Stubborn Composers

Great composers are often called “stubborn” because they refuse to write down to the taste of their moment. Sometimes that stubbornness is exactly what protects the work: a public can be short‑sighted, critics can be wrong, and real innovation usually arrives early.

But there’s also a middle ground—small practical changes that don’t cheapen the art, yet make a performance possible. When a composer can’t (or won’t) see that, the price can be real.

Schubert once had a chance to win a coveted post as an opera conductor. He badly needed the income. To get the job he had to compose and conduct new music to the management’s satisfaction. His score, however, was so difficult that one passage simply wouldn’t go in rehearsal. The officials asked him to simplify it for the singers.

Schubert refused. After two rehearsals the problem only grew, and the full run‑through collapsed at the troublesome spot. The manager asked again for revisions. Schubert snapped his score shut and shouted, “I alter nothing!” Then he walked out—and his chance at the position walked out with him.