Andrew Carlan wrote:

>The English have made an icon of Vaughn Williams, and a fine composer he
>most certainly is, one of the few who will survive this century.  But he
>is a ripple compared to Nielsen's earthquake.

How on Earth can you justify that statement? I completely agree that
Nielsen is a giant among 20th Century composers but no more so than RVW.
Both composers wrote masterful symphonies and fine stage and chamber works.
While none of RVW's concertos may surpass Nielsen's Violin Concerto, it's
also fair to say that none of Nielsen's choral music surpasses Serenade to
Music, Mass in G minor, Santas Civitas, Hodie, etc.  While I slightly favor
RVW's music, I would be reluctant to say he is the greater composer.  It's
such a subjective call anyway.  I get really frustrated when people
denigrate one artist when trying to advocate on behalf of another.  When
we are discussing composers of the calibre of RVW and Nielsen, I think it
is safest to simply acknowledge their differences and leave it at that.  I
know of no way to prove who is the greater of the two.  Now, I can agree
that some composers were more innovative than others.  Neither RVW or
Nielsen can compare with Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Debussy, Carter, Boulez
and Bartok (to name just a select few) in that regard.  That might make
those composers more important but not necessarily better overall.  But if
someone can prove to me that Nielsen was a far greater composer than RVW,
then by all means they should go ahead.  I'm curious with what that have to
say.

Also....I am not British so I can't be accused of chauvinism.  I do live in
England, however, and it seems to me that the British, while loving VW's
music, place him and all other British composers several notches below
their beloved Elgar (another great composer with a capital G).

richard r. adams
http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/bax/welcome.htm
The Sir Arnold Bax Web Site