Hollow Victory

Kenneth Woods argues that “Haydn was a more creative, more talented and more skilled composer than Mozart.”

haydn-mozart

My first reaction was that this was insane. After reading his article, I now think that given what Woods means by this claim, it may well be right. But I also think that what he means by those words is an eccentric thing to mean by them. What he goes on to say about Haydn and Mozart seems to me to advance the claim that a) each of them was better in some respects than the other, and b) the respects in which Mozart was better are more profound. Any version of the claim that “Haydn was a more creative, more talented and more skilled composer than Mozart” that’s consistent with (a) and (b) strikes me as a pretty watered-down version.

Still, definitely worth a read.

3 Responses to Hollow Victory

  1. Irfan Khawaja May 11, 2015 at 8:02 pm #

    I see what you mean, but I’m not sure Woods is really committed to your (b). He says things that might be interpreted that way, but I’m not sure he really intends (b) by it.

    I found this an odd claim–actually two odd claims:

    The 40th Symphony is simply the greatest tragic symphony ever written- certainly the most tragic tragic symphony ever written.

    Does that strike you as obvious? I’m not even sure I get it.

  2. Joel Schlosberg May 13, 2015 at 6:26 pm #

    I have always enjoyed Haydn more.

  3. Łukasz Rożej May 16, 2015 at 1:59 am #

    My first reaction was that this was insane.

    Why? I’ve often heard similar claims made by people who know a lot more about Haydn’s and Mozart’s music then I do.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes