My take, in chronological order

--- CPE Bach (1714-1788), his last 10 visionary symphonies, from his Hamburg period, make him the third best composer writing symphonies in that century IMO. You already know the other two.

--- Franz Krommer (1759-1831), one of my favorite early romantic symphonists. By comparison to some of his contemporaries, his music has a very strong sense of direction and purposeful tension. His fine development technique, (frequent correlations between different material), original handling of the brass section and specially his sense of humor make him a very gratifying listening to me. 3 to 6 are his best symphonies.

--- Franz Berwald (1796-1868), always astonished with Berwald's music. Everything he writes has some fascination to me. His symphonies are a bit more famous nowadays, but not enough. Formally unique, very unpredictable works, harmonically very adventurous, very modern sounding. I can understand why Nielsen loved him. There are some very vague familiarities between their tonal strategies. Number 2 and 3 are as good as any great symphony of his time. But all four are gems

--- Emil von Reznicek (1860-1945), 5 impeccable symphonies, very different in tone from each other. Number 2 is one of my favorite comic symphonies, but number 4 is probably the most accomplished.

--- Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950), I love his cycle of 27 symphonies. Sure they are a bit antiquated for his age (work under Stalin was not easy). But also Dvorak 9th and I'm not complaining. I would just skip his first 5. Love the rest. From his most ambitious symphonies (6-13), to his more fun (14-19), to his late, nostalgic, very old fashioned, three-movements symphonies (20-27), there's a lot here to study and enjoy

--- Walter Piston (1894-1976), very skillful and consistent cycle of 8 american symphonies, I don't mind any of these. Deep deep respect for Piston.

--- Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000), my guilty pleasure. I would say none of his 67 symphonies is particularly radical or breaks any new ground. But his spiritual monumental style, frequent use of modal structures, eastern tones, monophony... is a perfect listening while relaxing or playing chess

--- Braga Santos (1924-1988), being portuguese myself, I had to include one portuguese here. I was torn between him and Freitas Branco, but in the end his symphonies show more variety and ambition. My favorite is the harsh number 6, but I wouldn't recommend the last two for newcomers. Number 3 is probably the most balanced and accessible of all

--- Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), behemoths of sound, noise, horror and beauty. Number 2 is a sublime nightmare but number 4 is one of my favorite holistic symphonies

--- Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016), he's fairly known, yes, but still not a household name. Since Bruckner is one of my idols, is easy to understand why I love Rautavaara. He can make serial music sound romantic. Number 3 is one of the most brucknerian modern symphonies. Explicit homage. Number 7 is deservedly famous but the last one, number 8, would be my pick for best. All very mystical and captivating works

I cannot really regard any 1750-1900's european composer as underrated at this point. They all had their fair share of public recognition and academic acknowledgment by now. With one exception: Fauré. I think we are still not appreciating enough how miraculous was Fauré's body of work.

With the exception of some early unpublished piano works, I cannot find a single piece by Fauré that doesn't strike me as something completely unique, genuine or inimitable. His piano music, chamber music, sacred music, his songs (arguably his greatest achievement)... Copland called him the French Brahms and there is some truth in this. His music is not a sudden break with tradition, but a very subtle and progressive synthesis. There is clear stylistic evolution in his work (I would disagree with Copland assessment on this point), but not really craftsmanship development. Everything he wrote is, like Brahms, consistently skillful and precise. An early song may be less harmonically risky, but is a melodic formal treasure. A late song may no be as adventurous as Debussy, but is pure impressionistic perfection.

Despite all he learned with Chopin (probably his greatest influence), Fauré treated all aspects of music language in a very individual and exceptional way, harmony, form, melody, sense or color, rhythm... His identity is unmistakable. His enharmonic tricks are unrivaled and perfectly planned. His short digressions into atonality never feel like eccentricities, but natural extensions of his harmonic discourse. This man was writing music between arguably the two greatest french composers: Berlioz and Debussy. And despite that, everything is unique about Fauré. Fauré is the unattended miracle of 19th century French music. Fauré is the exception.

It begins at 7:45 roughly, but unfortunately the beginning is cropped out in this upload. The melody is the basis for kodaly’s “song” from his opera Hary Janos and it would be really nice to get a full clip of the original field recording. I’ve heard it played in one of my uni lectures before so I do know it exists I just cant find it

Yesterday was CPE Bach's birthday and I was listening to some of his music. I must say, I'm still astonished with the material quality of CPE Bach symphonies. He has essentially two symphonic periods. In the 1750's, when he wrote symphonies for various purposes in Berlin (wq.174 to 180). And in the 1770's, when he wrote 10 visionary symphonies. A cycle of 6 (wq.182) and probably his most famous cycle of 4, wq.183. The Berlin symphonies essentially rival Johann Stamitz symphonies as the best symphonies of that decade. But the symphonies from the Hamburg period are unbelievable groundbreaking artifacts: radical, experimental, with an unique type of expression and formal logic. His 6 symphonies wq. 182, in particular, are one of the most underrated symphonies of that century.

The 18th century has other great minor symphonists: Sammartini, Johann Stamitz, JC Bach, Michael Haydn and Boccherini. But would you agree CPE is the most talented symphonist of that century, after Papa Haydn and Mozart?

I get the impression that the decline of the Jazz era (late 1950's or so) heralded the decline of the piano as a mainstream instrument. How wrong or right would this assumption be?

What factors can be pinpointed to contributing to the falling out of fashion of this pinnacle of industrial age musical development?

I am currently working on my Bachelor's thesis for the Jazz and Contemporary Music program, focusing on the mindset of great musicians. I am in the process of researching existing studies on this topic and would be very interested to learn if any of you are aware of related studies.

Hi all,

I’m currently writing a dissertation for my philosophy degree where I am studying sound, music, and meaning.

I’m aware of studies indicating the roots in culture that one must presume the association between major minor / happy sadness comes from. But I was wondering if anyone had any sources / examples of music from different cultures in either a major or minor key that most from that culture perceive to be the opposite emotion to that of the western standard, or anything within that realm.

Thanks for any responses (hope I’m posting on the right sub for this, if not please redirect me)

i already know that major minor and mixolydian are overepresented but i d like to have some data on it.

NB : my question is about MODES (lydian, phrygian, etc.) not the specific keys (C major, A minor, etc.). every body already knows that C and G major are the most used keys.

Hi friends, new here so please let me know if I'm asking the right questions in the right place.

Title; does anyone here happen to have any knowledge or insight about instruments and their role in the performance of sacred music from around the late 16th-17th centuries? I'm particularly interested in the practices in the English Church from the late pre-Reformation around Henry VIII's time through post-Reformation stability in the mid/late 17th Century.

I'm interested in this topic generally, but most specifically, I'm wondering about polyphonic music written for voices in open scoring. A lot of Tallis, Byrd, etc. is performed a capella these days, but I've noticed many performing editions that include a keyboard reduction; this is what primarily sparked my question. I'm also aware that viol consorts sometimes play this kind of music. Around the time this music was written, would an organist (or a consort of instruments like viols or recorders) double the vocalists colla parte, or would the singers perform without instrumental support? Or would it vary? I understand that today, especially in ensembles with limited resources, instrumental doubling helps keep the singers secure in their parts, so the performing edition reductions have utility for that and for rehearsal. But would this be a historically accurate way to perform this music?

Relatedly, please correct me if I'm wrong: I would assume that by the time figured bass lines appear alongside vocal lines, some form of instrumental accompaniment (in the form of continuo) would be a part of performance practice. Is that the case?

A bit separately, but in a similar vein, did practices vary geographically across Europe or would there be an amount of continuity in performance practices between regions/nations?

Of course, if you don't happen to have specific information, I would be very interested in resources/articles that could help point me in the right direction. Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,

I'm an aspiring artist working on a new album titled "Panorama", and I'd like to ask for the community's help on r/musicology to classify my music into a genre. I've shared some songs in the works on SoundCloud, privately, and I would really appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

SoundCloud Link: Listen to my songs on SoundCloud

My music explores a combination of synthetic and organic sounds, with influences from retro video game music and film soundtracks. It evokes a range of emotions and tells stories, while inviting contemplation. I'm curious to know how you would describe it and what genre you would classify it as, given the focus of this community on historical musicology and reflection on music in an academic context.

Thank you in advance for your feedback and contributions to this enriching discussion!

So I was formerly in a PHD for musicology back in 2019. I have one year toward that degree from a university in California. Unfortunately, I dropped out due to the pandemic.

I am now living in a different state in a rural area and am fortunate to be working part time as a music instructor at a community college. I currently teach one course a term. Starting next school year I will teach two courses a term

I'm teaching the music history series and will teach the rock/world music/jazz series next school year.

I have a BM in music, an MA in education, and that one year of grad courses in musicology.

The music director at my cc thinks I should get a PHD, because he feels my application would automatically be set aside if I only had an MA in music. I thought that teaching all of these college-level courses would give me a leg up.

I'm curious to know your thoughts. I appreciate any feedback.

hey guys, im doing some research about Lily Allen's musical foundation (such as ska/reggae, drum and bass, grime, synth-pop, etc) to understand how important/the impact this sudden indie artist got into charts bringing so many "underground" influences to her musical identity. What are ur thoughts about it?

I've been thinking about active listening, lip synching, and singing along in terms of id, ego, and superego. I was wondering if anyone had tackled this subject or anything related. Any guidance appreciated.

Dear all, I would like to get together an insightful list of all the academic and professional societies in the following fields and disciplines, especially in and around Europe:

-ethnomusicology,

-musicology,

-music studies (any, from education to cognition etc...),

-sound studies.

All the help is appreciated.

Hello everyone,

I'm doing a short survey for my PhD with questions related to characterizing a hip hop sub-genre. It's less than ten minutes. Any participation would be greatly appreciated - thank you!

https://hud.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBajW2VqEvWZjtI

Hey y'all!

I'm a second-year Undergrad majoring in musicology and am looking for a summer internship or job relevant to my major and future career. Does anyone have any tips or recommendations on what I should be looking for regarding job/internship titles and opportunities? Thanks!!

I am pressed about this because the wikipedia list of composers by chronology gets incredibly thin for this period, and they tend to be concentrated toward one side or the other. How did the actual music evolve between? Did a rapid wave of imported fashion from Italy minimize before French musicians came to terms with the basso continuo tradition and developed their own style?

Birthdates in the list jump from 1540 to 1562 to 1570 to 1586 to 1599 (Gervaise, Titelouze, Guédron, Boësset, Moulinié) so there is an incredible lack of depth in that list for these decades as later on, there are several figures for each decade. I know some wiki list is a trash source for deep cuts but this is why I'm hoping musicologists have a few words about the matter!

If you have composers to look into, books to read, any comments it's all much appreciated.

Currently have a masters in musicology and applying to PhD programs next year. Just trying to think in the grand scheme of things if it’s worth it.

Hello musicologists of Reddit,

I am a first year music student. For one of my assessments, I want to add a form about the impact of social environment and “music identity” on the growth of musicians. Would help me a lot if you would get through it honestly. It could take you some short 5 minutes, might take you longer if you really wanna dig into the concepts and discover what you actually believe about those subjects.

Nonetheless, I thank you all. Wish you the best practice sessions/gigs/whatever you want :))

https://forms.gle/M2HwDidvgL3vWHm37