Top 3 Favorite Musical Centers

[Florestan]

Which three cities are you favorite when it comes to their role in music history?

Mine in alphabetical order:

Paris --- especially during 1830 - 1930 when it was the undisputed cultural capital city of the world. The list of composers, singers and performers active in the city in that period is a Who's Who in 19C and early 20C music.

Venice --- features an impressive array of composers, singers and performers born and/or active in the city (including its terrafirma) from the early Renaissance to the 20th century, with peaks in the times of Monteverdi and the whole 18th century; they basically invented the opera house (with its accompanying subscription) and the public concert; its importance in the history of music can hardly be overstated.

Vienna --- especially during 1750 - 1900 when most of the best and the brightest German-speaking composers and performers were living in the city, either permanently or temporarily.

Your turn.

[Maestro267]

Not one specific city but the west of England. Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds and the Malverns...some of our finest composers emerged from this fertile land. Three Choirs Land.

[Mirror Image]

My picks would be Vienna, Paris and London. All three of these cities are musical meccas and have been for a long-time.

[ritter]

Paris, Vienna and.... Bayreuth, of course. 

[Olias]

My picks would be Vienna, Paris and London. All three of these cities are musical meccas and have been for a long-time.

Same - Paris, Vienna, and London, and I've been to all three many times.

[Mirror Image]

Same - Paris, Vienna, and London, and I've been to all three many times.

[steve ridgway]

Paris, Vienna and Darmstadt.

[Jo498]

Vienna, London, Berlin.
Admittedly Berlin has not been such a great center for composers historically, despite Quantz, CPE Bach and others with the King of Prussia or later Mendelssohn and a period as vibrant cultural center in the 1920s, there would be a bunch of German cities to mention before: Dresden, Leipzig, München, maybe even Hamburg and Frankfurt.
But it had a cultural zenith in the early 20th century and it's been the best German (and one of the best worldwide) city for great classical performances for the last 100 years or more. And the only one I could travel to for such...

I recognize the historical importance of Paris but with the exception of some (mostly immigrants) in the early 20th century, I don't much care for most of the music it was a center for (French opera or frenchified versions of good operas ) One could even argue that the Parisian centralism was overall bad for French music (compared to the "federalist", multi-centered musical landscape of Italy, Gemany, Austria).

[ritter]

Paris, Vienna and Darmstadt.

Darmstadt or Donaueschingen could easily have made it on my list...

[vandermolen]

Would have to be my home city of London.
Helsinki
Prague

[Mirror Image]

Would have to be my home city of London.
Helsinki
Prague

There is definitely some great things happening in both Helsinki and Prague. Great choices, Jeffrey.

[Mirror Image]

I used to think New York City was one of the musical centers of the world, but I don't feel this way any longer. It seems to be getting further and further away from its past musical glories.

[Lisztianwagner]

My choices could be Vienna, Bayreuth and Paris.

[vandermolen]

There is definitely some great things happening in both Helsinki and Prague. Great choices, Jeffrey.

[LKB]

Logically, l should choose Vienna, London and Paris. Only problem is, l had some unfortunate experiences in France and now l have no good feelings remaining from my time there.

So my three are Vienna, London and Boston.