Notable Musicans, who died young.

[Megan]

George Gershwin.

I was listening to radio the other day and was very sad to learn that Gershwin died so young at the age of 38. He obviously had a great output and am wondering if there are any other notable who died you with such a large output.

[Enrique]

Mozart? Seriously, Pergolesi. Stravinsky studied his music when he was about to write Pulcinella, one of the most delicious compositions ever written.

You're right about Gershwin. Everyone of us know at least five of his themes, if only because of having gone to the pictures.

[Chris]

Mozart - 35
Schubert - 31
Chopin - 39

What might have been, eh?

[Peter]

Dinu Lipatti - 33

[Sorrano]

Mendelssohn - 38
Bizet - 36

[Megan]

Probably the greatest loss in this country was Thomas Linley, who died at the age of 22, in 1778.
Mozart himself said that he was a great genius and had this rare talent lived , he may well have become the greatest English composer of all time.

Apparently , he was dazzling on the keyboard and on the violin and could compose complex harmonies and melodies just off the cuff.

[Peter]

Carl Filtsch, nearly 15 (28 May 1830 – 11 May 1845) - child prodigy and favourite pupil of Chopin.

[Frankli]

I miss the Spanish Arriaga in the list, who died at 19 in 1826 - listen to his beautiful Symphony here.
And the German Kraus who moved to Sweden, the almost exact contemporary of Mozart. Here his c minor symphony with the gloomy introduction and the sensational following allegro.
And Burgmüller, who was 26 when he died in 1836.
Here his first Symphony.
Three romantic men full of imagination - but of course imagination does not make one a genius.

[Quijote]

I miss the Spanish Arriaga in the list, who died at 19 in 1826 [...]

Hello Frankli. Yes, I forgot all about Arriaga! I remember hearing a string quartet on the radio some years ago and not quite being able to 'place it'. I thought to myself 'Is that Haydn? Mozart'? Then at the end of the programme they announced it was Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga. Definitely worth exploring.

[Quijote]

Frankli's post has made me put on a CD of Arriaga. I would like to change my mind. When I said above that the 'unidentified' string quartet I heard on the radio reminded me of Haydn or Mozart, I would now say I find in it things more akin to early Beethoven.

[Sorrano]

Isn't Arriaga referred to as the Spanish Mozart? One of his works, I think a symphony, was featured on the radio a couple of weeks ago.

There are certainly too many composers who died too young.

[Peter]

Isn't Arriaga referred to as the Spanish Mozart? One of his works, I think a symphony, was featured on the radio a couple of weeks ago.

There are certainly too many composers who died too young.

Then we have the 'Swedish' Mozart, Joseph Martin Kraus who was exactly Mozart's contemporary and faired little better in the longevity stakes (20 June 1756 – 15 December 1792).

[Frankli]

Yes, the works of Arriaga remind us of Mozart, Haydn, Rossini, Cherubini even, for his three string quartets. The works of Kraus mainly remind us of Mozart. The works of Burgmüller remind us of Schumann. I have no clue about direct influences, but I feel that we do these composers injustice by focusing on influences from their collegues, rather than from their era and the mood that was in the air, and their own visions. It is a pity that they lived too short to develop a clearly recognizible own style.

Another composer who died much too young: German Schobert, who was presumed 27 when he poisoned himself and part of his family by accident in 1767. His music balances between galantry and Sturm und Drang. Like with Boccherini, it feels here and there like being stuck between two styles. Nevertheless he had some influence on Mozart.

And then there is Hyacinthe Jadin, born in the wrong country (France) and in the wrong year (1769), because he was German/Austrian influenced, which was not really en vogue there and then. He died at 30 or 31. I only know some of his chamber music. It is far beyond galantry, and purely classical style, very serious and romantic here and there.
Promise works well in art.

[Alfred]

Jeremiah Clarke
c.1674-1707

Vincenzo Bellini
1801-1835

Guillaume Lekeu
1870-1894

George Butterworth
1885-1916

Lili Boulanger
1893-1918

Jehan Alain
1911-1940

Veniamin Fleishman
1913-1941

Hugo Distler
1908-1942

[Sorrano]

There are quite a few! Welcome to the forum, Alfred!