Underappreciated Composers/Works?

Umm, I think that was sarcasm. :P

Glad you caught it. ;)

Had to, or that would become the focus of the entire thread.

Hmmm...I think Palestrina and Tallis are fairly popular, especially the former. I once saw him listed as one of the greatest 100 composers of all time. Oh well, just opinions...Spem in Alium is otherworldly, though!

Most underrated composers are the forests

The oboist/composer Heinz Holliger, anyone? A significant but lesser known member of the 20th century German avant-garde who studied under Boulez. He also takes partial credit for the Zelenka Renaissance.

Two Jesuses (Jesi?) as well: Jesus Arrambari and Jesus Guridi. Check them out, especially the latter's Pyrenean Symphony.

Two more additions: The living Canadian composer Jacques Hetu (a favorite of QcC, if I remember correctly) and the early 20th century Russian composer Arthur Lourie.

YouTube - I - Viola Concerto, Op.75 - Jacques H

I remember listening to that piece as soon as QcC first mentioned Hetu. I was so excited! By the way, somebody put a decent recording of one of the Roslavets viola sonatas up on Youtube, too.

Cornelius Dopper, Stephen Hartke.

^I like Hartke. I just listened to one set of pieces he wrote for the first time today.

Andrew Imbrie!

Rued Langgaard without a doubt, he was dwarfed by his Danish contemporary Carl Nielsen. His opera Antikrist is by far my most favorite work in the genre, and his "Music of the Spheres" has surpassed even some Mahler that I listen to. He was apparently the first composer to ask a pianist while performance of one of his works to physically play the piano via directly touching the strings rather than the keyboard, and Gyorgy Ligeti, when first introduced to his music stated that he apparently was a follower of Langgaard. Some champions of his music have stated that some of his string quartets had minimalstic tendencies in them.. which I can't really help to to take with a grain of salt, seeing as I haven't heard them and people will say almost anything to popularize something. Still though, Rued Langaard, check him out.

Umm...has anyone heard of Emmanuel Chabrier? I'm sure you have at least heard of his rhapsody for orchestra Espana. So, not only is Espana as a work underapreciated, but it's semi fame, over shadows many extremely brilliant works. Chabrier has an elegance that rivals Saint Saens and impressionist colors that forshadow Debussy, along with the excitement of Offenbach. His pieces Pittoresque for piano are some of the best and most underrated in the piano repertoire. He really is among the most brilliant french composers of the late half of the nineteenth century, he's just not currently in vogue. His operetta Le'Toile or however you spell it, has shocked many listeners at how amazingly comedic and elegant the music itself is, his comedic opera rivals mozart.

Clementi isn't even recognized for what he is; the point that Beethoven started from with Sonatas as he was so important in the development of piano technique.

C.m.v Weber wrote some mean symphonies and sonatas. Historically, the whole classical and romantic transition period needs to be fleshed out and explored in greater depth.

And truly, truly, poor Gustav Holst deserves to be known as perhaps the best english composer EVER, ever surpassing Elgar perhaps, except he's not as nationalistically english as Elgar. And his planets suite overshadow other great works, like the ballet music for The Perfect Fool, and Egdon Heath.

I never heard of Felix Blumenfeld until recently. He's composed some very cool pieces for piano.

This is my favorite I found on youtube:

Felix Blumenfeld - Etude de concert in F sharp minor, Op.24

Another:

Felix Blumenfeld - Etude-Fantasy, Op.48

And truly, truly, poor Gustav Holst deserves to be known as perhaps the best english composer EVER, ever surpassing Elgar perhaps, except he's not as nationalistically english as Elgar. And his planets suite overshadow other great works, like the ballet music for The Perfect Fool, and Egdon Heath.

Aww, but there were so many great Brits! Tallis, Byrd, Handel, Sullivan, Elgar, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Bax, Bowen, Delius, Jacob, Britten, Tippett, Birtwistle...the list goes on! I don't see why we have to pick just one! :D

And you didn't even mention Purcell! I don't care that his (semi-)operas all sound like stolen from the French - they're still pure awesome!

I did mention Purcell!

...the list goes on!

See!

Oops, my fault!

OMG, have I not posted here before? *guilty*

Aldo Finzi....is amazing. Nobody has heard of him though! :( Raff is also a very good composer, but nobody has heard of him either. It just sucks what happens to composers's music sometimes!

See post 97. :D

See post 97. :D

Oooooh......

:blush:

Hindemith. His 3 Piano Sonata's are gems!

Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo in D Major. I mean sure, the canon is overplayed, but almost everyone I've mentioned it to on this site hates it for some reason. It actually happens to be my favorite piece from the Baroque period. lol

Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo in D Major. I mean sure, the canon is overplayed, but almost everyone I've mentioned it to on this site hates it for some reason. It actually happens to be my favorite piece from the Baroque period. lol

True. Btw, has anyone heard a period performance of the Canon and Gigue?

Almost any composer from the 18th century that wasn't Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Haydn, or Mozart.

There is a ton of exceptional music that is rarely performed from this era.

Some examples:

Zelenka

Geminiani

Avison

Albinoni

Galuppi

A. Scarlatti

Durante

Leo

Fiorenza

Ruggieri

Cambini

I could go on and on and on...

Not to mention that huge sea of classical composers like Hummel, Clementi, Sammartini, Reicha, the Stamitzes, Hoffmeister, and many, many others.