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In your opinion, which composer do you like better, Robert Schumann or William Schuman? I personally have to pick William, his New England Tryptich is amazing, especially the band version of Chester. However, I do respect Robert, especially since he is the person who taught Brahms.

I like Robert better for Songs, Piano music, and Chamber Music, however William wrote symphonies that rank with Brahms and Mendelssohn (Whereas Schumann only wrote 1 really great symphony, 2 OK symphonies, and 1 unbearable). So Schumann comes out on top, but Schuman most certainly is up there.

That would be a great nickname or subtitle for a symphony: "The Unbearable."

Lyle Neff wrote:That would be a great nickname or subtitle for a symphony: "The Unbearable."

Yeah, if Cui wrote a symphony, that should have been the subtitle for it.

no hard feelings...

Between the symphonies, I'd have to say my favorite are by Robert. His third and fourth are absolutely fantastic. That isn't to say I don't like William's symphonies. I really like his third and fourth as well, funny. Between their operas, I'd take Mighty Casey over Genoveva every day. Mighty Casey is fun to listen to, sort of like a mix of early Ives and Bernstein. Genoveva, while with a few memorable melodies, reminds me sort of like a dragging Fidelio. Robert certainly has a one up on William due to Schumann's lieder and piano pieces. I personally don't like New England Triptych that much. It reminds me too much of Copland, who tends to be on the bottom of my list of favorite American composers, and Vaughan-Williams when he's trying to write an exciting piece of music (Come on the man was born to write sublime melodies).

Watch William on What's my Line. It's pretty funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXH6Qcak4Zo

allegroamabile wrote:

Lyle Neff wrote:That would be a great nickname or subtitle for a symphony: "The Unbearable."

Yeah, if Cui wrote a symphony, that should have been the subtitle for it.

no hard feelings.

More like every piece by Brahms beside the intro.

no hard feelings . . .

Now, now, boys, let's play politely . . . . .

I'm going to ignore the swipe at Brahms >.<
Schuman definitely wrote the better operas, and I will agree that the Rhenish is one of the best in the repertoire, but Schuman is ridiculousely underplayed, and I honestly believe that his symphonies are better than any of the Saint-Saens, Rimskies, Glazunovs, or perhaps even Mendelssohns.

I personally don't like New England Triptych that much. It reminds me too much of Copland, who tends to be on the bottom of my list of favorite American composers, and Vaughan-Williams when he's trying to write an exciting piece of music (Come on the man was born to write sublime melodies).

Have you listen to the band versions that William Schuman transcribed himself? There is an extension on the Chester movement and the ending of it is amazing. These are an upgrade to the orchestral version.

Now with songs, Charles Ives surpasses Robert Schumann on this one. General William Booth Enters into Heaven is great, almost as good as Brahms's Four Serious Songs.

allegroamabile wrote:Have you listen to the band versions that William Schuman transcribed himself? There is an extension on the Chester movement and the ending of it is amazing. These are an upgrade to the orchestral version.

I have listened to both versions and they just don't captivate me like some of his other compositions. Just a matter of preference, I guess.

allegroamabile wrote:Now with songs, Charles Ives surpasses Robert Schumann on this one. General William Booth Enters into Heaven is great, almost as good as Brahms's Four Serious Songs.

If we're talking Ives, then yes I do prefer his songs to Schumann's, although I do really like Myrthen. I likewise love General WIlliam Booth Enters into Heaven, probably the greatest art-song of the 20th Century. I like his earlier patriotic songs like The Circus Band, but I think I like his later ones, like The Cage and Evening more.

Love the link you posted. I have read an article about that tv segment, but never have actually seen it.

allegroamabile wrote:Love the link you posted. I have read an article about that tv segment, but never have actually seen it.

Isn't that great? I love how back then people, celebrities even, knew who William Schuman was, but today he is all but unknown.

Yeah, William Schuman is a great composer.

Back to Ives's General William Booth Enters into Heaven, I catched a reference towards the very end of the piece to the famous church hymn, Nearer My God to Thee. Can somebody confirm with me on this one?