Posted on 12/10/2017 10:54:31 AM PST by Simon Green
Bach, the 5th Evangelist who initialed his works 'SDG'- Soli Deo Gloria, Alone to God the Glory. Lutheran churches are lucky enough to have the great Bach hymns.
“F.J. Haydn... Most underrated composer, in my view.”
I second that, and I’ve often wondered why that is.
Didn’t Mendelssohn spark a Bach revival?
From the link: Johann Sebastian Bach's stature as a composer of such extraordinary genius and widespread influence is so firmly established in Western culture that it is difficult to imagine that only a little over a century-and-a-half ago, his music and reputation languished in obscurity, virtually unknown to all but a few specialists. It was through Mendelssohn's recognition of Bach's genius and his efforts in making Bach's works accessible to a wider public that these works are today recognized as summits of musical expression.
As far as Mendelssohn's own work is concerned, I really like the latter half of the 12 string symphonies he wrote at around age 14. Historians usually give those works the short shrift, probably because of his age. They sound great to me every time I put them on, regardless of my mood.
Same goes for pretty much everything Haydn ever composed. I don't know why H doesn't get the respect he deserves. I'd guess that somewhere along the line an influential reviewer or two deemed him a lightweight and thus influenced the opinions of the impressionable.
Mozart and Beethoven were awed by Haydn.
Haydn needs his own Mendelssohn.
Didn’t Mendelssohn die fairly young?
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