Vicious, But Fair....

[Guest]

Robert Cowan once referred disparagingly to the 'Dad's Army drama' of Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony. Whenever I'm inclined to hear this piece (which isn't often), this witty soundbite creeps back into my mind and I start chuckling...which was not what RVW intended. I've never been able to take Symphony 4 seriously, and I fear Mr. Cowan made his point rather too well.

Any other examples of music that has been spoiled for you by sharp (but accurate) criticism

[vinteuil]

... well, perhaps not "sharp (but accurate) criticism" - but I know that a fair few pieces of music were ruined for my father by Fantasia ... he could never thereafter hear them without Walt Disney's images crowding into his brain...

[makropulos]

Robert Cowan once referred disparagingly to the 'Dad's Army drama' of Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony. Whenever I'm inclined to hear this piece (which isn't often), this witty soundbite creeps back into my mind and I start chuckling...which was not what RVW intended. I've never been able to take Symphony 4 seriously, and I fear Mr. Cowan made his point rather too well.

Any other examples of music that has been spoiled for you by sharp (but accurate) criticism

Need to think about this one a bit, though I'm sure there are plenty of rather choice examples.

Re Rob Cowan's quip, while it may be sharp, it's certainly not accurate - VW4 was first performed in 1935, at least five years before the Home Guard was even an idea. In the work's defence, it might also be worth mentioning that Walton considered it a masterpiece - the best symphony since Beethoven in his view.

[Mandryka]

Need to think about this one a bit, though I'm sure there are plenty of rather choice examples.

Re Rob Cowan's quip, while it may be sharp, it's certainly not accurate - VW4 was first performed in 1935, at least five years before the Home Guard was even an idea. In the work's defence, it might also be worth mentioning that Walton considered it a masterpiece - the best symphony since Beethoven in his view.

I perhaps should have made my point a bit better: I can't really assess the quality of the symphony, because images of Mainwearing, Jones, Fraser et al crowd my mind and refuse to budge.

[Serial_Apologist]

... well, perhaps not "sharp (but accurate) criticism" - but I know that a fair few pieces of music were ruined for my father by Fantasia ... he could never thereafter hear them without Walt Disney's images crowding into his brain...

EXACTLY the same as my Dad always said!

[Serial_Apologist]

Elisabeth Lutyens's remarks about "cowpat music" never put me off, given that I don't believe she ever actually cited the music or composers concerned.

S-A

[french frank]

Good job I refreshed the page to see your comment S-A - that was going to be my contribution ...

[Serial_Apologist]

Good job I refreshed the page to see your comment S-A - that was going to be my contribution ...

There seems to be a lot of..... what's the word? synchronicity?.... around today, FF. Wonder of the strange current weather pattern has anything to do with it.

[vinteuil]

There seems to be a lot of..... what's the word? synchronicity?.... around today, FF. Wonder of the strange current weather pattern has anything to do with it.

"morphic resonance"...

https://www.skepdic.com/morphicres.html

[Serial_Apologist]

"morphic resonance"...

www.skepdic.com/morphicres.html

Ah YES - thank you for supplying the correct words, v.

[Roslynmuse]

Bill Bailey's 'Cockney endings' now come to mind whenever I listen to RVW London Symphony mt 1.

'Have a banana...' indeed!

[Tristan Klingsor]

Elisabeth Lutyens's remarks about "cowpat music" never put me off, given that I don't believe she ever actually cited the music or composers concerned.

S-A

RVW 4 is about as much 'cow-pat' as Beethoven's Große Fuge is Sachertorte. I think it depends on the performance. Bernstein's is grindingly aggressive and places it within a central European rather than pastoral English context.