Top 10 favourite VS. top 10 greatest composers

[mc ukrneal]

Tchaicovsky is not the only way you can write the surname of the great Pyotr Ilyich.
Čajkovskij would be the correct transliteration from Russian, like Šostakovič for Shostakovich.

Ilaria

The only problem with that is that there are multiple systems of transliteration. You may find this of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Russian. Plus what Sarge said.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Tchaicovsky is not the only way you can write the surname of the great Pyotr Ilyich.
Čajkovskij would be the correct transliteration from Russian, like Šostakovič for Shostakovich.

Actually the name Шостакович is of Polish origin, so it should be spelled Szostakowicz. In fact, that's how I've seen it spelled in some very early references to him in English-language journalism.

The spelling Tchaikovsky is actually French, since French has to render the "ch" sound by putting a T in front. (Otherwise it would be pronounced "Shaikovsky".)

[eyeresist]

Actually the name Шостакович is of Polish origin, so it should be spelled Szostakowicz. In fact, that's how I've seen it spelled in some very early references to him in English-language journalism.

The spelling Tchaikovsky is actually French, since French has to render the "ch" sound by putting a T in front. (Otherwise it would be pronounced "Shaikovsky".)

So Dmitri's ancestors could have Russianised their name by changing it to Shostakovsky, or Shostakoff?

[Lisztianwagner]

Correct or not (and transliteration is always debatable) if you try to search for Tchaikovsky by using Čajkovskij on any Amazon site (I tried DE, IT, FR, UK and US), you won't get any hits. If you use it here, on GMG, you'll confuse many of us, not just MI. Correct or not, Tchaikovsky has become the standard spelling in the English speaking world.

Sarge

All right, thanks for the explanation; then I'll use the English standard version.

Ilaria

[mahler10th]

What is there not to like about Polls?
They have given us some tremendous music, especially Lutoslawski.   

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

So Dmitri's ancestors could have Russianised their name by changing it to Shostakovsky, or Shostakoff?

Basically, yeah. Surnames in -vich (-wicz) tend to be of Polish origin.

[mszczuj]

Basically, yeah. Surnames in -vich (-wicz) tend to be of Polish origin.

Not exactly

Typical polish ending is -ski (especially -wski prononced -vski) or -cki (pronounced -tski). Its russian variant used both for polish and russian names should be in fact transliterated -vskiy bad is useally transcribed as -vsky. On the other hand all russian names ending with -vskiy are in polish language written as -wski. So in both polish or russian there is no diffrence in writing polish and rusiian surnames ended with -wski /-vsky

Ending -wicz is typical for some of these teritorries of old Rus which became part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and then of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  As the people of these surnames were usually noblemen they tend to use Polish language, so some of them became Polish in 19th century but some of them became Russian (and some Ukarinian or Byelorussian).

(Here is the list of 50 most popular polish surnames - none of them ends with -wicz)

Traditional russian surnames ends with -ov, -ev or -in, as you can see here:

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BA_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85_%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B9

So if you want to change surname Shostakovich to seem absolutely russian and not polish it must be Shostakov not  Shostakovsky.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Ending -wicz is typical for some of these teritorries of old Rus which became part of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and then of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  As the people of these surnames were usually noblemen they tend to use Polish language, so some of them became Polish in 19th century but some of them became Russian (and some Ukarinian or Byelorussian).

Yeah you're right: -wicz ending is not that common, but in Russia it's usually a marker that someone had family origins in Polish-speaking or Polish-ruled territories rather than Poland proper. (what would be today Belarus, Lithuania or Western Ukraine - think of Mickiewicz for example)

Shostakovich's grandfather BTW was a certain Bolesław Szostakowicz, whose family origins were somewhere in Lithuania. (I believe also the spelling "-kowicz" rather than "-kiewicz" would mark this as not entirely Polish. Am I right?)

[Chaszz]

Have no patience for this or to go thru all the pages, but just want to comment it is nice to see Mozart not on some lists. I mean, when he is very great he is very great, but some of the lightweight stuff he wrote and the way certain classical stations program him every half-hour and the superficial people swooning over some of his corny tonic/dominant tonic/dominant tonic/dominant throwaways and the froo-froo summer festivals...well...

[DavidRoss]

A list without Mozart among the 10 5 3 "Greatest" composers is nearly as suspect as a list without Shakespeare among the x greatest playwrights.