Bob Kasenchak wrote:

>So if we were to respect the composers' wishes (if that means "naming
>conventions") pieces' nicknames would rarely be used at all (there are
>of course exceptions "Eroica" et al.).

Very good point.  I can just imagine Schubert saying to himself:  "Well,
I guess I've done about all I can with this thing, and I'm rapidly losing
interest in it.  So I'll just call it the 'Unfinished' and send it off to
the publisher."

BTW, although Beethoven did write "Sinfonia Eroica" on the title-page,
I'm not sure that he actually intended that the work be referred to forever
more by that name; probably he was just describing it as "a heroic symphony
to celebrate the memory of a great man."

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]