Your own five favorites to listen to, versus the five you think are greatest

[Chaszz]

Not necessarily the same five choices.

My five favorites to listen to:

Bach
Wagner
Brahms
R. Strauss
Sibelius


The five I think are greatest, by a combination of posterity/informed opinion and, to a lesser extent, my own somewhat more objective appraisal:

Bach
Beethoven
Mozart
Handel
Wagner

Although like a game, I think this is serious business. A philosophic question of the relation of one's own preferences to a putatively more objective mode of reality, making allowances for the informed taste of two or three centuries of musicians, crtitics and listeners. Every time another listener reports a strong reaction to a work that leaves you indifferent, this question is being put.   

[Lethevich]

An interesting thread, as my favourites slightly clash with my objective sense of what is great.

Major composers who I find to probably best fit the qualities of "greatness" more than others: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner (with many very close to these, of course).

Major composers who I listen to most overall: Haydn, Sibelius, Brahms, Liszt, Dvořák. All major of course, but not the above super transcendent ones whom many people seem to find endless riches in...

[BachQ]

Objectively Greatest

Bach
Beethoven
Mozart
Brahms
Haydn/Wagner/Schubert

Favorites to Listen To

Beethoven
Brahms
Bruckner
Mozart
Bach / Mahler

[bhodges]

Greatest:

Bach
Beethoven
Debussy
Stravinsky
Wagner

Favorites to listen to:

Bartók
Berg
Britten
Bruckner
Mahler

Alas, no overlap!

--Bruce

[MN Dave]

Greatest:

Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Brahms
Wagner

Now playing:

Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Brahms
Chopin 

[BachQ]

Favorites to listen to:

Bartók
Berg
Britten
Bruckner
Mahler

You almost have the "Five B's" .......

[MN Dave]

You almost have the "Five B's" .......

Wrong ones though.

*runs away*

[Sergeant Rock]

My five favorites to listen to:

Wagner
Mahler
Bruckner
Sibelius
Beethoven

The five I think are greatest:

Wagner
Mahler
Bruckner
Sibelius
Beethoven

Obviously I have trouble with the concept of greater than, lesser than, when it comes to composers. I have no idea how to objectively decide which is greater: Mozart's Don Giovanni or Bruckner's C minor Symphony. What's more, I don't really see any point in trying.

Sarge

[MN Dave]

Well, Lethe and Dm have gotten the "greatest" right so far.  0:)

[bhodges]

You almost have the "Five B's" .......

All right, just for you...(and actually, this list would be fine with me):

Bartók
Berg
Brahms
Britten
Bruckner



--Bruce

[karlhenning]

Well, Lethe and Dm have gotten the "greatest" right so far.  0:)

And as for the rest, I know you're Taking Names! 

[Haffner]

Objectively Greatest

Wagner
Mozart
Beethoven
Bach
Brahms
Haydn
Mahler
Bruckner
Verdi





Favorites to Listen To
Wagner
Mozart
Beethoven
Bruckner
Mahler
Haydn
Brahms
Verdi



ARRRGH! I hate this! BRAIN CRAMP!!!

[hornteacher]

Objectively Greatest
Beethoven
Mozart
Bach
Brahms
Haydn
Wagner

Personal Favorites to Listen To
Beethoven
Dvorak
Mozart
Mendelssohn
Copland
Hilary Hahn 

[Haffner]

Personal Favorites to Listen To
Beethoven
Dvorak
Mozart
Mendelssohn
Copland
Hilary Hahn 

Copland is an extremely cool choice as well!

[MN Dave]

5

[Haffner]

5

"Numba noyn, Numba Noyn...:

[Monsieur Croche]

My Five Greatest (in no particular order):

Bach
Mozart
Beethoven
Brahms
Debussy

My Five Favourites (in no particular order, except for the first one)

Debussy
Ravel
Faure
Schubert
Mozart

Interesting thread. I wonder how much our opinion on "who is the greatest composer" is shaped by general consensus in the musical establishment. For someone who lacks musical training or experience especially, can this greatness be felt and distinguished from mere personal taste by listening alone? Does our mind have an inherent concept of quality?

[Monsieur Croche]

You almost have the "Five B's" .......

Babadjanyan, Arno
Babell, William
Babin, Victor
Babou, Thomas
Bacarisse, Salvador

[eyeresist]

The thread title fooled me - I thought I was being asked for my five favourite recordings. Was anyone else confused?


Five Favourite Fomposers

Dvorak
Bruckner
Elgar
Prokofiev

... The first four were easy, but who's 5? Possibly Sibelius, but somehow I feel I don't have the right to include him, as he still remains in some way mysterious to me.


Five Greatest Composers

Beethoven
Beethoven
Beethoven
Beethoven
Beethoven

... Because, whenever I contemplate the greatness of any composer, in the end I always have to say "...but then there's Beethoven."

[Don]

Five personal favorites:
Bach
Schumann
Shostakovich
Weinberg
Chopin

Five greatest:
Bach
Shostakovich
Mahler
Schoenberg
Beethoven