Top 25 Favorite Composers

Started by Winky Willy, March 01, 2012, 12:52:34 PM

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Lisztianwagner

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

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Quote from: Lisztianwagner on March 02, 2012, 10:20:14 AM
:P

Don't feel too bad, Ilaria. I'm probably the only one on the forum who actually likes Milhaud. I know I'm the only one who has included him into a top 25 favorite list. 8)

Karl Henning

But . . . you aren't madaboutmilhaud!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

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#43
Quote from: karlhenning on March 02, 2012, 10:25:55 AM
But . . . you aren't madaboutmilhaud!

That's true, but I do love his music and put him on a plateau that is leaps and bounds ahead of many others.

Karl Henning

 Quote from: karlhenning on March 01, 2012, 06:04:28 PM >Thread duty (not in any strict order):

Stravinsky
Tchaikovsky
Shostakovich
Chopin
Prokofiev
Sibelius
Nielsen
Mozart
Rakhmaninov
JS Bach
Bartók
Haydn
Hindemith
Berlioz
Victoria
Brahms
D Scarlatti
Beethoven
Debussy
Ravel
Schoenberg
Buxtehude
F Couperin
Vaughan Williams
Tallis

 
Problem: You want to add Liszt and Langgaard to the list.  Which two composers already there get bumped? (I don't think I could do it.)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 02, 2012, 10:23:38 AM
Don't feel too bad, Ilaria. I'm probably the only one on the forum who actually likes Milhaud. I know I'm the only one who has included him into a top 25 favorite list. 8)

Sure, that's all right, John :) I'm afraid I'm not particularly familiar with Milhaud's music too.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Luke

Not in order apart from top one. And the next five or so are approximately right. Any of the others could be right up there too, though.

1 Janacek
2 Brahms
3 Ravel
4 Tippett
5 Chopin
6 Brian
7 Faure
8 Webern
9 Schubert
10 Bach
11 Debussy
12 Bartok
13 Beethoven
14 Mahler
15 Liszt
16 Alkan
17 Britten
18 Martinu
19 Sibelius
20 Xenakis
21 Ligeti
22 Schoenberg
23 Stravinsky
24 Berg
25 Ives

Something like that, anyway.... I want Satie and pre-indeterminate Cage in there too, however. And a few more would be helpful. Can we have 40?

johncarey

In no particular order aside from the top five:

Beethoven
Sorabji
Mahler
Rachmaninoff
Liszt
Berg
Gershwin
Godowsky
Ravel
Penderecki
Ives
Bach
Prokofiev
Scriabin
Barber
Carter
Kapustin
Sondheim
Shostakovich
Alkan
Ligeti
Berio
Mozart
Tchaikowsky
Brahms

Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be...

Octo_Russ

In order of best!

1 Beethoven
2 Schubert
3 Chopin
4 Brahms
5 Tchaikovsky
6 Mahler
7 Bach
8 Mozart
9 Dvorak
10 Shostakovich
11 Mendelssohn
12 Grieg
13 Debussy
14 Vivaldi
15 Vaughan Williams
16 Sibelius
17 Schumann
18 Ravel
19 Rachmaninov
20 Prokofiev

i only ever made a top 20 while going through my disc collection a year ago, i'm not sure of another 5.
I'm a Musical Octopus, I Love to get a Tentacle in every Genre of Music. http://octoruss.blogspot.com/

Wanderer

In no particular order, of course.

Beethoven
Mozart
Schubert
Schumann
Liszt
Alkan
Medtner
Berlioz
Ravel
Janáček
Bruckner
Sibelius
Zelenka
Skalkottas
Zemlinsky
Schreker
R. Strauss
Vaughan Williams
Scriabin
Wagner
Brahms
Korngold
Tchaikovsky
Bartók
Haydn
Respighi
Prokofiev

...





North Star

1. Alkan
2. Bach
3. Bartók
4. Beethoven
5. Brahms
6. Chopin
7. Debussy
8. Dvorak
9. Haydn
10. Janacek
11. Liszt
12. Mahler
13. Mozart
14. Nielsen
15. Prokofiev
16. Rakhmaninov
17. Rameau
18. Ravel
19. Schubert
20. Schumann
21. Shostakovich
22. Sibelius
23. Stravinsky
24. Tsaikovski
25. Vivaldi
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

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Quote from: Mirror Image on March 01, 2012, 02:37:03 PM
My Top 25 Favorite Composers:

1. Shostakovich
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Ravel
4. Bartok
5. Villa-Lobos
6. Koechlin
7. Prokofiev
8. Debussy
9. Stravinsky
10. Berg
11. Szymanowski
12. Sibelius
13. Janacek
14. Bruckner
15. Martinu
16. Revueltas
17. Ginastera
18. Honegger
19. Nielsen
20. Milhaud
21. Myaskovsky
22. Mussorgsky
23. Tchaikovsky
24. Ives
25. Respighi

I'm still very satisfied with this list I made. Only I think Respighi would be replaced by Tippett now just to get him in my top 25 since his music means a lot to me now.

TheGSMoeller

#52
Richard Strauss (Duett-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon))
William Byrd (Ye Sacred Muses)
Heinrich I. F. Biber (Violin Sonata No.3)
Jean-Philippe Rameau(Les Cyclopes)
Franz Joseph Haydn(Symphony No. 80 in D minor)
Hector Berlioz(Grande Messe des Morts)
Charles Ives(Piano Sonata No.2 "Concord")
Sergei Prokofiev(Symphony No.  6 in E flat Major
Benjamin Britten(Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings)
Philip Glass(Beauty and the Beast)   


This is my solid top ten, with R.Strauss being numero uno, the rest being chronological. R. Strauss' tone poems (Till Eulenspiegel in particular) initially sparked my interest in classical music. The rest of the list I'll present in chronological order...

John Dowland(Lachrimae)
Claudio Monteverdi(Orfeo)
J.S. Bach(Goldberg Variations)
Antonio Vivaldi(Mandolin Concerto)
Georg Philipp Telemann(Overture-Suite in C major, TV 55 no C 3 "Wassermusik")
W. A. Mozart(Die Zauberflöte)
Franz Schubert(String Quartet No. 15 in D minor)
Edward Elgar(Symphony No. 2)
Alban Berg(Wozzeck)
Francis Poulenc(Figure humaine)
Alfred Schnittke(Choir Concerto)
Michael Nyman(MGV)
Pascal Dusapin(A Quia, concerto for Piano and Orchestra)
David Lang(Little Match Girl Passion)
Paul Schoenfield(Vaudeville, for Piccolo Trumpet and Orchestra)

Lilas Pastia

In no particular order:

Bruckner
Brahms
Beethoven
Mozart
Haydn
Boccherini
CPE Bach
JS Bach
Schubert
Chopin
Verdi
Wagner
Puccini
R. Strauss
Elgar
Vaughan-Williams
Pettersson
Shostakovich
Arnold
Vainberg
Sibelius
Handel
Villa-Lobos
Revueltas
Carter

My favourite composers are not necessarily the greatest.  But they're the ones I have never been disappointed with, and that always arouse my interest.

jwinter

Bach
Beethoven
Brahms
Bruckner
Chopin
Debussy
Dvorak
Handel
Haydn
Janacek
Mahler
Mozart
Prokofiev
Purcell
Rachmaninov
Rimsky-Korsakov
Scarlatti
Schubert
Schumann
Shostakovich
Sibelius
Strauss
Tchaikovsky
Vivaldi
Wagner
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Mirror Image

#55
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 03, 2012, 02:02:24 PM
Richard Strauss
William Byrd
Heinrich I. F. Biber
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Franz Joseph Haydn
Hector Berlioz
Charles Ives
Sergei Prokofiev
Benjamin Britten
Philip Glass


This is my solid top ten, with R.Strauss being numero uno, the rest being chronological. R. Strauss' tone poems (Till Eulenspiegel in particular) initially sparked my interest in classical music. The rest of the list I'll present in chronological order...

John Dowland
Claudio Monteverdi
J.S. Bach
Antonio Vivaldi
Georg Philipp Telemann
W. A. Mozart
Franz Schubert
Edward Elgar
Alban Berg
Francis Poulenc
Alfred Schnittke
Michael Nyman
Pascal Dusapin
David Lang
Paul Schoenfield


I'm seriously surprised that Martinu didn't make onto your list, Greg. R. Strauss was one of the first composers I heard too but I quickly abandoned him as I thought so much of his music was just hot air. I have only recently started to appreciate a few of his works again. Alpine Symphony being probably my favorite of his tone poems with other works like Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Salome, Four Last Songs, and the concerti for horn and oboe.

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 03, 2012, 07:22:22 PM
I'm seriously surprised that Martinu didn't make onto your list, Greg.

Well, it was tough to make, I'm a Martinu fan, no doubt. And ironically, when I made an initial list I had Martinu, Vaughan Williams and Bruckner on there, but had to narrow it down. Tough names to remove for sure.


Mirror Image

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 03, 2012, 07:32:32 PM
Well, it was tough to make, I'm a Martinu fan, no doubt. And ironically, when I made an initial list I had Martinu, Vaughan Williams and Bruckner on there, but had to narrow it down. Tough names to remove for sure.

I could never RVW, Bruckner, or Martinu out of my list as they've been crucial composers for me and helped me appreciate this music.

TheGSMoeller

#58
Quote from: Mirror Image on July 03, 2012, 07:22:22 PM
I'm seriously surprised that Martinu didn't make onto your list, Greg. R. Strauss was one of the first composers I heard too but I quickly abandoned him as I thought so much of his music was just hot air. I have only recently started to appreciate a few of his works again. Alpine Symphony being probably my favorite of his tone poems with other works like Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Salome, Four Last Songs, and the concerti for horn and oboe.

I'll always be in love with his tone poems, but as you explore his career it becomes apparent that most of his greatest accomplishments came from other genres, but being concert hall favorites Strauss' tone poems make great show-pieces and and a great introduction to his ability. And you named some great pieces there  ;D

classicalgeek

Today (likely to change without notice :) ):

1   Mahler
2   Beethoven
3   Shostakovich
4   Dvorak
5   Stravinsky
6   Martinu
7   Sibelius
8   Bruckner
9   Haydn
10   Rachmaninov
11   Brahms
12   Bartok
13   Bach
14   Korngold
15   Schubert
16   Prokofiev
17   Schoenberg
18   Copland
19   Villa-Lobos
20   Hindemith
21   Messiaen
22   Ravel
23   Roussel
24   Milhaud
25   Lutoslawski


I listen to music from all eras - Middle Ages to contemporary, by composers both familiar and obscure.  And I love almost all of it!  In the end, though, I seem to gravitate (mostly) to the best-known, best-loved composers.  Do I enjoy Holmboe?  Tubin?  Florent Schmitt?  Roger Sessions?  Absolutely!  Do I love them more than Mahler, or Brahms, or even Lutoslawski?  Probably not...
So much great music, so little time...

Original compositions and orchestrations: https://www.youtube.com/@jmbrannigan