h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's marvellous that Carl Nielsen is finally achieving the recognition he deserves. Other pieces by him that I would recommend are the wind quintet, the F major string quartet [no.4, FS36], and the oratorio 'Springtime in Funen'. I have heard Nielsen's music described as simple folk-like melodies side by side with hammering motives and leaping counterpoint. To me, this sounds about right. Having said that, Nielsen was anything but a 'one trick' oomposer. In fact, I find it interesting that the article describes the six symphonies as 'remarkably similar'. I know that these things are subjective, but Nielsen's symphonies always seem to me to evince a marked progression from the Brahms/Dvorak style of the first through to he abstract nature of the sixth. Compared to other symphonic cycles, I would say that Nielsen travelled further than many other composers. Consider Sibelius' or Vaughan Williams' symphonies,for example. I would agree that Nielsen's use of two keys simultaneously [bi-tonality] contributes a great deal to the harmonic nature of his music. The 'snare drum improvisation' segment of the fifth symphony, for example, is incedible. However, possibly just as important is the use of 'extended tonality' in his writing. This 'extended tonality' was a technique which Nielsen developed [apparently independently] whereby all 12 notes of the octave could be used whilst remaining within a tonal scale. This to me is the reason why Nielsen was not only a good composer but also an important one. His 'extended tonality' was a more viable exit point from the late romantis school of composition than the dodecaphonic music of Schoenberg, Webern et al, which, in my opinion, proved to be such a dead end. I feel that Carl Nielsen's reputation can only grow as more and more listeners become aware of his music. This will not be due to the technical matters mentioned above, however, but because Nielsen's music contains the vital elements present in all great music.