Best American Composer
Anti-Social Darwinism
28-02-2006, 03:01
Who do you think is the best American composer (not rock, pop, soul, hip-hop or anything trendy), this includes composers of movie soundtracks. I like Aaron Copeland - quintessentially American - and Gershwin.
Xenophobialand
28-02-2006, 03:04
Who do you think is the best American composer (not rock, pop, soul, hip-hop or anything trendy), this includes composers of movie soundtracks. I like Aaron Copeland - quintessentially American - and Gershwin.
Well, Copeland's really the only one I know. . .well, I suppose John Williams, but he gets his mention primarily for Star Wars. So yes, Copeland.
It's Copland... without the E.
And ftr, American composers are all s***, at least all the ones I've ever heard of (seven).
Keruvalia
28-02-2006, 03:10
Oh where to go with this one ....
Irving Berlin
John Lewis
Gus Kahn
Earl Scruggs
Sheldon Harnick
George Cohan
Louis Armstrong
Willie Dixon
Joe Garland
Duke Ellington
Cole Porter
George Gershwin
Jimi Hendrix
Thelonius Monk
Leonard Bernstein
...
My god, people ... how can you not think there've been great American composers?
THE LOST PLANET
28-02-2006, 03:11
WTF? You want to include movie soundtracks but not Rock?
When did movie soundtracks become a more legitamate form of music composure than Rock and Roll?
Keruvalia
28-02-2006, 03:15
WTF? You want to include movie soundtracks but not Rock?
Hence my very short list. :)
Have to include Rock and Jazz when talking about American composers.
Ray Charles and Chuck Barry, regardless of what any snob may think, are genius in their composition.
Anti-Social Darwinism
28-02-2006, 03:15
WTF? You want to include movie soundtracks but not Rock?
When did movie soundtracks become a more legitamate form of music composure than Rock and Roll?
My bad. Include rock, soul, pop, etc. It's all good.
South Illyria
28-02-2006, 03:21
Thelonius Monk
Miles Davis
Charlie Parker
Duke Ellington
Jazz and musical theatre are really the only quintessentially American musical forms. Then you have people like John Cage and Philip Glass.
Irving Berlin gets honorable mention: "There are really only four songs in the world. The rest are just variations." Just for saying that.
Cannot think of a name
28-02-2006, 11:01
Charlie Parker
If you count improvisation as 'spontanious composition,' for which there is an argument, then Bird would definately qualify. But his heads where just functional, to get through the changes that where usually just bummed off old Broadway tunes. Sometimes he wouldn't even really bother with a melody, like on Donna Lee.
But to that list I would have to add Charles Mingus and Gil Evans.
I like Steve Reich, but I really don't know where he's from so he might not be American. Now that I think about it, I am on the internet...Yep, he's American. Yay internets.
John Williams. Hands down.
BackwoodsSquatches
28-02-2006, 15:06
John Williams.
Henry Mancini.
Gershwin.
Duke Ellington.
Miles Davis
Robert Jordan.
Brian Wilson.