Hello again

[5against4]

i'm back again for a bit, so hello 

[Mirror Image]

Welcome back, 5against4! Just to refresh my memory, who are some of your favorite composers?

[5against4]

Too many to name! Contemporary music's my primary passion, but i'm steeped in core repertoire, particularly fond of late romantic.

But basically that's too difficult a question to answer!

[Brian]

Glad to see you again!

[vandermolen]

Nice to see you back. 

[Mirror Image]

Too many to name! Contemporary music's my primary passion, but i'm steeped in core repertoire, particularly fond of late romantic.

But basically that's too difficult a question to answer!

I see. Well...you couldn't give me a list of five favorites or five composers who have meant the most to you?

[5against4]

I see. Well...you couldn't give me a list of five favorites or five composers who have meant the most to you?

No, not really; such a list would be ridiculously short compared to the large number of composers who have meant and continue to mean a very great deal to me, and therefore any list of the kind you're curiously insistent upon would give, at best, a false impression. Even my saying "contemporary and late romantic" fails to indicate all the many other composers beyond these spheres whose work i also adore. So let's just say my taste is exceptionally wide-ranging!

[5against4]

Glad to see you again!

Nice to see you back. 

Many thanks chaps!   

[Karl Henning]

A most welcome return!

[5against4]

A most welcome return!

Thanks Karl 

[Rinaldo]

i'm back again for a bit, so hello 

Welcome back! Long time fan of your blog / YT channel. Keep 'em coming!

[nathanb]

I see. Well...you couldn't give me a list of five favorites or five composers who have meant the most to you?

Non-list-lovers will never understand our need to inanely rank things [I agree with 5against4's point that some lists are woefully incapable of reflecting tastes and whatnot, but the need to make lists is too strong!]

[5against4]

Non-list-lovers...

Oh, please don't get me wrong, i love making lists and i'm forever rating/ranking the things i listen to – Exhibit A, Exhibit B and especially Exhibit C – but i have to draw the line when it's trying to pick (and then order) just five composers out of a list of maybe hundreds that i really love. There are limits! That kind of list would in my case literally be meaningless.

But i love lists!! 

[Mirror Image]

Oh, please don't get me wrong, i love making lists and i'm forever rating/ranking the things i listen to – Exhibit A, Exhibit B and especially Exhibit C – but i have to draw the line when it's trying to pick (and then order) just five composers out of a list of maybe hundreds that i really love. There are limits! That kind of list would in my case literally be meaningless.

But i love lists!! 

But when a list is in no particular order, it certainly makes things easier, wouldn't you agree?

[5against4]

But when a list is in no particular order, it certainly makes things easier, wouldn't you agree?

Yes and no, depends on the list. But it was the number - five - that for me is impossible to make meaningful in my case. i could rattle off a list of composers who've meant the most to me in my life so far, but it would easily need to be at least 50, and even that wouldn't do justice to the reality of things!

[bhodges]

Yes and no, depends on the list. But it was the number - five - that for me is impossible to make meaningful in my case. i could rattle off a list of composers who've meant the most to me in my life so far, but it would easily need to be at least 50, and even that wouldn't do justice to the reality of things!

Very much in line with my own thinking, too. And welcome back, by the way.

--Bruce

[nathanb]

Yes and no, depends on the list. But it was the number - five - that for me is impossible to make meaningful in my case. i could rattle off a list of composers who've meant the most to me in my life so far, but it would easily need to be at least 50, and even that wouldn't do justice to the reality of things!

My point is, your need to list and rank has not yet surpassed your need for rationality and meaning



I should hope that no one who has actually listened to a lot of composers can easily rattle off a T5. Why, I've only listened to classical music for ~3 years and it sounds painful. But the need to list rankings and rank listings must emerge triumphant!

[5against4]

My point is, your need to list and rank has not yet surpassed your need for rationality and meaning

If you enjoy making lists that lack any rationality or meaning, sounds like you're the one failing, not i.

[nathanb]

If you enjoy making lists that lack any rationality or meaning, sounds like you're the one failing, not i.

I assure you I meant no offense. I tend to go ahead and make the list, but yes, I do feel compelled to leave a postscript notice at that point ("Could probably change within the hour" / "Totes arbitrary" / etc.).

[Mirror Image]

Yes and no, depends on the list. But it was the number - five - that for me is impossible to make meaningful in my case. i could rattle off a list of composers who've meant the most to me in my life so far, but it would easily need to be at least 50, and even that wouldn't do justice to the reality of things!

Hmmm...I was merely inquiring because I'm curious to see who you've been listening to and where your tastes lie. I understand you don't want to give a list, but your declining to oblige me with a few composers only clouds any chance I have with conversing with you about this or that composer. I'm not asking for your bank account number and street address, I'm just trying to figure out if a conversation between us could arise at some point, but given that I have nothing to go on, it certainly makes things a bit more troublesome.