Greatest Composers of all time?

[Space Shark]

I've recently gotten back into listening to classical music as a hobby. I was wondering what the citizens of the forum thought of these composers, and who they consider to be the ones that have stood the test of time the best.

 

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I was actually thinking about making this thread for the past week. I will share soon enough.

 

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

For me it has to be the following composers and my favourite piece from them on the side:
-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791 (Symphony No. 25, Symphony No. 40 1st movement, Symphony No. 40 3rd movement)

-Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827 (Symphony No. 3 Eroica, Symphony No. 9 Scherzo)

-Johann Strauss I 1804-1849 (Radetzky March)*others I don't remember

-Richard Wagner 1812-1883 (The Ring of the Nibelung, Flight of the Valkyries, The Flying Dutchman)

-Bedrich Smetana 1824-1884 (Wallenstein's Camp, The Death of Wallenstein)

-Johann Strauss II 1825-1899 (The Blue Danube, Napoleon III March)

-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893 (1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake)

-Antonin Dvorak 1841-1904 (From the New World)*particularly the Allegro con Fuoco bit, so epic

-Gustav Mahler 1860-1911 (Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 3, Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 6)

-Richard Strauss 1864-1949 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)*among others that I don't remember

-Daniel Alomia Robles 1871-1942 (El Condor Pasa)*made popular by Simon and Garfunkel

-Gustav Holst 1874-1934 (The Planets)*Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus if I had to choose

-Maurice Ravel 1875-1937 (Bolero)*only one I can think of but what an amazing piece

I could have included some other ones from the 1700's and 1800's as well but I forget most of the names like Vivaldi, Paganini, Bach, Salieri, Haydn, Schubert, Hummel and Handel I honestly have not listened to as much. In truth I prefer some of the more epic composers for their music like the ones that I listed.
There are also some modern film composers and of those I would throw in Nino Rota (Waterloo 1970), Enio Morricone (The Dollars Trilogy 1964-1966, Red Sonia 1985), Basil Poledouris (Conan the Barbarian 1982, Hunt for Red October 1990), James Horner (Mask of Zorro 1998, Troy 2004), John Williams (Star Wars 1970-2015 among many others) and Miklos Rozsa (El Cid 1961, Ben-Hur 1959, King of Kings 1961), Elmer Bernstein (The Ten Commandments 1956) and Alex North (Spartacus 1960, Cleopatra 1963).

 

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

No one else likes classical composers? Shame.

 

[Solidaire]

Baroque era: Bach, Vivaldi

Classical era: Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert

Romantic era: Chopin, Tchaikovsky

 

[Solidaire]

In addition to the above, there are also certain composers who have written some of the most memorable pieces of all time, but personally I wouldn't place them in the standing of the above for their overall work.

For example, Shostakovich's 2nd Waltz, Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies (particularly no.2), Brahms' Hungarian Dances (especially no.5), Ivanovici's Waves of the Danube, Satie's Gnossienne no.1, and many many more, are masterpieces that should not be omitted.

 

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I forgot Chopin.

Not familiar with Shostakovich, Liszt, Brahm, Ivanovici or Satie.

 

[Solidaire]

I forgot Chopin.

Not familiar with Shostakovich, Liszt, Brahm, Ivanovici or Satie.

Subjective as it may be, have a go at the pieces I mentioned above.

I'm curious if you'd like them.

 

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I would very much want to hear them out. I'll go listen to those and tell you what I think.

 

[Cepheus]

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies (particularly no.2), Brahms' Hungarian Dances (especially no.5)...

Your composers reminded me of the late bloomer Anton Bruckner, since he was from that Bohemian school like Brahm. Like Brahm he was a big fan of Beethoven (his 9th) and he was a big fan of Wagner.

I think his Symphony no. 4 in Eb major is the one I would recommend to start with if you are not familiar with him.

He was an organist and you can pick up that influence in his music.