Who is the best composer of all time? Look inside please!

Obviously,

Jesus. He wrote all of Beethoven's music for him. That's why he went deaf, from hearing the voice of God.

E T H N O

C E N T R I S T!

WHAT DOES THAT SPELL!?!?

ETHNOCENTRIST!!!!!!!!

For me....

I think, No:

1. Chopin

2. Liszt

3. Beethoven

4. Rachmaninoff

5. Paganini

6. Mozart

That's all

Lennon & McCartney

ALAN SILVESTRI my friends... Alan Silvestri.

There are alot of all time composers that I love and enjoy.

But... after Alan Silverstri composed "Back to the future" I realized that in 3.25 minuts he made me exited enough to drive 128mph, go through red lights... get pulled over by cops and smile about it. :) (it was 10 years ago)

This creation which was made in 1985 is one nutch up in Music Energy.

oh and then there's Sergay Rachmaninoff... :)

Bach is my favorite, i dont think there is any more interlectual and emotional music then Bachs music :) He is the father of music, all the other composers where influcenced Bach. Bachs music is the true evidence of gods existence, no other man has done what Bach has, can you immagine writing a cantata in 2 days every week for many years?

Bach is my favorite, i dont think there is any more interlectual and emotional music then Bachs music :) He is the father of music, all the other composers where influcenced Bach. Bachs music is the true evidence of gods existence, no other man has done what Bach has, can you immagine writing a cantata in 2 days every week for many years?

Actually, musicologists have determined that Mozart's music has 3.625 units of emotion per ten measures than Bach's, Therefore, Mozart is more emotional. Of course, neither composer pales comparison to Mahler who had an astounding 5,000 units of emotion per measure (an amount which can be fatal to small children and the elderly).

Hahahahah "Units of emotion"?! I'd like to see their criteria. I don't know if that's scary or funny or ridiculous.

OK

My favorite composer du-jour to be different:

Golijov

His music is a mix between enjoyable easily accessible popular music with steady popish beats but also a lot of harmonic, instrumental, formal interest. Knows how to integrate electronics tastefully. Sounds pleasing yet challenging. Can be satisfying on several levels. He is in touch with modern life as well as his ethnic cultural background.

His "Ayre" is gorgeous and fun and moving.

His "Nonet" is very fun to play.

Beethoven, hands down, for the following reasons:

- Nine of the greatest symphonies ever written, so much so that composers for the next 50+ years struggled to stretch beyond his shadow. These symphonies displayed not just the compositional brilliance possessed by many other composers, but also the importance of the revision process, by which he honed his art to the point of completely overhauling the symphony and defying "correct forms" which are taught in today's college composition classes. While many composers were embarrassed to ever let others see anything other than their best work, whether intentionally or not he left his work process open to his successors. For this, he also deserves the title of best composition teacher of all time.

- His string quartets underscore the previous title. Unlike his symphonies, they are used extensively as instructional material in studying compositional form & analysis.

- The greatest pianist of his time until Liszt, he wrote revolutionary works for piano which even Chopin struggled to surpass.

- In contrast to utter nonsense that someone here (no direct quotes) wrote, despite not having the same genius for melodic compositional as Mozart who preceded him, some of the greatest melodies ever written are present in his symphonies (#5 mvt 2, #6 mvt 1 & 5, #7 & #8 mvts 1), sonatas (Pathetique mvt 2, Tempest mvt 2 and others), string works (various), etc. It is certainly true that Beethoven incorporated the arpeggio in many of his melodies, but they are in no way reducible to that. However it is possible to understand how someone could arrive at this conclusion, seeing how Beethoven was possibly the best orchestrator of all time, and used this skill heavily to supplement his melodies by not leaving the melody with any one voice for long.

- At least three choral works (Mass in C, Missa Solemnis, 9th Symphony) that each captured the human spirit in ways never before seen.

- The most inspirational composer of all time, having overcome a harsh childhood, social awkwardness, financial trouble, and deafness itself.

Composers span the spectrum of genius, great, functional, appealing and so many more. Mozart wrote music in his head and then merely had to write them down. Beethoven composed while deaf. Bach consolidated one of the most important schools of harmony and on top of that, was a masterful organist and organ inspector. Chopin was the master of emotion and chromatics. Liszt was a showman that kept people riveted. Tchaikovsky composed amazingly for the ballet in a way few have rivaled and he had a brilliance for catchy melodies. Haydn could churn out music on command (over 100 symphonies?!) Brahms was king of melodrama (not that its a bad thing in music). We have Schoenberg creating a whole new school of tonality...or lack thereof.

As you can see, its hard to choose. It's very subjective and even objectively, you'd have to pick a category by which to judge.

Chopin, Chopin, Chopin, CHOPIN!

Chopin has such a distingtive sound, you can auto-maticly know it's Chopin when you here the first chord, who else could boast the First Ballade? With it's heart-wrenching melodies that could bring you to tears, and it's feel of doom and gloom, yet hope in the distance, and of-course it's marvelous harmony., and when that first feeling of hope is let out, the genius [Chopin] only needs to notes, to make the harmony perfect.

Who could of combined the Impromptu and the Fantasy? No-one, apart from Chopin, with it's 2 against 3 pattern running away through, with virtusosity and again with a sumptueus simple melody running through with a broken chords base.

Who raised the height of the Polonaise to a Heroic level? Chopin. The polonaises were heroic yet tragic, as with all Chopin's Music with a hint of Melancholy. And the wonderful Polanaise-Fantasy in Ab, is just magical.

The Noctures have a wonderful melody, and so do the waltzes.

Chopin-The Poet of the Piano, the best composer ever to live.

Takemitsu

I have done a lot, and I mean a lot of research on classical music, syles, composers, etc.. And my all-time favorite is Sergei Rachmaninov. To me his music in incredible, emotional, powerful, elegant, poetic.. Jean Sibelius comes closely behind, along with Sergei Prokofiev.

I used to like Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. And I still like them. But I feel that late Romanticism music is for me.

JS Bach

He's just amazing. He composed some of the greatest achievements in the whole of western classical music without the use of an instrument.

I guess Mozart follows VERY closely behind...

I vote for Shostakovich. Only a genius can write music for 2 or 3 voice and be dissonant yet tonal at the same time. Occurs often in his stringquartets and symphonies; oh the 10th, and 11th, and 12th, oh, and the first part of the 13th. And the 1st with the funny piano. Ok, stop me...

:D

Anton Bruckner!

He had everything that It takes to be the greatest composer. He wrote probably the greatest symphony his 8th IMO. He displayed great Romanticism and but knew when to use restraint as compared to Rachmaninoff, or Mahler who over did it sometimes. He also was a master of counterpoint. IE his motets, and the fugue in his 7th Symphony(correct me if I am wrong). He was constantly perfecting his work making constant revisions never satisfied. He was humble and gracious. All of which I believe made Bruckner one the best all around composers ever.

The best composer of all time? Lady Gaga. She's better than anything written between 1810-1890 at least (then again, what isn't?)

some song by some broad

My for srs answer, though....I'll probably just say Bach.

I've always loved Rachmaninoff's music. I always thought he captured emotions really well and was capable of expressing them in ways that other composers couldn't. I don't think I even know of a song of his I don't like. He composes the best piano concertos, his piano music in general is great, his Symphonic Dances are amazing, and of course his Symphony No.2 is great, especially the 3rd movement.

Of course all of what I said is opinion...

I am dumbfounded every time I think about this genious and the fact he went deaf and if I could only listen to one composers work I would probably have to choose him. His 16 string quartets are amazing and the 9th symphony is unnerving for a deaf person:

I don't know who would not be amazed.

Beethoven and Vivaldi does the trick for me. However, I listen to Vivaldi more than any other composer.

Without a doubt Ludwig Amadeus Bach

Best Composer?

Probably Bach Mendelssohn and Beethoven.

BMB could be BMW but I hate Wagner LOL!!!

Me.

(Apologies if that joke has been made already, I didn't feeling like scrolling through 24 pages of people listing different composers).

That's a bit arrogant, hey but thats only my opinion, probaly doesnt mean that much!!!

:toothygrin:

I will probably say Strauss. To me his (later) music always shatters my senses when I listen to it. I can't really describe it but it leaves me with a sense of gratitude after listening. It's thanks to his wonderful orchestration and interesting modulations.

I generally don't like putting a brand on people (or myself). There's something great in every composer, even the ones who are thought of as mediocre. But Strauss is what I'm most fascinated by at the moment. :)

Jean Sibelius

Sibelius' ability to perform huge romantic gestures to the scope of Mahler or Wagner places him among the greatest Romantic Composers. But, it is, in my opinion, his strength in development that places him among the all time greats. It is well known that Sibelius writes from the "back to the front." This means the sweeping, giant endings you find in his symphonies are the culmination of all the music prior to it. This keeps the listener interested and keeps the music moving forward through time. His tone poems are fantastic, and as a nationalist composer he gave international attention to Finnish music. Listening to his symphonic works, there are clear instances where modern film composers have taken his themes or progressions. (For an example of this, see the end of the First Movement of his ?fourth symphony and you will hear lord of the rings. His 3rd symphony contains the spiderman theme.)

And to top it all off, his music is so much fun to listen to and play, he is my favorite all time. Second place is a tie between Stavinsky, Beethoven, and Brahms. The best Germans were Schoenberg and Bach. Russian: Tchichovsky. American: Ives is #1, then Copeland, Bernstein, and Barber.

The fact is, there is SOOO much amazing music out there, listen to everything you can and never stop asking questions.

I can't decide between these 3:

Scriabin

Stravinsky

Sibelius