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aldona wrote:So many gorgeous melodies in Schubert's music

I imagine you like the melodies in Schubert's The Shepheard on the Rock?

To all the people who know Schubert better than me, what is your opinion on the Tenth Symphony completed by Brian Newbould? This symphony has always been my favorite, especially the amazing third movement with it's many contrapuntal sections. I don't know how much of the music is Schubert's though.

Some more of my favorite melodies are "So tanzen die Engel" from Schoenberg's Gurre-lieder, the gorgeous 7/8 theme from Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo, which is just as nice when adapted by Poulenc for his third Novelette. I also love every melody in Saint-Saëns Third Symphony, but especiallt the second theme from the first movement which builds to the huge climax with the trombones. Simply amazing.

allegroamabile wrote:
I imagine you like the melodies in Schubert's The Shepheard on the Rock?

Yes!! I think that was on the previous week's list of favorites.

In fact, my soprano friend and I are looking around for a clarinet player so we can perform it.

With about 1000 pieces in the Deutsch catalog, there is only room for a certain number of favorites at any one time...

Aldona

What? 18 posts and no mention of Puccini? Now while I'm not in general a Puccini fan (preferring R.Strauss among contemporaneous opera composers), even I would admit that Puccini wrote some of the most stunningly beautiful melodies. My all-time favorite Puccini aria is Che gelida manina from La Boheme and my all-time favorite single Puccini melodic phrase in that aria is the vast arch that makes up

Talor dal mio forziere
ruban tutti i gioelli
due ladri, gli occhi belli.

It's a melodic turn that is far superior to the specific words it is supposed to be expressing, which is often my problem with this composer.

--Sixtus

PS on listening to Boheme just now (as reported in that string). My favorite phrase comes back during the following love duet but it is not nearly as effective as a melody as it was on its first appearance. I think it's because it lacks the upbeat (Ta-lor) and just comes in on the high note, which evokes a certain crassness the phrase didn't have the first time around. [Unfortunately typical of Puccini, this crassness (e.g. Tosca).] Funny the difference one note can make!

True! Gianni Schicchi is a beautiful opera for melodies