Deryk Barker wrote:

>Donald Satz ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
>
>>The clear winner in a ten round decision is Schumann.  How did that happen?
>
>Rigged votes!  Mendelssohn's Octet is one of the great chamber pieces in
>history and I personally would take it over all of Schumann's chamber music
>put together.  M's quartets are also IMHO underrated.

I agree strongly with all the above particularly the quartets.

No one has yet mentioned the excellent songs without words.

>How about choral music too?

Here Schumann wins for me.  I love his mass.  But I know people who love
the Mendelsohn oratorios.

Again no one has mentioned the overtures of Mendellsohn's like The Hebrides
yet either.  A marvellous work.

But I think the who premise of this discussion is wrong.  A different
approach is required for each of these composers.  Allowances have to made
for the age at which Mendellsohn wrote many of his works.  We can marvel
at their structure even if some of the themeatic material is borrowed.

I score it a tie.

Bob Draper
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