Donald Satz wrote:

>Joseph Sowa wrote:
>
>>True Mozart isn't *zero emotional*... maybe mono-emotional would be
>>a better phrase.
>
>Not a better phrase, but just as inaccurate.  It isn't just that Mozart's
>music is not mono-emotional.  I really am not aware of any composer of any
>type of music whose emotional display is just *1*.  That even goes for the
>2-3 minute rock songs of the 1950's.

Reasons are always useful to fully communicate an idea.  The REASON I
feel Mozart is mono-emotional (and maybe that Bob Draper thinks he's *zero
emotional*) is that his music is consistently on the same even-tenor and
is based on the same chordal ideas.  Later in his life, he was getting more
"adventureous" and started writing different music.  Yet if you listen to
the German Dances 11 out of 12 sound virtually identical as far as emotions
go.  Even the odd man out quickly settles down into the same pattern.
Like I've said, if he lived for another 20 years or so, he'd have been
fantastic.  To please the masses I'll say that Mozart worked off a very
small palette of emotions.  However, I'm not the only one who "bashes"
Mozart.  Charles Ives thought the same way of him.

>Of Joseph's three recent postings, two have been of the "bashing" variety.

Bashing is a naughty word, I prefer highly opinionated ;) In all
seriousness, I never intended for them to be bashing, if they came out that
way, I sincerely apologize.  BTW, can't that comment be taken as bashing as
well?

>How about a few postings of composers you appreciate? How about Howard
>Hanson?

I'm very completely amazed that you'd guess on the first try that I like
Howard Hanson.  I bet you'd never have guessed I like Selim Palmgren, too.
(Much less even heard of him).  Hanson wrote in a style the most similar
to my own of any composer I have heard.  I think the slow movement to
the first symphony is fantastic as well as the Song of Democracy.  About
Palmgren, I've only found one label (Finlandia Records) that has his music.
In the little orchestral music he wrote--specifically Sleigh Ride from
Pictures from Finland--he used one effect of blending the low flute and
clarinet to make an accordian like sound.  Has anyone actually seen his
music for sale at a music store? I for one haven't.  The cd was a gift
to a local library from a Finnish guy that came to town.

Joseph Sowa
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