Justly-neglected?

[Bella Kemp]

On a recent visit to the Concertgebouw I noted several of the names inscribed on the walls that I had never heard of - or, if I knew them, it was only incredibly vaguely. And yet these fellows were once considered important enough to earn a place alongside Wagner, Mozart and Bach. Are they justly neglected or are we missing something? Can anyone persuade me to add Zweers and Diepenbrock et al to my list of best-beloved?

Bernard Zweers
Alphons Diepenbrock
Cornelis Dopper
Julius Röntgen
Carl Reinecke
Cornelis Schuyt
Jacob Obrecht
Jacobus Clemens non Papa
Johan Wagenaar
Willem Pijper
Johannes Verhulst
Niels Gade

[Joseph K]

I know of Carl Reinecke because he was recently mentioned on someone's facebook page as one of the most important - at the time - of German musicians.

Jacob Obrecht I also know - in fact, I think I have a CD of his music, of his masses, performed by the Oxford Camerata. Worth checking out if you like Renaissance music.

[Richard Tarleton]

I don't think Jacob Clemens non Papa is neglected, just early, and thus a bit of a minority interest - he gets the odd mention on R3 e.g. when Tess Knighton is a reviewer on Record Review

[Petrushka]

Diepenbrock is definitely worth hearing and Wagenaar and Pjiper don't deserve neglect either. Some of their music is included in the mammoth RCO 125 boxed set while Diepenbrock can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diepenbrock...ds=diepenbrock. This disc of Wagenaar is due for release on May 4: https://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Johan...words=wagenaar though I think this is a reissue.

Should be plenty on youTube too.

[Conchis]

The BBC Philharmonic played a symphony by Gade a couple of years ago. I found it pleasant but not particularly memorable.

[Suffolkcoastal]

The real gem in Gade's output in the gorgeous Violin Concerto, which along with that of Karl Goldmark should be in the violin repertoire. With Dutch composers the real individual is Matthijs Vermeulen, whose musical style is quite unlike anything else, works such as the 2nd & 3rd symphonies have a wild, intense atonal manner, that really is hair raising.

[Pabmusic]

Reinecke was indeed an important academic figure approximately contemporary with Stanford - and important for much the same reason.

At least a few on the list suffered from WW1, which was responsible for 'sweeping aside' many composers who were rarely taken up in the new order.

[DublinJimbo]

On a recent visit to the Concertgebouw I noted several of the names inscribed on the walls that I had never heard of - or, if I knew them, it was only incredibly vaguely. And yet these fellows were once considered important enough to earn a place alongside Wagner, Mozart and Bach. Are they justly neglected or are we missing something? Can anyone persuade me to add Zweers and Diepenbrock et al to my list of best-beloved?

Bernard Zweers
Alphons Diepenbrock
Cornelis Dopper
Julius Röntgen
Carl Reinecke
Cornelis Schuyt
Jacob Obrecht
Jacobus Clemens non Papa
Johan Wagenaar
Willem Pijper
Johannes Verhulst
Niels Gade

I've heard of and/or heard music by the composers in bold in the list. Of these, Niels W. Gade would be on my list as 'unjustly neglected'.

[Pabmusic]

An excellent example of the WW1 effect is Frederic Hymen Cowen, whose music was played at the Proms 170 times upto 1915, yet never since. By no stretch of the imagination can that be a critical judgement, but of course we now see it with hinsight bias - "well obviously it was justified or else his music would have been played".

[MickyD]

I've always had a great fondness for the set of symphonies by Gade that Christopher Hogwood recorded for Chandos.

[verismissimo]

On a recent visit to the Concertgebouw I noted several of the names inscribed on the walls that I had never heard of - or, if I knew them, it was only incredibly vaguely. And yet these fellows were once considered important enough to earn a place alongside Wagner, Mozart and Bach. Are they justly neglected or are we missing something? Can anyone persuade me to add Zweers and Diepenbrock et al to my list of best-beloved?

Bernard Zweers
Alphons Diepenbrock
Cornelis Dopper
Julius Röntgen
Carl Reinecke
Cornelis Schuyt
Jacob Obrecht
Jacobus Clemens non Papa
Johan Wagenaar
Willem Pijper
Johannes Verhulst
Niels Gade

So many of your list being Dutch, Bella, I would love to hear from Roehre, late of this parish, who would have reported on them all, not to mention the odd Dane and German too.

I enjoy Reinecke's piano concertos (Hellwig/Nordwestdeutsche Phil/Francis on CPO).

[Richard Barrett]

Most of those obscure Dutch composers are reasonably familiar in the Netherlands in the way that every country has its composers whose work is more or less ignored elsewhere. Jacob Obrecht on the other hand would be regarded as a major composer of his time - his Missa Maria zart (recorded by the Tallis Scholars) is one of the most extended Mass settings of its time. When I lived in Amsterdam (in the Palestrinastraat!) there was a church named after him at the end of the street.

[BBMmk2]

Gade I enjoyed but that's about it. I' know Carl Reinnecke, Clemens non Papa and Obrecht. The last two are unjustly negelected for their fine work.

[Richard Barrett]

Clemens non Papa and Obrecht. The last two are unjustly negelected for their fine work.

Only in so far as Renaissance polyphony is generally not given the attention that music between 1700 and 1950 is.

[Richard Barrett]

And speaking of streets named after composers, Gade wins hands down here - almost every street in Denmark is named after him! (I'll get my coat.)