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I wonder if other MusicWeb regulars were as astonished as I was by BBC Music’s list of ‘the greatest British composers of all time’, especially bearing in mind that one of the criteria was ‘sheer enjoyability to listen to and perform’.

I suppose that it was inevitable that Britten would come out on top and that his exact contemporary George Lloyd wouldn’t feature, nor Havergal Brian, though I’d give Birtwistle’s entire output for Lloyd’s Fourth Symphony. But no Bax, no Parry, no Stanford? And, one might add, no Maxwell Davis, Rubbra, Robert Simpson and a good many more. Then there’s Malcom Arnold languishing at 22 and Handel, one of the greatest of all composers, at 9 behind Adès and Tippett, for goodness’ sake!

These lists are pretty pointless and everyone has their own opinion but this one really does seem extraordinarily wrong-headed!

I might have added that I never understand why Purcell always ranks so highly with music critics. An agreeable and attractive composer but surely not in the same league as, for example, Handel?

With thanks and admiration for all you and others do on MusicWeb!

Michael
P.S. And I’d put Cipriani Potter above Samuel Coleridge Taylor, too!