Your Top 10 Favorite Composers

[Madiel]

I popped in here just to see whether Sibelius had been on my list, given I'm going through an obsessive phase.

Indeed, he was there at the end of January. I'd completely forgotten the accusations that resulted about him having displaced Bach (though in truth he displaced Rachmaninov instead). 

I don't think I'm ready to try a complete revised list. Give me a couple of years...

[Brian]

1. Beethoven
2. Dvorak
3. Schubert
4. Haydn
5. Ravel
6. Janacek
7. Berlioz
8. Chopin
9. Brahms
10. Martinu

My list turns over a whole lot less than MI's does!

Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, and Sibelius are among some of the big names lurking in 11-20.

Still no change in 2 years. Tchaikovsky and Scarlatti might be challenging Martinu for #10. Poulenc, Roussel, and Debussy are in the 11-20 range now.

[schnittkease]

Indeed, he was there at the end of January. I'd completely forgotten the accusations that resulted about him having displaced Bach (though in truth he displaced Rachmaninov instead). 

It was Schumann, then! 

[Madiel]

It was Schumann, then! 

Yup.

In the library with the candlestick.

[MN Dave]

Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Brahms
Bach
Purcell
Ravel
Rachmaninoff
Alkan
Prokofiev
(probably)

[Karl Henning]

Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Brahms
Bach
Purcell
Ravel
Rachmaninoff
Alkan
Prokofiev
(probably)

Smokin' list.

[MN Dave]

Smokin' list.

[Elgarian Redux]

I've never heard anything by (probably). Is he any good?

[Karl Henning]

I've never heard anything by (probably). Is he any good?

(uncertain)

[MN Dave]

(uncertain)

(mayhaps)

[schnittkease]

Charles Mingus

Sweet!

[Dima]

If someone is interesting - I like most of all these composers:

Anton Rubinstein
Ferdinand Reis
Delius
Kalman
Khachaturian
Robert Schumann

[Mirror Image]

I suppose a new is order:

My 'Top 3'



The Other 7 (in no particular order) -

[Madiel]

Use your words, please.

Not least because one of your pictures was just showing as a blank square the first time I loaded the page. But even if they all worked now, the risk of pictures going bung later is much higher than of your words becoming unreadable. And we won't all necessarily know who all the pictures are of. I'm confident of 6 of them.

[North Star]

Those are Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Stravinsky, Enescu, Ives, Barber, Martinů, Takemitsu, and Villa-Lobos.

[Mirror Image]

Use your words, please.

Not least because one of your pictures was just showing as a blank square the first time I loaded the page. But even if they all worked now, the risk of pictures going bung later is much higher than of your words becoming unreadable. And we won't all necessarily know who all the pictures are of. I'm confident of 6 of them.

Those are Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Stravinsky, Enescu, Ives, Barber, Martinů, Takemitsu, and Villa-Lobos.

This.

[Mirror Image]

I suppose a new is order:

My 'Top 3'



The Other 7 (in no particular order) -

I'm still rather content with this particular list. I will say that Lutosławski is slowly creeping his way up into the list, but will probably remain in the 'Top 20'. His music has really been awe-inspiring to me these past few days and I'm getting more and more familiar with his idiom more so than I have in the past where I thought I knew his music well enough. His musical language has come alive for me. He's definitely my second favorite Polish composer after Szymanowski.

[jwinter]

My top 10 is pretty conventional, I'm afraid:

Beethoven
Bach
Haydn
Mozart
Brahms
Chopin
Mahler
Vivaldi
Bruckner
Schubert

The following 10 are a bit more diverse, but still not all that adventurous...

Rachmaninov
Dvorak
Purcell
Wagner
Debussy
Schumann
Prokofiev
Sibelius
Shostakovich
Tchaikovsky

I've attempted to list them in order, but that'll shift around by the time dinner gets cold, particularly #s 11-20.

The top 10 popped out of my head almost immediately; the rest, and the sorting, took a bit of thought.  I'm sure I've left somebody out.   I also like and listen to more modern music, but I just haven't heard enough of it for it to displace any of the classics, if I'm being honest.

I'm sorely tempted to add in John Williams and John Barry if we're considering film music (Alexander Nevsky scores quite a few points for Prokofiev IMO...).   I've certainly spent happy hours listening to their music over the years.

[Madiel]

My top 10 is pretty conventional, I'm afraid:

Don't be afraid. There are reasons why these conventions exist.

Which is not to say there's anything wrong with having discovered some less well known composer and fallen head over heels for them. But neither is there anything wrong with discovering that you understand why some of the most famous names became famous.

[Brian]

1. Beethoven
2. Dvorak
3. Schubert
4. Haydn
5. Ravel
6. Janacek
7. Berlioz
8. Chopin
9. Brahms
10. Martinu

My list turns over a whole lot less than MI's does!

Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, and Sibelius are among some of the big names lurking in 11-20.

no change! Scarlatti is now also in the 11-20 range.

Almost three years later, no change. Schubert may be inching towards #2 and Vivaldi lurks in 11-20, but that's about it.