The great composers, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, etc., had contemporaries (Ries, Mayr, Onslow, Dittersdorf, Pleyel, etc.) that were as technically skilled and knowledgeable as the masters, yet produced no lasting “hit” that the average classical music fan can easily hum today. Why is that?

Question

Almost everyone has heard Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D Minor somewhere or another, whether in a video game, cartoon, horror movie, or elsewhere. Is the gift of writing hits really that elusive or did some composers just prefer not being in the spotlight?

In: Other

Answer 1

I wonder if it is akin to chefs where the master is able to produce recipes which are legendary for the time, the apprentice can faithfully prepare them but their skill is tuned to a specific moment in time. As a result, they make great works but nothing memorable.

It would be akin to studying under the master of fidget spinners in 2017 and trying to carry on the tradition today.