Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner 'Most neglected' great piano composer on Pianist Corner?

My nominee: Scott Joplin

Judging from my time here, I think that's an easy call.

I don't care what anyone says; Scott Joplin was a genius.

EDIT:

You know what, Mark? You might as well change the name of this thread to "Scott Joplin Appreciation Thread" because I (and others, I hope) am about to share like there's no tomorrow.

Here's me playing the famous Maple Leaf Rag a few years ago before I discovered classical music (or even how to read music). This was recorded on a pretty bad piano so I'm sorry about the tone.

Here are some less well-known Joplin rags that I'd like to share too:

The following rags are performed by Cory Hall, AKA BachScholar on YouTube.

Euphonic Sounds

The Cascades

Country Club

A Breeze from Alabama

Original Rags

Joplin is wonderful.

I haven't heard a single discussion about respighi here, but noturno, his preludes on gregorian themes, and a few others whose names are escaping me are brilliant.

One reason Scott Joplin isn't discussed much at the Pianist Corner is most don't consider him a classical composer. He's discussed a lot more on the Non Classical Forum.

I find most of his music boring and four square compared to composers like Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Gershwin, Tatum, and other great stride or jazz pianists. I like William Bolcom's Rags more than the ones by Joplin.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

How about Medtner?

I would have to say Chopin..

Rzewski

Tomasino

IIRC, Joplin considered his rags to be a classical form.

Most neglected composer? Henri Herz! Though his "marriage" to La Paiva may be more interesting than his music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Paiva

+1

I can't say who's neglected here, since I just joined yesterday, but I do wish people played more Rzewski. I love his 4 pieces from 1977 (or maybe 1978).

Lyapunov too. He has a lot of good pieces (but a lot of duds too).

Most neglected GREAT composer.

But I love seeing any mention anywhere of composers like Herz.

Yesterday??
I swear, it seems like you're a veteran already.

Hehe, Joplin and I share a birthday.

Richard Strauss and I share a birthday.

Samuel Barber and my sister share a birthday.

A pair of perhaps mildly underrated composers on these forums.

-J

Nice job!

I came into this thread to mention the Strauss piano sonata! Don't think I've ever seen it mentioned here. Glenn Gould plays an exquisite interpretation of it.

I think Lyapunov, Liadov, Bortkiewicz, Mednter, Moszkowski, and Henselt could certainly use more attention. All of whom I consider to be first rate composers. (I would include Alkan, but it seems like he gets a lot of attention around here.)

There is a reason some composers generate little sustained interest, and sometimes the reason just Herz.

Thanks! I do love to hear myself type

Lyapunov/Ljapoenoff/Liapunov it must be, he wrote 12 études d'ex.tr. (op.11) to follow up Liszt's 12, and did a good job: truly Lisztian in scope and difficulty, but very russian at that, and he wrote a wonderful sonata (op.27), based on the architecture of Liszt but, as in the études, he built a Russian Orthodox cathedral on the Lisztian example, the first really russian sounding sonata ever, really! Some good variationworks, a darling sonatina, why isn't he played more often: it's hard, and to go through that much trouble, well, most prefer the well known names, let's do the whole 'chopin/schumann/liszt/rachmaninoff/etc' rep. It might be a good idea to be adventurous and just try, and also play Medtner, and Glazunov, and Alkan, and Rzwvzckqlrtpszewsky, but don't forget Lyapunov!