Begin at the Beginning...

[Kullervo]

I've started on a project that may seem ill-advised and foolish, but one that I think can be done — and, once finished, will have long-lasting benefits. Though, I'm certainly not the first person to think of it (or attempt it).

I've decided to listen to all the major of every major composer from every period in music history from the Medieval period to now, following a list I've compiled that I think is more or less comprehensive.

The list looks like this (the dates are not exact):

Medieval (A.D. 1000 - 1400)
Perotin
Hildegard
Machaut
Renaissance (1400 - 1600)
Dufay
Ockeghem
Josquin
Tallis
Palestrina
Gesualdo
Baroque (1600 - 1750)
Monteverdi
Corelli
Rameau
Bach
Purcell
Handel
Classical (1750 - 1800)
Gluck
CPE Bach
Haydn
Boccherini
Mozart
Hummel
Weber
Beethoven
Romantic (1800 - 1900)
Schubert
Berlioz
Mendelssohn
Schumann
Liszt
Wagner
Brahms
Bruckner
Early 20th C. (1900 - 1945)
R. Strauss
Mahler
Debussy
Schoenberg
Berg
Webern
Stravinsky
Hindemith
Shostakovich
Late 20th C. to now (1945 - )
Carter
Boulez
Ligeti
Wuorinen
(...)

Has anyone here tried something like this? Is this even feasible? Did I miss anyone? Is there anyone that doesn't belong here?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

These are some I might add:

Romantic (1800 - 1900)

Rimsky-Korsakov
Mussorgsky
Dvorak
Tchaikovsky
Chopin
Liszt
Scriabin (late/transitional)

Early 20th C. (1900 - 1945)

Janacek
Bartok
Martinu
Ravel
Prokofiev
Sibelius

Late 20th C. to now (1945 - )

Lutoslawski

[Kullervo]

These are some I might add:

Romantic (1800 - 1900)

Rimsky-Korsakov
Mussorgsky
Dvorak
Tchaikovsky
Chopin
Liszt
Scriabin (late/transitional)

Early 20th C. (1900 - 1945)

Janacek
Bartok
Martinu
Ravel
Prokofiev
Sibelius

Late 20th C. to now (1945 - )

Lutoslawski

Ahh, those are some glaring omissions! Though, I should mention that anyone missing from the list won't be necessarily ignored. As for Sibelius, Scriabin, Martinů, Ravel, and Lutosławski: I left them off because I feel I've already explored most of their core repertoire. I may have unconsciously left some off because I'm afraid of the list becoming more daunting than it is!

[The new erato]

A couple of Scarlattis are missing. And no Prokofiev? Whether R Strauss belongs here (as he declared himself a firstrate secondrate composer, is debatable). But not a bad list as such things go. I like both Scriabin and Martinu a lot but don't feel they are necessary additions.

[BachQ]

Did I miss anyone?

Elgar

Is there anyone that doesn't belong here?

Elgar

[71 dB]

I've decided to listen to all the major of every major composer from every period in music history from the Medieval period to now, following a list I've compiled that I think is more or less comprehensive.

Your list is a good starting point but I'm afraid there are hundreds of "major" composer.

Baroque (1600 - 1750)
Monteverdi
Corelli
Rameau
Bach
Purcell
Handel

At least Buxtehude, Schütz, Charpentier and Vivaldi should be added to the list.

Classical (1750 - 1800)
Gluck
CPE Bach
Haydn
Boccherini
Mozart
Hummel
Weber
Beethoven

Dittersdorf & Vanhal. 

Romantic (1800 - 1900)
Schubert
Berlioz
Mendelssohn
Schumann
Liszt
Wagner
Brahms
Bruckner

Early 20th C. (1900 - 1945)
R. Strauss
Mahler
Debussy
Schoenberg
Berg
Webern
Stravinsky
Hindemith
Shostakovich

Elgar, Nielsen, Villa-Lobos, Puccini, Fauré & Saint-Saëns

[The new erato]

10 out of 12 ain't bad 71 dB.

But of course the problem is "what is major". We'll never agree. But one has to start somewhere and Coreys list at least have no clunkers. When he's finished (in a few years time) we'll give 50 new additions.

[Kullervo]

10 out of 12 ain't bad 71 dB.

But of course the problem is "what is major". We'll never agree. But one has to start somewhere and Coreys list at least have no clunkers. When he's finished (in a few years time) we'll give 50 new additions.

That's the idea. Once I've explored these I'll move on to more obscure composers.

[Mark G. Simon]

It's good to listen to guys like Dittersdorf and Vanhal. It makes you realize just how much more Haydn and Mozart were able to bring to the same stylistic language.

[Cato]

Yes, you must at least add Scriabin and Karl Amadeus Hartmann to the list.

[PerfectWagnerite]

A couple of Scarlattis are missing. And no Prokofiev? Whether R Strauss belongs here (as he declared himself a firstrate secondrate composer, is debatable).

Regardless of what Richard Strauss thought of himself (maybe he was being self-effacing), there is no question nowadays that he was a great great composer, in the genre of opera alone he was arguablythe greatest German opera composer after Wagner.

[Kullervo]

Your list is a good starting point but I'm afraid there are hundreds of "major" composer.

At least Buxtehude, Schütz, Charpentier and Vivaldi should be added to the list.

You're probably right.

Dittersdorf & Vanhal. 

Arguably marginal, but I think you knew that.

Elgar, Nielsen, Villa-Lobos, Puccini, Fauré & Saint-Saëns

I didn't add Elgar because I feel I've heard most of his major works (with a notable exception being the symphonies). Nielsen, Fauré and Saint-Saëns probably do belong there. I left Puccini off because my list is biased towards the "Germanic" composers. However, I do have another list of Opera and he is on it. I like Villa-Lobos, but he was more-or-less an "outsider" composer.

[Anne]

Did anyone mention Benjamin Britten?

[Gurn Blanston]

I would strongly recommend moving Weber to the Romantic (as you define it). There is no doubt that he was among the very first Romanticists.

[Kullervo]

Did anyone mention Benjamin Britten?

He's on my opera list!

[Kullervo]

I would strongly recommend moving Weber to the Romantic (as you define it). There is no doubt that he was among the very first Romanticists.

Yeah? I wasn't sure since he seemed to be right on the edge. I'll bring him up a notch.

[The new erato]

It's good to listen to guys like Dittersdorf and Vanhal. It makes you realize just how much more Haydn and Mozart were able to bring to the same stylistic language.

You have to know (some of) the minors to really appreciate the majors, I agree. But since the thread was about the majors........

[Kullervo]

Okay, the revised list:

Medieval (A.D. 1000 - 1400)
Pérotin
Hildegard
Machaut
Renaissance (1400 - 1600)
Dufay
Ockeghem
Josquin
Tallis
Palestrina
Gesualdo
Baroque (1600 - 1750)
Monteverdi
Corelli
Schütz
Rameau
Bach
Vivaldi
Purcell
Handel
Classical (1750 - 1800)
Gluck
CPE Bach
Haydn
Boccherini
Mozart
Hummel
Beethoven
Romantic (1800 - 1900)
Weber
Schubert
Berlioz
Mendelssohn
Schumann
Liszt
Wagner
Tchaikovsky
Brahms
Saint-Saëns
Bruckner
Early 20th C. (1900 - 1945)
R. Strauss
Fauré
Mahler
Janáček
Debussy
Nielsen
Schoenberg
Berg
Webern
Stravinsky
Prokofiev
Hindemith
Shostakovich
Copland
Late 20th C. to now (1945 - )
Carter
Boulez
Ligeti
Wuorinen
Feldman
Adams
Lindberg
(...)

Now the pre-WWII list is inordinately large in comparison with the post-WWII list. Any suggestions?

[karlhenning]

Feldman
Piazzolla

[Kullervo]

Feldman
Piazzolla

I can understand Feldman, but Piazzolla? Explique.