Your Top 3 Classical Composers

**Pannonian** · 08-03-2007, 10:52

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

I don't know if I can pick just three, as I think the world of so many different works by so many different composers.

Rather, why don't I give 3 composers who haven't been mentioned yet that deserve some recognition:

-Smetana: If you haven't listened to the entire Moldau played by a full philharmonic, you don't know what you're missing.

Ma Vlast.

**Don Corleone** · 08-04-2007, 05:08

Originally Posted by Pannonian

Ma Vlast.

Hmmm?

**Kagemusha** · 08-04-2007, 16:49

My favourites would be in no particular order:

Tchaikovsky

Wagner

Sibelius

Altough there seems to be tons and tons of great Classic music for me to discover still. Which is a lovely thing indeed.

**Big_John** · 08-05-2007, 03:33

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Hmmm?

ma vlast is the set of tone poems from which the moldau (vlatava) comes. ma vlast means my country iirc, it's six tone poems that 'describe' the czech landscape (the moldau being a river, iirc). i first heard the moldau (the most famous of the six pieces in ma vlast) about 15 years ago, and was awe-struck.

if you like smetana and berlioz, i'd suggest looking into franz liszt's symphonic music, especially "les préludes", his most famous tone poem.

**seireikhaan** · 08-05-2007, 04:27

Well I don't listent to too much classical, but from what I've listened to:

Mozart
Beethoven
Bach.

No particular order.

**Martok** · 08-08-2007, 01:04

Originally Posted by Kagemusha

Altough there seems to be tons and tons of great Classic music for me to discover still.

That's why I love MPR (Minnesota Public Radio). They're always playing stuff from both the greats *and* from lesser-well-known composers. It's been one of my favorite stations for years just for that reason.

**macsen rufus** · 08-09-2007, 16:48

'Hmm, easy' I thought, then I thought again. Keeping it to three is the not-easy part

1= Beethoven
1= Mozart
3 J S Bach

I really can't decide whether Beethoven or Mozart was the greater genius. I think Beethoven has more depth, spiritually, but Mozart created sounds that set my head on fire with their utter beauty.

Bach is the first of the "also rans" I guess, but also up there near the top are Dvorak (love the New World Symphony especially), some of Elgar, some of Wagner (when I have the time

), Mussourski, Saint-Saens, Vivaldi (for the Four Seasons specifically).

Tchaikovsky has had a few moments in his opus, but mostly I find it sentimental dreck. I've heard very little Chopin, but did decide I wanted to hear more, so can't really include or exclude him fairly, same with Rachmaninof. And then there are the various Strausses, and I can't honestly keep them sepearate in my mind, frequently very pretty music, but not too heavyweight...

As the old saying has it, there are only three types of music: Rock 'n' roll, classical, and Beethoven

**edyzmedieval** · 08-09-2007, 19:13

1. Johann Strauss
2. Antonio Vivaldi
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Frederic Chopin

**Louis VI the Fat** · 08-15-2007, 16:25

I'm a sucker for German romantic composers. Even my top 30 would consist entirely of 19th century Germans / Austrians. Of that long list that starts with Beethoven and ends with romanticisms long coda, Richard Strauss.

Top 3:

Beethoven
Mendelssohn

These two stand out, vying for number three are Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák and Nielsen.

Well that is one Czech and one Dane. Classical music is a Central European affair. Russian melancholy, French frivolity, English pomp, Italian theatrics, Spains' unique mix of influences - all are fine traditions too, but they can't compete with the towering heights that Germanic music reached in the 19th century.