Talk:Johann Baptist Vanhal
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[edit] Proper spelling of his name "Wanhal" instead of "Vanhal"
The 'Duke University Website' link ( http://library.duke.edu/music/vanhal/wanhal3.html#family ) explains that he signed his name 'Wanhal' and the variant spellings 'Vanhal/Vanhall/Wanhall' are far less common. The title should be changed to Johann Baptist Wanhal, shouldn't it?
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- If you accept the standards adopted by the Library of Congress and New Grove, the present spelling, "Vanhal" is correct. It follows the Czech orthography, except for the caron diacritic on the N (Vaňhal). The spelling with W is the German version, and New Grove concurs that "he himself spelt his name Johann Baptist Wanhal", which only stands to reason given that he spent most of his working life in Austria. It does look a little strange to mix the German form of the given names, "Johann Baptist", with the Czech spelling of the surname, but that is the norm in English-language sources. FWIW, New Grove also points out that the full Czech form, Jan Křtitel Vaňhal, "was erroneously introduced" only after the Second World War.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 19:14, 20 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] The great Dittersdorf
Dittersdorf is not normally considered a great composer, but one editor insists on referring to him as the great Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf. I tagged the article since I think this violates NPOV and I assume he will revert it to say that again. If not, we can de-tag it. Gene Ward Smith 18:03, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
Grove says the following:
He composed voluminously despite the official responsibilities that occupied him for much of his life, and his generally high standard of craftsmanship earned him recognition as a leading figure of the Viennese Classical school.
...
In Dittersdorf's famous interview with Joseph II, recounted in the autobiography, his music is likened to ‘an ample and finely served meal. The dishes are all savoury, and one can take a good helping of each without risking indigestion’. Alas, though appealing, his music proved vulnerable to audiences' fickle taste, and few works were destined for enduring favour, however enthusiastic their initial reception. Gene Ward Smith (talk) 22:13, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
- Not to mention the fact that labelling him in this way constitutes "peacock words". It would look extremely odd, for example, to say that Beethoven studied (briefly) with "the great" Franz Joseph Haydn, or Heidegger with "the great" Husserl.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 22:33, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
