> I wish to be neither a flamer nor a nit picker but I feel obliged to point
> out that under The Act of Union of 1707 the nation to which you refer
> became The United Kingdom of Great Britain, incorporating both Scotland and
> England. From previous discussion on this fascinating thread I had assumed
> you were referring solely to the southern portion of Britain. I am afraid
> we Scots take exception to being lumped in as mere English especially as we
> had quite a vibrant musical tradition of our own during the period
I was going to mention both the Scots -- the musical settings of Robert Burns'
poetry certainly qualify as having enduring international appeal, which means
they are hardly "provincial". Similarly, in Ireland the composer Thomas Moore
(best known for "Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms" and "The Last
Rose of Summer") was extremely prolific in the late 18th Century, and -- as with
the Burns songs -- the enduring international popularity of his music would also
suggest a composer who was anything but "provincial". Another Irish composer of
lasting and international appeal was O'Carolan.
I know there are quite a few other composers who "qualify", both in the Celtic
countries of the UK, and in England itself. Thomas Arne's name certainly leaps
to mind as a significant musical force in the years between Purcell and Elgar
(his dates were 1710-1778). And greater than even Purcell himself was Handel,
who is widely accepted as a British composer, given how much of his creative
life he spent in England, writing under British patronage.
Karen Mercedes
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| The English patient was discussing the unfortunate |
| life of Lorenz Hart. Some of his best lyrics to |
| "Manhattan", he claimed, had been changed and he now |
| broke into those verses: |
| "We'll bathe at Brighton; / The fish we'll frighten |
| When we're in. / Your bathing suit so thin |
| Will make the shellfish grin / Fin to fin." |
| "Splendid lines, and erotic, but Richard Rodgers, |
| one suspects, wanted more dignity." |
| -- Michael Ondaatje, THE ENGLISH PATIENT |
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