The 2022 Survey of Classical Music on Radio 3

[Suffolkcoastal]

Here’s my 2022 Survey of Classical Music on Radio 3, the 14th I’ve undertaken. As with everything else. In many senses a somewhat depressing year with a further significant increase in non-classical works being played in the usual classical music slots increasing by a further 14.8% on the alarming 2021 increase, & accounts for around 11.7% of the chunks/pieces in classical programmes/slots. The website with the published playlists, continues to remain an utter shambles, with the usual multiple instances of duplications and mis-attributations, performer indicated as composer & vice-versa, articles not updated for 2 years, I could go on. The obsession with arrangements of works, shows no sign of abating nor does the fascination with women composers. Not to mention the mess that is now ‘Afternoon on 3’, with its increase in only chunks of works & is in danger of becoming Afternoon Breakfast on 3, or Afternoon Inessential Classics. R3’s favourite ‘popular’ warhorses had plenty of excessive airings, completely overdosing on the Concierto de Aranjuez, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, the Four Seasons & Carnival of the Animals (mostly Swan & Aquarium).

As usual, a list of all composers with 50 or more pieces/chunks broadcast is in the thread below, although I’ve slightly widened it this year to include the top 100 composers. If there are any composers not in this category that you would like to know the figures for, then as usual please let me know.
As last year the *against a composer indicates the highest number of pieces/chunks by that composer since I began my survey in 2009, whilst the # indicates the lowest number since 2009.
Out of interest 10065 composers have been featured on R3 since I began my survey, of which 3593 have only had one piece/chunk broadcast in those 14 years & 7528 less than 10 pieces/chunks. There are 535 composers with 100 or more pieces/chunks, which excludes quite a number of notable composers. There are also still a relatively high number of significant composers who’ve never had 50 or more pieces/chunks in a given year.

The Symphony Survey results will follow later today.

[Suffolkcoastal]

1 BACH J S 1746
2 MOZART W A 1462
3 BEETHOVEN 1092
4 SCHUBERT 982
5 BRAHMS 822
6 HANDEL 747
7 HAYDN F J 742
8 CHOPIN 731
9 VAUGHAN WILLIAMS* 698
10 DEBUSSY 628
11 DVORAK 607
12 RAVEL 565
13 VIVALDI 537
14 MENDELSSOHN FELIX 505
15 SCHUMANN R 485
16 TCHAIKOVSKY P I 478
17 RACHMANINOV 401
18 GRIEG* 399
19 SIBELIUS 398
20 ELGAR 390
21 STRAUSS R 387
22 LISZT 373
23 BRITTEN 346
24 SAINT-SAENS 318
25 PURCELL H 305
26 SHOSTAKOVICH 300
27 STRAVINSKY 268
28 TELEMANN 250
29 FAURE 249
30 PROKOFIEV S 246
31 GERSHWIN 221
32 BACH C P E 214
32 VERDI 214
33 BYRD 202
34 SCARLATTI D 201
35 MAHLER G 198
36 MONTEVERDI 194
37 RAMEAU 187
38 POULENC 185
39 BARTOK 174
40 WAGNER R# 167
41 HOLST G 161
42 SCHUMANN C 157
43 NIELSEN C 152
44 WEBER C M VON 149
45 BRUCKNER* 147
46 BERLIOZ# 145
47 ROSSINI# 143
48 JANACEK 142
49 COLERIDGE-TAYLOR S* 141
50 WALTON W 139
51 FRANCK C* 136
51 GLASS P* 136
52 PUCCINI 135
53 TALLIS* 129
54 BERNSTEIN L 123
55 BIZET 122
56 RESPIGHI* 121
57 COPLAND 119
57 STRAUSS J II 119
58 PRICE FLORENCE 116
59 BEACH 111
60 RIMSKY KORSAKOV 106
61 KORNGOLD 102
62 MENDELSSOHN FANNY* 100
62 PART 100
63 BUXTEHUDE 96
63 PIAZZOLLA 96
64 DOWLAND 95
64 GIPPS* 95
65 FINZI 92
65 GABRIELI G 92
66 BINGEN HILDEGARD OF* 91
67 WALLEN E* 90
68 KODALY 89
69 COUPERIN F 88
70 ARNOLD M 85
70 JOSQUIN 85
71 GRAINGER P 83
72 LULLY* 82
72 SCRIABIN 82
73 MACMILLAN J 81
74 CORELLI 80
75 ADAMS J 76
75 BIBER 76
75 GLAZUNOV 76
76 ALBENIZ 75
76 SMETANA 75
77 RODRIGO* 74
77 SATIE 74
77 SULLIVAN 74
78 BRIDGE Frank 73
78 STILL W G 73
78 VICTORIA 73
79 FALLA 72
80 SHAW CAROLINE 71
81 SCHOENBERG 70
81 STANFORD 70
82 BARBER S 69
82 BOULANGER L 69
83 BRUCH 68
83 DELIUS 68
84 PAGANINI 67
84 SMYTH* 67
84 STROZZI B 67
84 VILLA LOBOS 67
85 CHAMINADE 66
85 WILLIAMS John 66
86 DUPARC* 64
87 BAX 62
87 REICH 62
88 FARRENC L 61
88 IRELAND J* 61
89 ENESCU 60
89 MESSIAEN 60
89 PALESTRINA 60
90 CARWITHEN* 59
90 WEIR J 59
91 BORODIN 58
91 CHABRIER 58
91 GLUCK 58
91 PEJACEVIC 58
91 SCARLATTI A 58
91 SCHUTZ 58
92 HOWELLS 57
92 KATS-CHERNIN* 57
92 MONTGEROULT* 57
92 STENHAMMAR* 57
92 SUK 57
93 PARRY H 56
93 TIPPETT 56
94 DETT N* 55
94 MUSSORGSKY# 55
95 BOCCHERINI 54
95 CLARKE R* 54
95 KASHPEROVA* 54
95 KREISLER F 54
95 MARTINU 54
96 GOUNOD 53
96 MARAIS 53
96 TABAKOVA 53
97 HUMMEL J N 51
97 LIGETI G 51
97 WALKER G* 51
98 GIBBONS O 50
98 MAYER E* 50
99 MACDOWELL CELIA 49
99 SZYMANOWSKI 49
100 BACEWICZ 48
100 JACQUET DE LA GUERRE* 48

[antongould]

Here’s my 2022 Survey of Classical Music on Radio 3, the 14th I’ve undertaken. As with everything else. In many senses a somewhat depressing year with a further significant increase in non-classical works being played in the usual classical music slots increasing by a further 14.8% on the alarming 2021 increase, & accounts for around 11.7% of the chunks/pieces in classical programmes/slots. The website with the published playlists, continues to remain an utter shambles, with the usual multiple instances of duplications and mis-attributations, performer indicated as composer & vice-versa, articles not updated for 2 years, I could go on. The obsession with arrangements of works, shows no sign of abating nor does the fascination with women composers. Not to mention the mess that is now ‘Afternoon on 3’, with its increase in only chunks of works & is in danger of becoming Afternoon Breakfast on 3, or Afternoon Inessential Classics. R3’s favourite ‘popular’ warhorses had plenty of excessive airings, completely overdosing on the Concierto de Aranjuez, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, the Four Seasons & Carnival of the Animals (mostly Swan & Aquarium).

As usual, a list of all composers with 50 or more pieces/chunks broadcast is in the thread below, although I’ve slightly widened it this year to include the top 100 composers. If there are any composers not in this category that you would like to know the figures for, then as usual please let me know.
As last year the *against a composer indicates the highest number of pieces/chunks by that composer since I began my survey in 2009, whilst the # indicates the lowest number since 2009.
Out of interest 10065 composers have been featured on R3 since I began my survey, of which 3593 have only had one piece/chunk broadcast in those 14 years & 7528 less than 10 pieces/chunks. There are 535 composers with 100 or more pieces/chunks, which excludes quite a number of notable composers. There are also still a relatively high number of significant composers who’ve never had 50 or more pieces/chunks in a given year.

The Symphony Survey results will follow later today.

Excellent suffie as always a stupendous effort ………

[Old Grumpy]

Here’s my 2022 Survey of Classical Music on Radio 3, the 14th I’ve undertaken. As with everything else. In many senses a somewhat depressing year with a further significant increase in non-classical works being played in the usual classical music slots increasing by a further 14.8% on the alarming 2021 increase, & accounts for around 11.7% of the chunks/pieces in classical programmes/slots. The website with the published playlists, continues to remain an utter shambles, with the usual multiple instances of duplications and mis-attributations, performer indicated as composer & vice-versa, articles not updated for 2 years, I could go on. The obsession with arrangements of works, shows no sign of abating nor does the fascination with women composers. Not to mention the mess that is now ‘Afternoon on 3’, with its increase in only chunks of works & is in danger of becoming Afternoon Breakfast on 3, or Afternoon Inessential Classics. R3’s favourite ‘popular’ warhorses had plenty of excessive airings, completely overdosing on the Concierto de Aranjuez, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, the Four Seasons & Carnival of the Animals (mostly Swan & Aquarium).

As usual, a list of all composers with 50 or more pieces/chunks broadcast is in the thread below, although I’ve slightly widened it this year to include the top 100 composers. If there are any composers not in this category that you would like to know the figures for, then as usual please let me know.
As last year the *against a composer indicates the highest number of pieces/chunks by that composer since I began my survey in 2009, whilst the # indicates the lowest number since 2009.
Out of interest 10065 composers have been featured on R3 since I began my survey, of which 3593 have only had one piece/chunk broadcast in those 14 years & 7528 less than 10 pieces/chunks. There are 535 composers with 100 or more pieces/chunks, which excludes quite a number of notable composers. There are also still a relatively high number of significant composers who’ve never had 50 or more pieces/chunks in a given year.

The Symphony Survey results will follow later today.

Perhaps Afternoon on 3 should be renamed "Dog's Breakfast on 3"

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks as always for your superb effort, SC. It's inevitable I suppose that previously missed or under-presented women composers are now being aired, even though inevitably too there will be a few who, quite frankly, really warranted continuing obscurity. I'm thinking of couple of late 19th century French composers recently featured as Composers of the Week.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thanks as always for your superb effort, SC. It's inevitable I suppose that previously missed or under-presented women composers are now being aired, even though inevitably too there will be a few who, quite frankly, really warranted continuing obscurity. I'm thinking of couple of late 19th century French composers recently featured as Composers of the Week.

In the long list of forgotten women composers being promoted by R3 I would say that the UK list of for example Grace Williams , Dorothy Carwithen , Ethel Smyth and Ruth Gipps are more than a match for some other countries. I am thinking particularly of the US. Maybe misplaced patriotism but I honestly think those four were very accomplished esp in technical things like orchestration.

Thanks as always SC for the excellent list and hard work.

[Hitch]

Many thanks to SC for his unstinting industry. Is it too much to hope that music and broadcasting academics of the future (or even today) might make use of his findings?

Three cheers for Grieg by the way. I bet that put Sibelius's nose out of joint.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Here's the Symphony breakdown for those composers who had 5 or more symphonies/sinfoniettas/sinfonias broadcast complete in 2022. The total number of all symphonies/sinfoniettas/sinfonias broadcast in 2022 was 970 which is comfortably the lowest since I began my surveys. Testament perhaps to the ever increasing amount of broadcast time being taken by ‘chunklists’ of various sorts.

MOZART W A 81
F J HAYDN 73
BEETHOVEN 48
SIBELIUS 40
BRAHMS 39
DVORAK 38
MAHLER 32
TCHAIKOVSKY 30
SCHUBERT 29
BACH CPE 27
SHOSTAKOVICH 27
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS 27
BRUCKNER 24
NIELSEN 24
MENDELSSOHN 19
PROKOFIEV 19
SCHUMANN 18
BERLIOZ 13
STRAVINSKY 12
ELGAR 11
ABEL 9
RACHMANINOV 9
SCRIABIN 8
BACH W F 7
BOYCE 7
FRANCK 6
MARTINU 6
SAINT-SAENS 6
STRAUSS R 6
EYBLER 5
KRAUS 5
PEJACEVIC 5
POULENC 5
SAMMARTINI 5

The most broadcast complete symphonies where:
Mozart: 41 x19
Dvorak: 9 x13
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique x11
Brahms: 1 x11
Brahms: 3 x10
Dvorak: 8 x10
Mozart: 38 x10
Nielsen: 4 x10
Sibelius: 7 x10

[antongould]

No big showing for the Prokofiev Classical suffy ….. a big R3 favourite in the past IIRC ……… ?????

[Pulcinella]

No big showing for the Prokofiev Classical suffy ….. a big R3 favourite in the past IIRC ……… ?????

But now chopped into more acceptable bite-size chunks, presumably, as suffie implies?
Though the whole thing hardly lasts very long.

[Ein Heldenleben]

No big showing for the Prokofiev Classical suffy ….. a big R3 favourite in the past IIRC ……… ?????

It used to get very frequent outings now 5 in Bflat seems the favoured option .

[Suffolkcoastal]

It used to get very frequent outings now 5 in Bflat seems the favoured option .

It was indeed the case this year, the Prokofiev Symphony breakdown was: No1 x8, No4 x1, No5 x9, No7 x1, nothing at all for his greatest symphony No 6.

Incidentally the number of complete Beethoven Symphony broadcasts was comfortably at its lowest for 14 years.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It was indeed the case this year, the Prokofiev Symphony breakdown was: No1 x8, No4 x1, No5 x9, No7 x1, nothing at all for his greatest symphony No 6.

Incidentally the number of complete Beethoven Symphony broadcasts was comfortably at its lowest for 14 years.

Thanks but I’m beginning to think I listen to Radio 3 too much. With Bruckner I guess it’s a toss up between 4 and 7 with 4 maybe just edging it. They do love playing that scherzo .

[Suffolkcoastal]

Thanks but I’m beginning to think I listen to Radio 3 too much. With Bruckner I guess it’s a toss up between 4 and 7 with 4 maybe just edging it. They do love playing that scherzo .

For Bruckner it was: 0 x1, 3 x2, 4 x7, 5 x1, 6 x3, 7 x6, 8 x2, 9 x2

[Ein Heldenleben]

For Bruckner it was: 0 x1, 3 x2, 4 x7, 5 x1, 6 x3, 7 x6, 8 x2, 9 x2

Do you know I definitely listen too much !

Only 1 x 5 . It’s one of the best .