Best Composer List

[MahlerMaestro]

Maybe you have tried or maybe not, but i've tried tonight to rank the composers of classical music. It IS a difficult thing to do, because some composers were better in different ways. Influence is a big weight in my list. I've done Top 40 (no, I haven't been listening to Casey Casem).<P>Here it is, and maybe together we could come up with our own specialized list put together by us. Let the debates begin! <BR>Heres to start off..........<BR>NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER!!! just to start us off in a good direction.<BR>1.Beethoven<BR>2.Mozart<BR>3.Bach<BR>4.Brahms<BR>5.Chopin<BR>6.Tchaikovsky<BR>7.Haydn<BR>8.Handel<BR>9.Dvorak<BR>10.Mahler<BR>11.Wagner<BR>12.Vivaldi<BR>13.Shostakovich<BR>14.Schumann<BR>15.Bruckner<BR>16.Rachmaninoff<BR>17.Mendelssohn<BR>18.Debussy<BR>19.Saint - Saens<BR>20.Shubert<BR>21.Liszt<BR>22.Richard Strauss<BR>23.Verdi<BR>24.Elgar<BR>25.Prokofiev<BR>26.Vaughn Williams<BR>27.Rossini<BR>28.Stravinsky<BR>29.Sibelius<BR>30.Bruch<BR>31.Ravel<BR>32.Rimsky Korsakov<BR>33.Mussorgsky<BR>34.Grieg<BR>35.Franck<BR>36.Bartok<BR>37.Berlioz<BR>38.Borodin<BR>39.Holst<BR>40.Bizet<P>Please give notice of any composers you feel should be included for debate and those who you feel strongly against. <P><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Laast mich betrunken sein! ~~Mahler <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> :confused: :confused: :confused:

[serge urtizberea]

Liszt no. 21??! Berlioz no. 37??! I think not! <P><BR>1. Beethoven<BR>2. Bach<BR>3. Liszt<BR>4. Berlioz<BR>4. Schumann<BR>5. Saint-Saens<BR>6. everyone else<P><BR>At least that's how <I>I</I> see things. I am starting to really consider Liszt a great, revolutionary composer now, so he may give Bach a run for his money. However, no one will ever surpass Beethoven. That'd be like breaking a natural law of physics or something. And I should really give props to the French, who to me keep outdoing themselves in almost everything they do (except fighting wars, but no one's perfect).

[Peter]

1. Beethoven.<BR>2. Schubert.<BR>3. Mozart.<BR>4. Chopin.<BR>5. Tchaikovsky.<BR>6. Brahms.<BR>7. Bach.<BR>8. Handel.<BR>9. Liszt.<BR>10. Mendelssohn.<P>997. Wagner.<BR>998. Mahler.<P>(Always tough to choose between Richard and Gustav.....)<P> <p>[ 09-26-2001: Message edited by: Peter ]

[EJA]

This list is in order of my personal favorites; I wouldn't want to touch "greatest" with a ten-foot pole.<P>1. Beethoven<BR>2. Mendelssohn<BR>2. Grieg (What he did he did right)<BR>3. Handel<BR>3. Bach<BR>3. Brahms<BR>4. Saint-Saens<BR>5. Dvorak<BR>5. Rachmaninoff<BR>5. Tchaikovsky<BR>6. Rimsky-Korsikov<BR>6. Bruch<BR>7. Mozart<BR>7. Hadyn<BR>. . . <BR>998. Glass (just to properly insult the next guy)<BR>999. Vagner<BR>999. Mahler<BR>100,000. Cage<P>To quote Parrothead, "indecision may or may not be my problem." I can virtually guarantee that this list will be different in a couple weeks. <P><BR>Peter, for me it's very easy to prioritize my dislike for Vagner and Mahler: there are two pieces of Vagner's that I like, whereas there are only one part of one piece of Mahler's tbat I like (fourth movement of his fifth symphony. Try it; you'll like it.).

[jfrederik]

1. Beethoven<BR>2. Chopin/Schumann<BR>3. Brahms<BR>4. Liszt<BR>5. Franck<BR>6. Rachmaninoff<BR>7. Mahler<BR>8. Wagner<BR>9. Prokofiev<P>my list for now

[BenG]

My top 15 picks (so many great ones to consider...)<P>1. Beethoven<BR>2. Brahms<BR>3. Tchaikovsky<BR>4. Liszt<BR>5. Mozart<BR>6. Dvorak<BR>7. Khachaturian<BR>8. Mahler<BR>9. Chopin<BR>10. Wagner<BR>11. Sibelius<BR>12. Stravinksky<BR>13. Berlioz<BR>14. Rachmaninoff<BR>15. Ravel<P>I'm pleased to see that others here think so highly of Liszt. He's not as popular these days as he should be. There are many historical anecdotes about his life that simply aren't true! He travelled all over Europe and spread inspiration and money that helped spark many piano schools and players. He is personally responsible for raising the money for the Beethoven monument in Germany. He played countless concerts for charity. He wrote revolutionary works for piano--he wrote pieces that sounded like Chopin even before Chopin. He helped promote advances in piano technology. He was a very kind and noble soul. I highly recommend the three-part biography on Liszt by Alan Walker.

[shostakovich]

Hi MahlerMaestro. Your list of 40 is very good. I'm not sure Bruch belongs, because his popularity rests almost entirely on the 1st concerto and the Scottish Fantasy. But you came up with 39 winners. After eons of reading texts and music critics, the highest respect is paid to Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, in chronological order. After that, there is/was no universal agreement. I think you intended a "greatest" list, rather than personal favorites.<P>BUT --- if you are asking our favorites for sheer listening enjoyment, I would choose a host of Russians: Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, and Rachmaninov. Filling out a top 10 would be Dvorak, Sibelius, and Bloch. The last 2 might just be quirks in my personality. <P>Peter and Ethan, don't hold back your feelings about Wagner and Mahler. The perspective on Cage is about right (sorry, Nicole). <BR>Shos

[Peter]

Shos, sorry to leave your namesake out of my top 10. These Russians can be heavy going, but I'm working on it!<P>Ethan, you rank Wagner and Mahler below me!! John Cage? I've heard better music emanating from the rear ends of diarrheatic (sp?

[EJA]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter:<BR><STRONG><BR>Ethan, you rank Wagner and Mahler below me!! John Cage? I've heard better music emanating from the rear ends of diarrheatic (sp? :confused: ) cattle.<BR></STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Interesting comparison. Not literally, just, as I said, to properly insult Gustav and Richard. In reality I would prefer almost any other music to Cage. In fact, I originally put him in as 100,000, but changed my mind in a fit of vicious anti-Vagner/Mahler rage. By the way, the spelling is "diarrhetic," not to be confused with diuretic (think mango). Just as a little aside, <B>do not</B> misspell <A HREF="http://www.dictionary.com" TARGET=_blank>www.dictionary.com</A> however I just did. . .

[Peter]

Actually, I seem to have been way off with my grammer there.....ranking Wagner below me?? Wot?! I didn't mean to include myself in any lists (still thinking about that Gosport Symphony, Shos). I never use spellchecks.....too lazy I guess <P>Ethan, why do you (deliberately, I presume) spell Wagner as Vagner?

[MahlerMaestro]

I knew what this topic would bring. All sorts of opinions. Its impossible to not bias anytihng about this! This was a mistake. We could NEVER agree upon a certain list, from best to worst. Maybe it was fun wihle it lasted, i like giving ranks to tihngs. ALOT of you put MAHLER like 1000!!! Mahler was obviously a genius. You see? We all want to put our favorites near the top. <BR>This was a bad, but fun! idea.<P>MahlerMaestro

[EJA]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter:<BR><STRONG>Actually, I seem to have been way off with my grammer there.....ranking Wagner below me?? Wot?! I didn't mean to include myself in any lists (still thinking about that Gosport Symphony, Shos). I never use spellchecks.....too lazy I guess Actually, Peter, the reason is that when I get to thinking about music I begin to spell things purely foneticly, u no wat I meen?

[JEA]

Here's my list of favorites:<BR>1.Beethoven<BR>2.Mozart<BR>3.Mendelssohn<BR>4.Dvorak<BR>5.Schumann<BR>6.Bach<BR>7.Handel<BR>8.Chopin<BR>9.Haydn<BR>10.Borodin<BR>11.Rachmaninoff<BR>12.Bruch<BR>13.Schubert<BR>14.Grieg<BR>15.Tchaikovsky<BR>16.Vivaldi<BR>17.Scarlatti<BR>18.Rossini<BR>19.Verdi<BR>20.Saint-Saens<BR>21.Percell<BR>22.Franc<BR>23.Elgar<BR>24.Holst<BR>25.Davies<P>5000.Shostakovich<BR>10000.Stravinsky<BR>20000.Cage<P>Note the separation from the great composers. These 3 are not worthy to be with the other 25. I believe that if Mendelssohn had lived longer, he could have been number one.

[jfrederik]

I've noticed that none of you are fond of John Cage. This puzzles me...Maybe it is not the same as Chopin and Beethoven, but it is entirely different. <BR>Do you for example know his sonatas and interludes? they are a lot of fun. The reason why I got to know his music, was through my teacher, John Damgaard, who recorded these and MAYBE it is just necessary to hear them more than once or even twice? The first time I heard the Sonatas and Interludes I thought what the **** is this? <P>Jonas Frederik

[Brahmsian]

1.Brahms<BR>2.Beethoven<BR>3.Bach<BR>4.Mozart<BR>5.Haydn<BR>6.Handel<BR>7.Schubert<BR>8.Schumann<BR>9.Mendelssohn<BR>10. Tchaicovsky<BR>11.Saint-Saens<BR>12.Gabrieli<BR>13.Chopin<BR>14.Rimsky-Korsakov<BR>15.Mussorgsky<BR>16.Dvorak<BR>17.Grieg<BR>18.Sibelius<BR>19.Telemann<BR>20.C.P.E. Bach<P>after that I'm game.

[MISSY KIRKLAND]

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>BEETHOVEN<BR>MOZART<BR>MAHLER<BR>TCHAIKOVSKY<BR>CHOPIN<BR>WAGNER<BR>BRAHMS<BR>SCHUBERT<BR>VERDI<BR>PUCCINI</UL><p>[ 10-02-2001: Message edited by: PRINCESS MARYANN ]

[violin]

A LIST OF COMPOSERS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE?? It's easier to list composers not liked or least favorite. To list favorites I'd have to have at least four lists - Medieval, Renaissance, Classical, and Modern. And then I'd have to have a category just for people like my mom who have influenced me but are not generally known. <BR>Least favorite is easier for me and it includes Cage, Glass and 'Vagner'.<BR>Violin

[thornhill]

My Fav 10:<P>Beethoven<BR>Bach<BR>Mozart<BR>Dvoark<BR>Mendelssohn<BR>Mahler<BR>Shostakovich<BR>Verdi<BR>Prokofiev<BR>Tchaikovsky

[niccolo_paganini]

Liszt is certainly one of the best.<BR>Beethoven, has to be number one though.<BR>Brahms, Bach, Wagner, and Chopin fall next<BR>The rest is hard to decide, but Beethoven being #1 is not.

[thornhill]

are you talking about your fav, or who you think is the best composer.