Top 50 Composers...or are they?

[barfle]

Several years ago, I was taking a computer networking class (MCSE in NT4, if anyone gives a rat). I had a computer, my wife had a computer, and I networked them. (Yes, I'm getting to the point very soon.) In a network, the computers have names, and I decided to pick classical composers. Naturally, I picked "Beethoven" for my primary domain server, and my wife picked "Vivaldi" for her client.

I figured if I ever got to Grofe that I had too many computers.

[Hexameron]

But you got to Berlioz right?

[barfle]

Total of four computers: Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, and Jarrett (Keith). Which gives me another suggestion for HRH regarding classic rock.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Before the IT maroons took away our little UNIX office net, we had names for the computers. The server was AboutTime, my Sparc was named KnitWit.

[bignaf]

.... and where, exactly, does the great 16th century composer Anon fit in to all of this. Surely this one deserves a spot in the top 10.

I think you mean 12th century. he's the best!

[Catmando]

Top 50 Composers: Per Phil Goulding - Author of:
Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works

1 Johann Sebastian Bach
2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3 Ludwig van Beethoven
4 Richard Wagner
5 Franz Joseph Haydn
6 Johannes Brahms
7 Franz Schubert
8 Robert Schumann
9 George Frideric Handel
10 Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

11 Felix Mendelssohn
12 Antonin Dvorak
13 Franz Liszt
14 Frederic Chopin
15 Igor Stravinsky
16 Giuseppe Verdi
17 Gustav Mahler
18 Sergei Prokofiev
19 Dmitri Shostakovich
20 Richard Strauss

21 Hector Berlioz
22 Claude Debussy
23 Giacomo Puccini
24 Giovanni da Palestrina
25 Anton Bruckner
26 Georg Telemann
27 Camille Saint-Saens
28 Jean Sibelius
29 Maurice Ravel
30 Gioacchino Rossini

31 Edvard Grieg
32 Christoph Gluck
33 Paul Hindemith
34 Claudio Monteverdi
35 Bela Bartok
36 Cesar Franck
37 Antonio Vivaldi
38 Georges Bizet
39 Modest Mussorgsky
40 Jean-Philippe Rameau

41 Gabriel Faure
42 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
43 Gaetano Donizetti
44 Ralph Vaughan Williams
45 Bedrich Smetana
46 Johann Strauss
47 Karl Maria Von Weber
48 Leos Janacek
49 Francois Couperin
50 Alexander Borodin

From this list of Goulding's Top 50 composers, chose 1 composer from each 10 tier (1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50) that you would like to learn/explore more of their work/lives/compositions. And why?

[bignaf]

tier 1: J.S. Bach, just because he wrote so much music. I know about 3% of his music.
tier 2: Prokofiev, I really don't know enough of his piano music, which is considered great.
tier 3: Sibelius, I basically know symphony 1 and 2, and the violin concerto. gotta hear the 5th at least.
tier 4: Bartok, I need to listen carefully to his string quartes, I know one, barely.
tier 5: I feel like I know these composers as much as I should. maybe more Faure, I don't like him much, but if I listen more, I might grow to like him.

[jamiebk]

Top 50 Composers: Per Phil Goulding - Author of:
Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works

10 Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
20 Richard Strauss
21 Hector Berlioz
39 Modest Mussorgsky
44 Ralph Vaughan Williams


chose 1 composer from each 10 tier that you would like to learn/explore more of their work/lives/compositions. And why?

Why???
#10 - I don't know anything about his life
#20 - I love his music...he must have had a very dynamic life
#21 - The guy was a crazy coke head...he would be interesting to study
#39 - I know nothing about him, but like his music
#44 - Wow...some absolutely beautiful works...I wonder where he gets his inspiration?

[Catmando]

1 Johann Sebastian Bach

19 Dmitri Shostakovich

28 Jean Sibelius

35 Bela Bartok

44 Ralph Vaughan Williams


Why?

#1 - I've only scratched the surface with JS Bach. There is so much of his music left to listen to. Interested especially in his organ works.

#19 Shostakovich's symphonies and string quartets (I'm intrigued, because it is said that his string quartets are the most inward looking by a composer since Beethoven's.)

#28 I've only heard his Symphony# 5, which was good. Often talked about late Romantic composer.

#35 Bartok for similar reasons as *ignaf, would like to hear his string quartets. As well, he was deep into Hungarian folk music.

#44 RV Williams symphonies may be of interest. The Lark Ascending is a beautiful work. Must have more of them, right?

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Just as a possible distractor, has anyone noticed that the entire list is European. Men.

Is it possible the field is too narrow to be a valid list? Eh? No worthy men on any other continent, and no worthy women anywhere? Are we sure about this?

[Catmando]

Just as a possible distractor, has anyone noticed that the entire list is European. Men.

Is it possible the field is too narrow to be a valid list? Eh? No worthy men on any other continent, and no worthy women anywhere? Are we sure about this?

It's one author's Top 50 list. I doubt there is a single person in the entire universe that would agree with the same 50 on list, let alone the order in which they are in.

Phil Goulding even mentions this in his book.

There are no women, and there are no Americans on the list either.

One could make a case that Aaron Copland should be on the list, as well as a few other Americans.

I've got to say it......How about that Clara Schumann?

Or Rachmaninoff isn't there either. Boccherini? Holst? John Williams? Resphigi? Any one of those could have easily made the list.

[bignaf]

Just as a possible distractor, has anyone noticed that the entire list is European. Men.

Is it possible the field is too narrow to be a valid list? Eh? No worthy men on any other continent, and no worthy women anywhere? Are we sure about this?

I think we discussed this in the first half of the thread. I personally consider the list horrible. Handel in the top 10??!!?? Telemann shouldn't be in the top 300 list!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I think I'll just defer to your professional assessment. List=horrible.

[bignaf]

re: Vaughn Williams. My mother has a collection of his complete symphonies. I listened to some and wasn't impressed. by if you like Lark ascending, you might like some of them. try Antratica symphony.

[dai bread]

re: Vaughn Williams. My mother has a collection of his complete symphonies. I listened to some and wasn't impressed. by if you like Lark ascending, you might like some of them. try Antartica symphony.

...derived from film music. Shades of both Richard Wagner & John Williams.

[bignaf]

or John Williams is a shade of that? or Vaughn Williams is a pre-shade of John? pre-shade, hmmm...

[navneeth]

try Antartica symphony.
...derived from film music. Shades of both Richard Wagner & John Williams.

It's on the air (Scherzo(Moderato)) as I type.

[jamiebk]

I think you guys do not give poor old Ralph enough credit. He wrote many, many works. Some of them have become "standards"

http://www.rvwsociety.com/workssymph.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/worksorch.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/workschoral.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/worksfilm.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/worksstage.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/worksconcerto.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/workschamber.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/workskeyboard.html
http://www.rvwsociety.com/worksarrange.html

His choral works are particularly nice and I have always enjoyed "A Sea Symphony". As someone pointed out, Antartica was of note and was used as a film score for a work of the same name. I find his music to be very visual.

[bignaf]

I don't think any of us said he didn't write many works.

[Catmando]

Top 50 Composers: Per Phil Goulding - Author of:
Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works

1 Johann Sebastian Bach
2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3 Ludwig van Beethoven
4 Richard Wagner
5 Franz Joseph Haydn
6 Johannes Brahms
7 Franz Schubert
8 Robert Schumann
9 George Frideric Handel
10 Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

11 Felix Mendelssohn
12 Antonin Dvorak
13 Franz Liszt
14 Frederic Chopin
15 Igor Stravinsky
16 Giuseppe Verdi
17 Gustav Mahler
18 Sergei Prokofiev
19 Dmitri Shostakovich
20 Richard Strauss

21 Hector Berlioz
22 Claude Debussy
23 Giacomo Puccini
24 Giovanni da Palestrina
25 Anton Bruckner
26 Georg Telemann
27 Camille Saint-Saens
28 Jean Sibelius
29 Maurice Ravel
30 Gioacchino Rossini

31 Edvard Grieg
32 Christoph Gluck
33 Paul Hindemith
34 Claudio Monteverdi
35 Bela Bartok
36 Cesar Franck
37 Antonio Vivaldi
38 Georges Bizet
39 Modest Mussorgsky
40 Jean-Philippe Rameau

41 Gabriel Faure
42 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
43 Gaetano Donizetti
44 Ralph Vaughan Williams
45 Bedrich Smetana
46 Johann Strauss
47 Karl Maria Von Weber
48 Leos Janacek
49 Francois Couperin
50 Alexander Borodin

Next exercise...... From these 50, choose in your humblest opinion 1 overrated and 1 underrated composer from each of the 5 tiers (1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50).