I this thought already this existed. Maybe it doesn't. Most of my music collection involves the keyboard and much of it is comprised of solo keyboard works. Who are your favorite 10 composers of solo keyboard works (obviously these composers might have composed other types of works as well)?
At the moment mine are maybe
Bach
Froberger
L Couperin
Debussy
Schumann
Feldman
Maybe Satie, Shoshtakovich, Frescobaldi and Cage
My list changes from time to time. But I'm interested in what people think. I wouldn't mine if people wanted to also give the reason for their choices.
Quote from: milk on November 02, 2017, 03:36:09 AM
I this thought already this existed. Maybe it doesn't. Most of my music collection involves the keyboard and much if it is comprised of solo keyboard works. Who are your favorite 10 composers of solo keyboard works (obviously these composers might have composed other types of works as well)?
At the moment mine are maybe
Bach
Froberger
L Couperin
Debussy
Schumann
Feldman
Maybe Satie, Shoshtakovich, Frescobaldi and Cage
My list changes from time to time. But I'm interested in what people think. I wouldn't mine if people wanted to also give the reason for their choices.
Off the top of my head (in chronological order):
RameauBachBeethovenSchubertLisztAlbénizBusoniDebussyRavelBoulezScarlatti,
Mozart,
Schoenberg ,
Enescu et al. could alway appear on the list (substituting--almost--any of the names above).
Omnia mutantur nos et mutamur in illis
A genre I don't listen to often other than the 6 I listed below. But I love the works that these 6 have produced.
Bach
Rameau
Forqueray
Schubert
Satie
Prokofiev
Quote from: milk on November 02, 2017, 03:36:09 AM
I this thought already this existed. Maybe it doesn't. Most of my music collection involves the keyboard and much if it is comprised of solo keyboard works. Who are your favorite 10 composers of solo keyboard works (obviously these composers might have composed other types of works as well)?
At the moment mine are maybe
Bach
Froberger
L Couperin
Debussy
Schumann
Feldman
Maybe Satie, Shoshtakovich, Frescobaldi and Cage
My list changes from time to time. But I'm interested in what people think. I wouldn't mine if people wanted to also give the reason for their choices.
Scriabin - because of the sonatas, occult gateways to another dimension 8)!
Beethoven - " " " " , spiritual gateways to the soul 0:) !
Bach - because of everything, but especially everything for organ!
Vierne - because of the six organ symphonies!
Liszt - because of everything, but especially
Years of Pilgrimage.
Rameau - because it is so much fun to hear his keyboard works!
Schubert - because of everything, but especially the last sonata!
Ravel - because of everything, but especially
Gaspard de la NuitSchumann - because of everything, but especially
Kinderszenen!
Prokofiev - because of everything, but especially the
Toccata Opus 11.
Schoenberg - because of everything, but especially the
Fuenf Stuecke, Opus 23!
Rachmaninov - because of everything, but especially the
Sonatas and the
Etudes Tableaux!
Beethoven
JS Bach
Chopin
Schumann
Debussy
Schubert
Brahms
D. Scarlatti
Rameau
Couperin
I am not really just a 'keyboard music' fan but I really like the music for those types of instruments by the following composers
Boulez
Ligeti
JS Bach
Sweelinck
Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
Stockhausen
Cage
Wyschnegradsky
Couperin
Messiaen
Schumann
Roslavets
Kapustin
Ustvolskaya
Bach
Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Schumann
Liszt (for some of the works, that is)
Scriabin
Debussy
Rachmaninov
Feinberg (definitely among them)
( Well, maybe at least ;);
5 other candidates would be Mozart, Ravel, Medtner, Skalkottas, Sorabji )
in chronological order:
Louis Couperin
JS Bach
Scarlatti
Beethoven
Schumann
Chopin
Fauré
Medtner
Debussy
Szymanowski
Cage
Kurtág
Xenakis
Ustvolskaya
Murail
Quote from: amw on November 02, 2017, 04:59:39 AM
in chronological order:
Louis Couperin
JS Bach
Scarlatti
Beethoven
Schumann
Chopin
Fauré
Medtner
Debussy
Szymanowski
Cage
Kurtág
Xenakis
Ustvolskaya
Murail
I like these lists with several composers I haven't well explored.
Quote from: jessop on November 02, 2017, 04:37:53 AM
...
Stockhausen
...
Couperin
Messiaen
...
These three definitely are also among my "et al." ;)
Quote from: Turner on November 02, 2017, 04:41:31 AM
...
Liszt (for some of the works, that is)
...
My feeling exactly, but when he's good, he's
great (my affinities laying with the late pieces, such as
Am grabe Richard Wagner's, La lugubre gondola, R.W. Venezia, In Festo Transfigurationis...).
Bach
Scarlatti
Beethoven
Schubert
Schumann
Chopin
Liszt
Albéniz
Debussy
Ravel
Janáček
Rachmaninov
Medtner
Scriabin
Prokofiev
Mompou
Quote from: North Star on November 02, 2017, 06:53:57 AM
Bach
Scarlatti
Beethoven
Schubert
Schumann
Chopin
Liszt
Albéniz
Debussy
Ravel
Janáček
Rachmaninov
Medtner
Scriabin
Prokofiev
Your arithmetic ability is rivalled only by your taste in music,
Karlo! ;)
Good day to you, my friend. :)
Quote from: ritter on November 02, 2017, 06:56:15 AM
Your arithmetic ability is rivalled only by your taste in music, Karlo! ;)
Good day to you, my friend. :)
Good day,
Rafael! I was using the GMG definition of '10'. 0:)
I'm not a huge fan of solo piano music but...
(In no particular order):
Rachmaninov
Janáček
Debussy
Ravel
Szymanowski
Scriabin
Mompou
Schumann
Liszt
Satie
J.S. Bach
Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Brahms
Satie
Scriabin
Rachmaninoff
Cage
Edit: I'm the only one who has mentioned Mozart and Haydn? :o
Sarge
Almost exclusively for Territoires de l'oubli, which is honestly a masterpiece on every level, but he has other piano pieces worth hearing.
Quote from: San Antonio on November 02, 2017, 07:49:22 AM
I don't know his solo piano music; but I love his writing in general. Thanks for listing him; I need to check it out.
Marilyn Nonken's recordings of the complete solo piano Murail are wonderful.
Mine would be:
Chopin
Beethoven
Schumann
Medtner (me too!)
Grainger
Godowsky
Liszt
Bortkiewicz
Gottschalk
Galuppi
Quote from: North Star on November 02, 2017, 07:00:21 AM
Good day, Rafael! I was using the GMG definition of '10'. 0:)
AMEN!!! 0:) :D Dude, you are in the club!!!
Quote from: Mirror Image on November 02, 2017, 07:34:49 AM
I'm not a huge fan of solo piano music but...
(In no particular order):
Rachmaninov
Janáček
Debussy
Ravel
Szymanowski
Scriabin
Mompou
Schumann
Liszt
Satie
This could be exactly my list as well, though I'm not overly familiar with Mompou and Satie. I'd add Brahms as well as Frank Bridge for his stunningly powerful Piano Sonata which is probably my favorite solo piano work at the moment.
Quote from: North Star on November 02, 2017, 07:00:21 AM
Good day, Rafael! I was using the GMG definition of '10'. 0:)
AMEN!!! 0:) :D Dude, you are in the club!
Quote
Scriabin - because of the sonatas, occult gateways to another dimension 8)!
Beethoven - " " " " , spiritual gateways to the soul 0:) !
Bach - because of everything, but especially everything for organ!
Vierne - because of the six organ symphonies!
Liszt - because of everything, but especially Years of Pilgrimage.
Rameau - because it is so much fun to hear his keyboard works!
Schubert - because of everything, but especially the last sonata!
Ravel - because of everything, but especially Gaspard de la Nuit
Schumann - because of everything, but especially Kinderszenen!
Prokofiev - because of everything, but especially the Toccata Opus 11.
Schoenberg - because of everything, but especially the Fuenf Stuecke, Opus 23!
Rachmaninov - because of everything, but especially the Sonatas and the Etudes Tableaux!
I cant believe that only Cato and North Star kept Prokofiev
QuoteProkofiev - because of everything, but especially the Toccata Opus 11.
for his Sonatas, Visions fugitives, Sarcasms, Tale of an old Grandmother, pensées, music for children....
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on November 02, 2017, 07:48:51 AM
Edit: I'm the only one who has mentioned Mozart and Haydn? :o
I had Haydn in my list and replaced him with Domenico Scarlatti before posting. He might have taken the place of another of the last four on my list or the 11th...
tbh I don't care all that much about Mozart's piano solo, except the last sonata and the one in a minor. The others are very good music but not as important or great as a lot of other stuff (by Mozart or others).
Quote from: Jo498 on November 02, 2017, 10:54:12 AM
I had Haydn in my list and replaced him with Domenico Scarlatti before posting. He might have taken the place of another of the last four on my list or the 11th...
tbh I don't care all that much about Mozart's piano solo, except the last sonata and the one in a minor. The others are very good music but not as important or great as a lot of other stuff (by Mozart or others).
There are some others too like the Rondo in A minor, K. 511, and especially the Adagio in B minor, K. 540 - but overall,
Mozart's solo piano works tend to be shadowed by the concertos, chamber music & operas as far as I'm concerned.
I like the dozen
Haydn piano sonatas I've heard but not quite enough, I suppose. If there's much more of similar quality as on Dupoy's
C. P. E. Bach clavichord disc, he might get on the list..
Semi-chronological...
Scarlatti
Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
Clementi
Schubert
Schumann
Brahms
Satie
Debussy
That'll work. :)
8)
A tough one -- as usual, for those left behind. Oh well. (And some great lists here!)
Debussy
Feldman
Michael Finnissy
Jonathan Harvey
Medtner
Messiaen
Rachmaninoff
Ravel
Rzewski
Scriabin
--Bruce
Bach
Beethoven
Brahms
Chopin
Debussy
Faure
Ravel
Scriabin
Schubert
Schumann
Leaving aside the obvious big names (of which I am quite surprised nobody has yet mentioned CPE Bach, Bartok, Martinu and Villa-Lobos)
Galuppi
Blasco de Nebra
Clementi
Cimarosa
Thalberg
Tellefsen
Henri Herz
Gottschalk
Grieg
Offenbach
Bizet
Chabrier
Bortkiewicz
Rebikov
Deodat de Severac
John Ireland
York Bowen
Enescu
Ernesto Nazareth
Quote from: Florestan on November 02, 2017, 12:25:00 PM
Leaving aside the obvious big names (of which I am quite surprised nobody has yet mentioned CPE Bach, Bartok, Martinu and Villa-Lobos)
Galuppi
Blasco de Nebra
Clementi
Cimarosa
Thalberg
Tellefsen
Henri Herz
Gottschalk
Grieg
Offenbach
Bizet
Chabrier
Bortkiewicz
Rebikov
Deodat de Severac
John Ireland
York Bowen
Enescu
Ernesto Nazareth
You inspired me to listen to Villa-lobos today. Lots of stuff here I don't know about...
Quote from: Brewski on November 02, 2017, 11:39:53 AM
Michael Finnissy
Knew I was forgetting somebody important!
I like the lists by Sarge and Gurn. All my favourites are there!
Bach
Bach (CPE)
Scarlatti
Soler
Haydn
Mozart
Clementi
Beethoven
Schubert
CHOPIN
Schumann
Liszt
Ravel
Cage
I wouldn't put him up there with the immortals, but Leo Ornstein was no slouch either.
Quite a timely thread (in terms of some of my recent listening habits) - my choices:
Chopin
Bach
Debussy
Ravel
Beethoven
Schumann
Rachmaninov
Messiaen
Satie
Shostakovich
Damn I forgot Michael Finnissy, Salvatore Sciarrino, Chris Dench, Rebecca Saunders and Brian Ferneyhough
Quote from: San Antonio on November 02, 2017, 08:04:31 AM
I love that you have listed this composer! His music is delightful and needs to be advocated more. IN fact, you reminded of a composer that I will include on my list: Scott Joplin.
Gottschalk IS a delight, but I love that he has many facets and a mixture of ideas. I, on the other hand, love Joplin! I played a lot of his works - transposed for saxophone. Some of my best memories of playing are at a summer music camp. When you get a group that can execute just right, well let's just say, my soul wells up when I hear his works. Naturally, the Sting is one of my absolute favorite movies!
Thinking of individual pieces, consistency, the level of creativity, the artist's voice/imprint .. as I'm doing this. There is some great work that I'm overlooking to come up with composers who wrote great music which happened to utilize a keyboard (percussive) instrument .. be it a piano, harpsichord, organ, (even synthesizer) consistently.
JS Bach (untouchable great to this day, highest level, mind boggling amount of pure music, all of it amazing and gets better and better with age)
After that .. Faure/Debussy/Ravel (A LOT of beauty here, love this whole French school lineage, like a lot of favorite things, when it's 'on' it speaks to me in a big way)
20th century .. Bartok/Stravinsky/2nd Viennese School (some monumental music here, rhythmic/harmonic wonders, often overlooked, powerful creative voices distilled to their essence)
For more modern personal faves .. I'd have to go with Boulez (Sonatas), Stockhausen (Klavierstucke), Ligeti (Etudes), Donatoni (Francoise Variations, just amazing!) .. some mind bending, ear stretching, and challenging music here, some powerfully abstract ... overall well thought out and executed by great talents.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on November 03, 2017, 05:28:25 AM
Gottschalk IS a delight, but I love that he has many facets and a mixture of ideas.
+ 1Looks like I must investigate
Joplin asap.
I knew I forgot a few names: CM von Weber, John Field, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Granados, Albert Roussel, Reynaldo Hahn. :D
Debussy
Ravel
Bloch
Koechlin
Novak
Szymanowski
Quote from: Florestan on November 03, 2017, 05:36:57 AM
+ 1
Looks like I must investigate Joplin asap.
He's know for ragtime. If you haven't seen The Sting, do check it out. Not only is the music excellent, but it's really a great movie.
Honorable mentions to the radicals of the early decades of the 1900's Leo Ornstein and Sergei Protopopov.
https://www.youtube.com/v/Ii3oEVz1rVg
https://www.youtube.com/v/_jevFEltpUA
Quote from: Florestan on November 03, 2017, 05:41:33 AM
I knew I forgot a few names: CM von Weber, John Field, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Granados, Albert Roussel, Reynaldo Hahn. :D
Yeah, but you are just cheating. I could name every piano writer I enjoy, but they wouldn't ALL qualify for my 10 Favorites. (Don't forget Hummel while you are naming everyone. He wrote at least 6 excellent sonatas... :) )
8)
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 03, 2017, 07:22:54 AM
Yeah, but you are just cheating. I could name every piano writer I enjoy, but they wouldn't ALL qualify for my 10 Favorites. (Don't forget Hummel while you are naming everyone. He wrote at least 6 excellent sonatas... :) )
;D
You know only too well that any specified number is actually quite variable on GMG...
Seriously now, it is impossible for me to pick only 10. Solo piano music is my favorite genre and it is blessed with a long list of very fine composers. I am not exaggerating: I have at least 30 firm favorites and every new discovery expands the list a little more.
Quote from: San Antonio on November 03, 2017, 08:08:45 AM
Since most composers wrote something for solo piano, I took this thread to mean composers who made it somewhat of a specialty of writing solo piano music. Similar to songs/lieder, some composers wrote reams of songs while others only a small amount.
Me too.
8)
PS - Florestan: Don't forget Antonio Soler while you're naming everyone. He was the reincarnation of Scarlatti... :)
Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Schumann
Chopin
Debussy
Schoenberg
Messiaen
Takemitsu
Ligeti
Subject to change without notice.
I think it would go a little something like this...
D. Scarlatti
Frescobaldi
Messiaen
Ravel
Ives
Ligeti
Fauré
Nancarrow
F. Couperin
George Crumb
But you know, I actually struggled to think of ten off the top of my head so I had to go a-huntin' through the ol' shelves. The first four at least are definitive if not in order, but beyond that it's a bit of a mess.
Quote from: San Antonio on November 03, 2017, 08:08:45 AM
composers who made it somewhat of a specialty of writing solo piano music.
Okay then, here is my top 10 list, composers known mainly / exclusively for their solo piano music.
Scarlatti
Clementi
Chopin
Liszt
Thalberg
Tellefsen
Gottschalk
Rachmaninoff
Bortkiewicz
Medtner
Scarlatti
Bach
Schubert
Haydn
Prokofiev
Debussy
Ravel
Shostakovich
Messiaen
Rzewski
3 pages down this thread and the name of Felix Mendelssohn hasnt been mentionned once.
Besides his 3 sonatas and Fantaisie ecossaise he wrote 7 books of songs without words, his beautiful variation serieuses, preludes & fugues, cappricios. And his organ sonatas are also pretty unique.
Quote from: Florestan on November 03, 2017, 08:50:00 AM
Okay then, here is my top 10 list, composers known mainly / exclusively for their solo piano music.
Scarlatti
Clementi
Chopin
Liszt
Thalberg
Tellefsen
Gottschalk
Rachmaninoff
Bortkiewicz
Medtner
Nice. Only 2 in common with me (Scarlatti & Clementi), but that gives some variety, dunnit? :D
It really was kinda hard, I agree. ;)
8)
Quote from: Spineur on November 03, 2017, 01:06:15 PM
3 pages down this thread and the name of Felix Mendelssohn hasnt been mentionned once.
Besides his 3 sonatas and Fantaisie ecossaise he wrote 7 books of songs without words, his beautiful variation serieuses, preludes & fugues, cappricios. And his organ sonatas are also pretty unique.
I can second that. He was the one on the cut line for me. :-\
8)
Quote from: Florestan on November 03, 2017, 07:51:05 AM
;D
You know only too well that any specified number is actually quite variable on GMG...
Seriously now, it is impossible for me to pick only 10. Solo piano music is my favorite genre and it is blessed with a long list of very fine composers. I am not exaggerating: I have at least 30 firm favorites and every new discovery expands the list a little more.
I should have said "top 20"; top 10 is a bit boring for an area encompassing so much music. And many names are predictable in such a short list. But is it too late to change the subject?
Quote from: milk on November 03, 2017, 04:32:11 PM
I should have said "top 20"; top 10 is a bit boring for an area encompassing so much music. And the many names are predictable in a short list. But is it too late to change the subject?
Not at all: no rules, just right.... ;)
8)
Well, instead of expanding to 20, I'd be tempted to narrow down to just 4:
C.P.E. Bach
Mozart
Clementi
Chopin
Quote from: André on November 03, 2017, 05:26:03 PM
Well, instead of expanding to 20, I'd be tempted to narrow down to just 4:
C.P.E. Bach
Mozart
Clementi
Chopin
Keep Chopin and give me Scarlatti and I think we can work out a deal... :)
8)
Could have added Scarlatti ::) So that's 5, not 4. Yes, 5 is a good number, I'll keep it that way.
Quote from: Spineur on November 03, 2017, 01:06:15 PM
3 pages down this thread and the name of Felix Mendelssohn hasnt been mentionned once.
Besides his 3 sonatas and Fantaisie ecossaise he wrote 7 books of songs without words, his beautiful variation serieuses, preludes & fugues, cappricios. And his organ sonatas are also pretty unique.
I love the Songs Without Words.
Bach
Medtner
Liszt
Busoni
Alkan
Beethoven
Sorabji
Schubert
Schumann
Rzewski
Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Brahms
Schubert
Schumann
Alkan
Medtner
Ravel
Debussy
Liszt
Scriabin
Skalkottas
Chopin
Janáček
- Bach
- Beethoven
- Chopin
- Schumann
- Schubert
- Hummel
- Field
- Scarlatti D.
- Handel
- Satie
Walter Marchetti
John Cage
Sergei Prokofiev
Bartók Béla
Andrea Neumann
Frederic Rzewski
Leoš Janáček
Franz Schubert
Johannes Brahms
Ross Bolleter
Tom Johnson (because of that whole "how GMG counts to ten" thing)
Beethoven
Liszt
Chopin
Debussy
Bach
Schubert
Prokofiev
Bartók
Rachmaninov
Schumann
OK, this has gone on quite long enough:
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
er... Messiaen (who let him in?)
Quote from: DaveF on December 15, 2017, 05:42:03 AM
OK, this has gone on quite long enough:
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
er... Messiaen (who let him in?)
https://www.youtube.com/v/aPrtFxd9u9Y
Quote from: North Star on December 15, 2017, 05:44:03 AM
https://www.youtube.com/v/aPrtFxd9u9Y
:laugh:
Word! Um...Yeah...Byrd is pretty great.
Quote from: DaveF on December 15, 2017, 05:42:03 AM
OK, this has gone on quite long enough:
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
Byrd
er... Messiaen (who let him in?)
You caught him Byrd-watching.
Hm, I perceive that I have not, erm, voted. Lessee . . . .
F. Couperin
D. Scarlatti
JSB
Chopin
Liszt
Rakhmaninov
Debussy
Mompou
Prokofiev
Monk
Quote from: North Star on December 15, 2017, 05:44:03 AM
https://www.youtube.com/v/aPrtFxd9u9Y
:laugh: Brilliant, thank you. I'm looking through my
Catalogue d'Oiseaux to try to identify the bird - it is the Subalpine Weasel-Strangler, isn't it?
OK, so ten it is (hard as that is):
Byrd
Bach
Chopin
Liszt
Alkan
Scriabin
Godowsky
Rachmaninoff
Medtner
Sorabji
Ouch! That hurt, leaving out so many!
Beethoven
Chopin
Liszt
Alkan
Schumann
Rachmaninov
JS Bach
Medtner
Satie
Scriabin