Bernard Chasan <[log in to unmask]> writes:

> So I suggest further that melody as a measure of the quality of
>music is rather overrated.  But heck, to each his or her own.

You're right melody alone, however nice, is not everything.  The best a
melody alone can do is become an earworm that you become sick of after
a while. But a good melody or striking motive (e.g., the opening tune
from Hindemith's E-flat symphony based on Beethoven's 5th) that has other
things done with it and to it has far greater staying power and importance
than a mediocre tune/motive similarly treated.

I'd like to hear of examples of pieces "overated" because of their
melodies.

>I should add that Lindberg has discovered his inner melodist- give a
>listen to his Clarinet Concerto.  And don't forget Lowell Lieberman- his
>Second Symphony is ridiculously melodic and beautiful and absurdly bland.
>Yeah, it's all one man's umble opinion.

I agree with you on the blandness of Lieberman's Second.  But I love
his first Flute Concerto.  And the Lindberg concerto is a great work.
Even more though, I like the Hilborg Clarinet Concerto, especially
because of it's quotation of Puccini's "E lucevan la stella..."--even
though Hilborg himself didn't put the tune in, the clarinetist did as
an improvization.  Here it's not the tune itself, but the startling
context that makes it effective.  Likewise in the piece a sudden triad
appearing out of the blue surrounded by messes of dissonance.

Jeff Dunn
[log in to unmask]
Alameda, CA

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