What if Russia lost to Napoleon? What if...?

Question

What if Russia lost to Napoleon? What if Chopin wasn't sick during the November Uprising? What if Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1 was a hit?

Now I've always thought this: What if...

Now I want you to think about it too.

We know that many composers have composed for landmark events, to express emotions yadda yadda. But what if these events were altered in some way? Would we still have the same music?

I have three prime examples, you can share your own (this is NOT FOR HOMEWORK)

Tchaikovsky: He wrote his 1812 Overture for the victory of Russia over Napoleon. What if Russia lost? Would Tchaikovsky EVER write the 1812 Overture? Would we ever hear this song in our lifetimes?

Chopin: He was sick during the Novemeber Uprising (Poland and Russian troops) He could've fought in it, but was sick.. So instead he wrote some Etudes, most notably his "Revolutionary Etude". Now...What if he wasn't sick? What if he fought in it? Would we ever hear this etude?

Rachmaninoff: Most musicians know that Rachmaninoff went through a few year depression because the failure of his Symphony No. 1. Whether it was the audience or a drunk conductor, he went into depression because of it. Because of this depression his hypnotist (whatever) told him to write more music resulting in the wonderful Piano Concerto No. 2.

If Rachmaninoff never went into this depression would we hear the same P.C. 2? Or would his second be his Third? Would he only write 3 (1,3,4)?

Now time to impose the second part of the question.

If Russia lost, if Chopin fought, if Rachmaninoff was a success, would we EVER hear these said pieces? Would either of these composers ever go about composing them? Or would someone compose them, with their own composing techniques?

If Grieg stumbled upon the tune of the Revolutionary Etude, would it be simpler or more "Norwegian"? If other composers stumbled upon the tunes of the said pieces, would they sound different?

Or would you say that, psychologically, these pieces would almost have to be composed by the right composers? Such as, I'm not trying to put religion into thise, a Supreme Being directing these composers to write these - or is it by chance - or to commemorate an event?

So...

What if...?

Answer 1

My what ifs always centered around other imponderables like what if Beethoven's father had been kind, and hadn't tried pawning him off as being younger than he really was.

What if he hadn't gone deaf?

Even more puzzling ... what if he had written a tenth symphony? Would others who followed still have made nine a magic number, would they also have gone on to ten and then stopped, or would they continue beyond that and try to get to Haydn's "basketball score" numbers?

Imagine that the patron families had different musicians at court?

What if Mozart was more "normal" (for lack of a better term)? How would his music have been different?

What if Mozart, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Ravel, or Gershwin had lived longer? How would that have affected the music world. Would their music be more popular or more forgotten?

What if Mendelssohn hadn't rediscovered Bach's works and been such a strong proponent of them.

How about these? WHAT IF Scott Joplin had been white? or lived in the New England states? or in Africa? Or if he had been born twenty years on either side of his birthday?

So, so many intangibles. Amplified Instruments; radio and recording technology; the development of instruments to their present form. Imagine an ocarina and panpipe orchestra. Or something other than the 12 tone equally tempered chromatic scale. There are plenty of examples of pentatonic scales, but what if the norm was a 15 or 17 note scale?

... holy smoke, my heads going to explode!  

Answer 2

     Have never seen so many "what ifs", posted on any of the categories that are contained within Q & A.

     I'm just wondering, how long you have been pondering such a posting; your prose style by the way, is really impressive: just wish 10% of the younger generation could write 10% as well.

     I'll try to take your questions one by one and in order; but am not promising anything.

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"What if Russia lost to Napoleon?": There would probably not have been either a WW I, or WW II.  France would have undoubtedly acquired the greatest colonial empire.  The global language would nowadays be French, not English.

      There might well still be a royal(Napoleonic)French monarchy, and France the only "super power" in the world: I for one, don't think I would be too unhappy about it; I'm a great admirer of French culture.

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"Would Tchaikovsky have written his "1812" Overture"?  Most unlikely.

"Would Chopin still have written his Etudes"?  Had he actually fought in the war, bore arms, his being so physically frail and often ill, it's most unlikely that he would have survived: so my answer would be, no.  "So would we ever hear his "Revolutionary Etude"?  No, definitely not.

"If Rachmaninoff never went into depression(because of the failure of his 1st Symphony), would we ever hear the Second Piano Concerto?"

      I would think not; but who can say what he might have composed instead, later on, had his 1st Symphony been a success?  Certainly not  me.

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     Your bringing a/the "Supreme Being" into the picture, I don't feel is valid; I, nor does anyone I have ever met, have the capability to know what he would do in such instances.

     And I must say, you expect an awful lot of a serious responder: I'm exhausted.  Hope my exposition holds some meaning for you.

               I want end by saying "enjoy"; but "thanks for the question": as demanding as it was - a very good one,

                                                  Alberich