Your Top 10 Favorite Composers

[Karl Henning]

It took me a long time to learn to love baroque. One day I even mentioned to my friend, half-jokingly: "All the baroque music sounds the same."

Even during the long-ish period when I was, so to say, sympathetic to that snark  , I always had something of a foot in the door, thanks to (a number of items, really, but probably principally) the Bach I had performed (both as part of a chorus, and clarinet transcriptions of the solo sonatas, partitas, & suites).

Even my conditioned disdain for Le quattro stagioni proved to be more a function of unimaginative programming on the part of the local classical music stations (back when we had some) 

[Brian]

It took me a long time to learn to love baroque. One day I even mentioned to my friend, half-jokingly: "All the baroque music sounds the same."

Didn't Stravinsky allegedly say so, about Vivaldi?

For me that idea was exploded the first time I listened to Biber.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Even though baroque is still easily among those music eras that I know least about, I do like baroque nowadays. Bach's violin concertos, violin sonatas and partitas, cello suites, Kunst der Fuge and above all else Goldberg variations rarely fail to impress me. However, I don't really like the Passions. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the compositions, it's just a matter of personal preference. Handel has several delightful operas, unfortunately most of them relatively rarely staged. Oratorios too, naturally, and Water music. Not sure if I've heard The fireworks.

[71 dB]

Baroque is so much more than J. S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell.

[North Star]

Even though baroque is still easily among those music eras that I know least about, I do like baroque nowadays. Bach's violin concertos, violin sonatas and partitas, cello suites, Kunst der Fuge and above all else Goldberg variations rarely fail to impress me. However, I don't really like the Passions. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the compositions, it's just a matter of personal preference.

The cantatas, dear fellow! The Passions were meant for special occasions and I certainly don't find myself listening to them more often than that, but the cantatas are ideal for daily consumption.

Handel has several delightful operas, unfortunately most of them relatively rarely staged. Oratorios too, naturally, and Water music. Not sure if I've heard The fireworks.

And don't forget the concerti grossi, organ concertos, trio sonatas, or the solo sonatas.

Baroque is so much more than J. S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell.

Yes, and more than even just Monteverdi, Schütz, Buxtehude, Sweelinck, Bononcini, Pergolesi, Zelenka, Lully, L & Fr. Couperins, Mondonville, Rameau.

[Ken B]

You consider Monteverdi a Baroque composer?  I always think of him more Renaissance

[71 dB]

You consider Monteverdi a Baroque composer?  I always think of him more Renaissance, although I know chronologically he bridged the periods.

Monteverdi is a transitional late Renaissance/early Baroque composer. I don't count him a "pure" Baroque composer. I consider Schütz and Frescobaldi among the first pure early Baroque composers.

[North Star]

You consider Monteverdi a Baroque composer?  I always think of him more Renaissance, although I know chronologically he bridged the periods.

Seconda prattica is certainly Baroque to me.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Yes, and more than even just Monteverdi, Schütz, Buxtehude, Sweelinck, Bononcini, Pergolesi, Zelenka, Lully, L & Fr. Couperins, Mondonville, Rameau.

I do like Monteverdi and Lully, somewhat...

[sheri1983]

There's certainly no requirement. The baroque is pretty freaking awesome. 

By the way, welcome to GMG, sheri1983!

Thanks, I listen to classical music from about 15 years, too late to join this great community.

About love for 20's century composer I'm really not into new movements and styles that came after Wagner, examples of music I listened to was Stravinsky and Shostakovitch but truly I didn't feel it and didn't feel in connection with it, Not trying to be judgmental But I love Spiritual music which I found in the Baroque style.

The classical Era with Haydn and Mozart which introduces a stable and more established music maybe because they didn't hit by the french revolution yet!

And I found the heroic Romantic music which Beethoven brought to the surface and Schubert resume it to a sorrow perfection are more enjoyable and personal to me, however I'm ready for any good recommendations!

[sheri1983]

Baroque is so much more than J. S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell.

Of course there is a gold mine in Albinoni, Telemann, Buxtehude, Monteverdi, Corelli, Scarlatti, Rameau, Couperin and Tartini Compositions

[Jay F]

1. Mahler
2. Beethoven
3. Schubert
4. Bach
5. Mozart
6. Shostakovich
7. Vivaldi
8. Bruckner
9. Brahms
10. Verdi (I'm not a big opera fan, but the man did give us "Di Provenza.")

[North Star]

Thanks, I listen to classical music from about 15 years, too late to join this great community.

About love for 20's century composer I'm really not into new movements and styles that came after Wagner, examples of music I listened to was Stravinsky and Shostakovitch but truly I didn't feel it and didn't feel in connection with it, Not trying to be judgmental But I love Spiritual music which I found in the Baroque style.

The classical Era with Haydn and Mozart which introduces a stable and more established music maybe because they didn't hit by the french revolution yet!

And I found the heroic Romantic music which Beethoven brought to the surface and Schubert resume it to a sorrow perfection are more enjoyable and personal to me, however I'm ready for any good recommendations!

Some suggestions, in no particular order, that might make you reconsider the previous century. There's plenty to connect everything here to traditions from earlier eras.

Rakhmaninov: All-night Vigil
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms, Apollo, Pulcinella
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Symphonies nos. 2-7
Nielsen: Symphony no. 3, Clarinet Concerto
Ravel: Piano Trio
Pärt: Stabat Mater and Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten

Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Op. 87
Britten: Ceremony of Carols and Cello Suites
Elgar: Violin Sonata
Debussy: Suite bergamasque, La cathédrale engloutie
Martinů: Nonet
Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos, Flute Sonata

Janáček: On the Overgrown Path
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances, Rhapsodies nos. 1 & 2 for violin & piano / violin & orchestra.
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Villa-Lobos: Introduction to the Chôros, Chôros nos. 1-5, Five Preludes for guitar
Silvestrov: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (from the Silent Songs)

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite,

Isn't Lemminkäinen from 19th century?

[North Star]

Isn't Lemminkäinen from 19th century?

Sure, but it bridges the later Sibelius nicely.

I'll make use of this opportunity and add Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no. 3 to the list.

[Brian]

And there are a lot of composers writing choral music today which invokes the great spiritual traditions of centuries past, like Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Gyorgy Orban, Veljo Tormis, and Slawomir Czarnecki.

[Karl Henning]

And there are a lot of composers writing choral music today which invokes the great spiritual traditions of centuries past, like Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Gyorgy Orban, Veljo Tormis, and Slawomir Czarnecki.

I'm cryin', here.

[North Star]

And there are a lot of composers writing choral music today which invokes the great spiritual traditions of centuries past, like Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Gyorgy Orban, Veljo Tormis, and Slawomir Czarnecki and Henning

Absolutely. And the first two items, and the Pärt, on my list might have something to do with that, too. 

[springrite]

I'm cryin', here.

...and Karl Henning...

[Karl Henning]

(Well, fie on me for fishing.)