Baroque are so metronomic in repeating 8th notes over and over that they sound like clockwork mechanisms. I hate that, can't concentrate on the music. Did I mention singin'?
Lord, King, this is really getting good to me! We need to do it again some time, the catharsis is tremendous. Everyone, you need to try this. Now I know why Rod feels so good about himself all the time. Revelation!

Gurn,
I think you misunderstood me with regard to the 20th century music. There is a lot that I do like, for instance, William Schuman, Roy Harris, Bartok, Stravinsky, Schostakovich, Prokofiev, (Some) Copland. The French composers that appeal to me are , Saint-Saens, Franck (Really Belgium), Chausson, Berlioz, Mehul, Gossec. Faure I can do without. I would rather listen to sounds of silence.

Think about what some of the composers should have done to make a living:

Wagner - A peddler, for he certainly peddled a lot of garbage.

Liszt - Should have been an interior decorator.

Cage - Should have stuck to growning mushrooms.

Mahler should have wrote the obituaries for the local paper.

I am happy with Bruckner so I will leave him alone.

The French school that I talked about, they all should have taken up needle point. Well that's it for now. The sun is stating to peek through the clouds and my spirits are on the rise.
Gurn, we can hash this around some more at a latter date. You need to get a hold of yourself and start to enjoy some fine opera and choral works that are OOTW.
Steve

[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 06-29-2004).]

[Tegan]

I don't particularly like Debussy's music. Nearly all of it is harsh and ugly. I don't like Gershwin very much, and I hate Handel's Messiah, although I love much of his other compositions. I don't like Ravel either.

[AndrewMyers]

Sorry! Can't let the negative tone of this thread go unchallenged.

Wagner - how much have you actually listened to? The 'idea' of him put me off for years but at least give the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan its due.
Debussy - Harsh and ugly?? I can understand someone finding him a bit wishy washy but... Try the preludes for piano or the violin and cello sonatas.
Mahler - Sorry, I'm a big fan. It's all great. if you don't like the bombastic stuff try the lovely 4th in G major.

(In fact you've inspired me to go off and listen to some Mahler right now!!)


However, Liszt and Bruckner I must admit are not personal favourites of mine. And Puccini, come to think of it...

[This message has been edited by AndrewMyers (edited 06-29-2004).]

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by King Stephen:
Gurn,
I think you misunderstood me with regard to the 20th century music....

King,
Nah, I understood you perfectly, I just had to disagree, but I tried to do it in the least disagreeable manner that I could Wait til v. russo gets here, this will give him something to tear me up about! But actually, there are works by Bartok and esp. Prokofiev that I like, and some Elgar (concertos) and Walton, Barber, Vaughn Williams and Kreisler, much Gershwin and particularly my favorite Ernest Bloch who was outstanding, so there IS some 20th century that is very acceptable.
Why would anyone subject themselves to that sort of abuse? Still, you ARE King, so I shall try to reconsider. Spaceray says "no opera after the Baroque", but I can't imagine myself straying far from "La Nozze..." and "Fidelio". Still, gotta start somewhere.



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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ruudp]

Originally posted by King Stephen:
On this gloomy morning I was thinking of the Classical music and Composers that in general I dislike. Here is my short list.
At the very top I dislike Wagner and 99% of his music. I find, for the most part, that if Franz Liszt were alive today he would be composing for the films. I am not a lover of most of the music of Mahler, nor do I like the 12 tone school of music. I detest the so called French impressionistic school of music by Satie, Debussy and up to and including Ravel. At the top of my list for 20th century composers stands John Cage, the great mushroom lover. To sum all this up, what I like and love in music far out ways the dislikes. Ah! now that I have that of my chest I feel a lot better. How about it my freinds, who is on your "not to listen to list"?

BUT...
What about Clair the lune then and carnaval des animeaux..the dolly suite..golliwogs cakewalk...and so on...gymnopedie...isn't that good music then???

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by ruudp:
BUT...
What about Clair the lune then and carnaval des animeaux..the dolly suite..golliwogs cakewalk...and so on...gymnopedie...isn't that good music then???

Ruud,
Certainly it is good music. When one says one likes or dislikes something, this is not the same as saying that it is good or bad. Merely that it is not to my taste or it is. I think that Andrew Has the same notion. If I (or His Majesty the King) say that we don't like Wagner, that is not saying anything about his music so much as it is saying something about US! That is why this thread is such a good idea, because you can declare your personal feelings without really having any effect at all on the music, which exists whether I like it or not.



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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AndrewMyers]

Actually you're right of course Gurn; I've changed my mind about this thread. It's every bit as important to have dislikes as to have likes. I just don't like it when people dismiss things without giving them a chance, as the majority of the listening public would appear to do with the majority of classical music. But of course the people on this site are a different kettle of fish.

To add to my earlier dislikes: I don't like much stuff with just voice and piano - Schubert's wintereisse being an exception.

[spaceray]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AndrewMyers:
[B]
Wagner - how much have you actually listened to?

I have seen The Flying Dutchman in Vancouver,watched The Ring on PBS from Seattle, and heard cds of Lohengrin ,Parsifal and Tristian und Isolde
as well as the Wesendonck Lieder.I don't like Wagner but is not for want of trying .
Muriel

[King Stephen]

Originally posted by AndrewMyers:
Actually you're right of course Gurn; I've changed my mind about this thread. It's every bit as important to have dislikes as to have likes. I just don't like it when people dismiss things without giving them a chance, as the majority of the listening public would appear to do with the majority of classical music. But of course the people on this site are a different kettle of fish.

To add to my earlier dislikes: I don't like much stuff with just voice and piano - Schubert's wintereisse being an exception.

Andrew, After more than 50 years of listening to classical music I believe that I know what I like and what I dislike. Like Gurn said, that dose not mean that the music is not good, it just means I personally do not like it. Beauty in music is in the ears and heart of the beholder. If you happen to like what I don't, so be it, that is your choice. That you like classical music is wonderful and I hope your world of listening expands the way mine has.

[Peter]

Originally posted by King Stephen:
Beauty in music is in the ears and heart of the beholder.

Then of course tastes change, I recall disliking the Symphonie fantastique on first hearing though I admire it now - there's also some Beethoven that didn't appeal at first such as Op.95 and the grosse fugue - it took me a long time to appreciate them.

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'Man know thyself'

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by AndrewMyers:
Actually you're right of course Gurn;
...To add to my earlier dislikes: I don't like much stuff with just voice and piano - Schubert's wintereisse being an exception.

Andrew,
Hah, I knew you were a man after my own heart. I only left the first sentence there because it pleased me so much, and so true, but the second one, yes, voice and piano, bad combination, however, as you say, Schubert always finds a way to make lemonade with those lemons!




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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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