Bob Draper wrote:

>The best of a minor composer (eg Reicha) is better the worst of a major
>composer (eg haydn).  There are hidden gems all over the place and some
>unknown masterpieces as well.  I would encourage group members to tell
>of their discoveries.

There are a couple of problems with posting about "unknown masterpieces".
The first is, what is "unknown"? I'd describe Parry's Symphonic Variations
as a masterpiece, and there might be one or two people reading this who've
never heard it, but there will probably also be several people reading this
who can comment on the comparative merits of different performances.

The other problem is that it's so subjective.  IMO Potter's 10th Symphony
is one of the best early-romantic pieces around.  It's rather like Mozart
with a British sense of humour, and the finale has tunes which stick in
the head for months.  It seems, though, that others find it pleasant and
well-crafted but not outstanding.

Regarding the "best of a minor composer" vs the "worst of a major
composer", my perspective is slightly different, in that if you like the
music of a particular composer, you will probably also have an interest in
the music of that composer's teachers, pupils, friends and contemporaries,
regardless of whether history classifies them as "major" or "minor".  I
like Sibelius, so I listened to some of the music of his pupil Madetoja,
and (surprise, surprise) I liked most of what I've heard (the 2nd Symphony
is the work I'd recommend).

As to other "discoveries":

It's only in the last few years that I've come to appreciate the music of
Rubbra - I've no idea why it took so long.  I should imagine that anyone
who likes the music of Vaughan Williams would also like Rubbra.  The 4th
Symphony (which starts with a long and beautiful slow movement) or the 5th
are probably the ones to start with.

Americans seem to be rather secretive about their best composers.  I
imagine most people know about Barber by now, but perhaps not about Piston.
I find that the first movement of his Piston's 2nd Symphony sounds better
every time I hear it, and the second movement is beautiful too.  (So when
are the 1st and 3rd Symphonies going to appear on CD?)

I'd have suggested Clarke's Viola Sonata and Piano Trio in the 20th-Century
Chamber Music thread, except that I can't OTOMH remember when they were
composed, so I'll put them here instead.  They sound late-romantic.

Finally, I've liked everything I've heard by Martucci.  I imagine that when
people write about to the Italian influence on Sibelius, it's Martucci, and
in particular his 2nd Symphony, that they're referring to.

Now we wait for the follow-ups saying how these can't be unknown
masterpieces, as the poster has known about them for decades.

Peter Varley
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