Andrew suggested that history's verdict on Janacek is "long since" in. I think it's way too soon to say that. I can think of a dozen opera composers who were considered great 75 years after their death but were discarded by history 50 years later. (Plus a few more who were great for a century, then discarded for a century, and then revived again.) Maybe Janacek will join them, or maybe he won't. But I don't think history has had its final say on him yet.
mdl
First of all, Janacek is not "an opera composer"--he wrote important music in a wide variety of genres, and even were all his operas to be forgotten the remaining body of work would be more than sufficient to maintain his standing as a major composer.
As to your other point, From the late 18th c. on (that is, since the time when the idea took hold that great works of art have permanent value), I cannot think of a single composer, in any genre, who having been considered great at the age of 150, came to be considered insignificant, or even minor, at any later time.
Composers, living or dead, do tend to go out of fashion around age 75. Formerly, this led inexorably to oblivion, but since ca. 1780, those of lasting merit get rehabilitated after a few decades in the doghouse. As far as I can see, this is a one-time, one-way process.
-- Andrew Stiller Kallisti Music Press
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