In your opinion, who were the greatest classical composers?

Question

PLEASE don't give uneducated, unthought-through answers! I adore classical music, and am a faithful student of its history and performance. Give real opinions! :)

Answer 1

1) J. S. Bach: Bach's music is extremely influential, and his eath is considered the end of the Baroque era. He is extremely good at contrapuntal techniques: his fugues are excellent, and all other uses of counterpoint are extremely well executed.
2) Vivaldi: while Vivaldi's music is extremely similar (hence the humorous saying among musicians, "If you have played one Vivaldi concerto, you have played them all."), he did write a lot. He has probably the largest repetoire of music out of any composer.
3) Teleman: In his day, he was famous. He wrote a lot of compositions for obscure instruments that otherwise have no repetoire in early music.
4) Handel: Also an extremely influential composer from the Baroque era, writing The Messiah which is still sung frequently today.
5)Haydn: Very influential in the Classical Era; influenced W. A. Mozart, and was the teacher of Ludwig von Beethoven after Mozarts death.
6)Mozart: A prodigy that I believe has thus far been unparalled. He was Beethoven's teacher before his early death, and was a genius of unrivalved brilliance among musicians and composers. Extremely good use of counterpoint, simplicity or complexity when necessary. I love his music personally because it has an order to it and a pleasant sound that one can just say: I like that!
7)Beethoven: The point at which the Classical seperates from the Romantic era. Beethoven's music is the pinnacle on which hang the coming forth of the "feeling deeply" associated with the Romantic era. Beethoven was strict enough to music to know what he would like, but not strict entirely to the formal formats that are extremely present in Classical and Baroque era music. He began to question further our own understanding of music.
8)Mendelssohn: Suprisingly, before him, music died with the composer. No one cared about stuff from people who wrote 20 or 30 years ago if he was dead. Mendelssohn found some of J.S. Bach's work and performed it at a concert. People loved it, and there began to be a revival of older compostions from dead composers. Without him, we would not have the music of J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, or even Beethoven. In his own right as a composer, he was a prodigy, and brilliant. Especially famous is the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, which didn't follow many of the normal conventions of concerto, and completley revolutionized the genre.
9)Debussy: is considered the father of the Impressionism era of music. He stopped relying as much on traditional harmonic progression and tried more to create a feeling from the music with parallel movement that was - at that point - very taboo. He realized you don't need formal chordal structures to make music that has feeling in it. As one of my Proffesors put it: (paraphrased, of course) How can a minor chord convey the agony of hundreds of thousands of lives lost? How could it convey such utter horror and terror as is truly in our world?
10)Gershwin: The first composer to be both loved as a classical, and as a contempory composer. He incorporated many Jazz elements into his music, and he is awesome!
11)Scott Joplin: One of the first African American composer, if not the first. He wrote The Entertainer, The Maple Lear Rag, and other really cool stuff.

That's all that I can think of right now, but there are a lot more, of course.
I love classical music as well, and I really love writing it as well. Try not to limit yourself though, with classical music: experience a lot of it. Don't just listen to the "best composers", because you will miss a lot of good and powerful music.

Answer 2

I have been a student of music all my life, studying piano and viola. Hopefully my answer does not sound uneducated!

Choosing the greatest classical composers is difficult. They are all remembered for a reason! I think it basically comes down to personal opinion (I see you have a nod to this in your question). Different strokes for different folks, you know?

Humbly, I absolutely love Beethoven. His string quartets are gorgeous, especially the Razumovsky quartets. There is some absolutely amazing stuff in those pieces of music. His piano sonatas are cute (I know, maybe not a suitable word), and a joy to play.

Lately I've been relearning a piano piece by Mendelssohn called Rondo Capriccioso. It is a wonderful piece, full of different emotions and even joke-like switches between them. The first two pages are somber, emotional, and serious, and they trail off.... only to flip the page and hear light-hearted trills and turns!

I also love Rachmaninoff. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. His Elegie in e-flat minor is heartbreaking. The piano concertos are stunning as well, but in a different sort of way. :)

Bach was a genius, I have to give him that -- but I have to say, I don't enjoy listening to his music as much as some other composers. The same goes for Mozart. Bach's music is so calculated... and Mozart's is well... Mozart. I sort of feel the same way about Vivaldi, but I love the Four Seasons and his Double Cello Concerto.

Schubert I really like. Neat piano impromptus.

And in the piano world, you can't forget Chopin. The Fantaisie-Impromptu is just an astounding piece of music -- incredible to play!

Welll... I've dragged this on for a while. Thanks for this question, it's really given me something to think about!

Answer 3

I simply adore Beethoven but I have a few other favorites as well. Rachmaninov(piano concerto #2), Tchaikovsky(violin concerto in D minor), Haydn(the aolian quartets), Schubert(The Death And The Maiden), Bruckner(symphony #7), Mozart(everything he ever wrote), Grieg(morning), Mahler(the Titan symphony), and Dvorzak(New World Symphony) just to name a few. I love The Planets by Holst as well. Camille Saint Sains has been known to perk up my ears as well, especially with Carnival Of Animals.

Answer 4

* Baroque: J.S. Bach
* Classical: Mozart
* Beethoven (he fits between Classical and Romantic)
* Romantic and beyond: okay, here's where it gets fuzzy. If you like Russian national music, try Rachmaninov (the choral works are terrific) and Tchaikovsky. If you like German Romantics, certain pieces by Brahms (his Requiem is to die for, sorry, bad joke but it's great), Schumann, and late Schubert will do; Strauss is later but very good. Piano music? Lizst and Chopin of course. French stuff? Try Debussy, Faure (songs), and Durufle's Requiem. After that, you're on your own, as 20th century and beyond is largely personal preference.

Answer 5

I think Beethoven is too overrated. His amazingness is overestimated if you ask me. Yes, he wrote some very beautiful music. I don't think one can say that Beethoven is the best composer without mentioning that without Mozart, Beethoven's music wouldn't be half as good. Mozart is the best. By far.

Answer 6

I am sure that you have more than enough feedback on earlier composers. My choices are Mahler, Bartok, and Shostakovich.

Each of them developed a multiplicity of individual techniques and styles and changed the conceptual approach of interpretation and performance.

Active involvement is much more essential to appreciation of their music than the music of Haydn or Schubert, but the level of brilliance and excitement is also quite greater.

Bartok and Shostakovich are well surveyed through their string quartets (which are powerful and poignant).

Mahler may well be explored through lieder more than through his symphonies.

A quick recording recommendation for each:

Bartok--Concerto for Orchestra (Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra)

Mahler--Songs from Ruckert (Elly Ameling)

Shostakovich--Trio op. 67 (Borodin Trio)

I'll be glad to hear from you and chat music anytime. Always a pleasant surprise to be in erudite company.

Answer 7

I have loved classical music since I was six years old. As I grew older, my taste changed but my favorites are still Bach, Beathoven, and Rockmonanov.

Answer 8

Mozart. Enough said.

Answer 9

mozart

Answer 10

mozart,beethoven,debussy,brahms.

all my personal favorites.