The Top 5 composers

Well, my argument isn't that bad, if you're the same Saulsmusic from those other boards....

Face it, ignorance just seems to be your way of life if you can continue fighting for mendelssohn 3 days after the fact.

Hm, reminds me of Olivier Messiaen.

The phrase "Who is John Galt" is the opening theme and paradox from Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. In the beginning of the book, the phrase literally means, "Who is no one?"

I don't know who Messiaen is, but he sounds like a cool guy.

And yes, I know who John Galt is. I've read Atlas Shrugged. Notice the quotations? :ninja:

I don't know who Messiaen is, but he sounds like a cool guy.

And yes, I know who John Galt is. I've read Atlas Shrugged. Notice the quotations? :P

No, in my haste I didn't, lol.

Although you may have noticed that his real name isn't actually John Galt Alex, look at his soundclick.

Yeah I know. It's James something I think.

But I think it's easier just to call him John.

Can anyone recommend me any more of Grieg's work? I've only heard the famous Piano Concerto in A minor (which I love) and would like to listen to some more of his work.

Okie dokie. I am a Grieg freak I can give a few recommendations. I love the piano concerto, but I see that you have already heard that one. I also love the Peer Gynt Suite but I suppose that you have already heard that one too (or at least "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King"). Now for some of the less popular Grieg music. The Holberg Suite is genius. In my opinion the absoute best movement from it is the 4th movement called "Air". Then if you want to get into some of his piano pieces then you should listen to the following (all of which I have played): Elegy, Nocturrno, Arietta, Butterfly, Love-Poem, To Spring, Wedding-Day in Troldhaugen, and March of the Dwarfs (these are my favorite Grieg piano pieces). And if you like those pieces then go find the rest of the lyric pieces to listen to because they are equally beautiful and brilliant.

Try the string quartet in g... The unfinished one in f is also amazing

I don't know if anyone's said this but I don't think it's fair to list the top any number of composers. It is so subjective and really, quite impossible because there are so many good ones. You can have favourites though.

I guess mine are Tchaikovksy for the sentimentality, melodies and incredible symphonies, Beethoven, Brahms, Shostakovich, Bach but I also like Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Wagner, Ravel, Stravinsky, Handel, Scirabin...

There are so many!

However, I believe some to be sort of Second-Rate although still good:

Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Rameau, Alexina Louie, Alban Berg etc.

I don't know if anyone's said this but I don't think it's fair to list the top any number of composers. It is so subjective and really, quite impossible because there are so many good ones.

Yeah, but it's fun to throw out random lists of names. Hey - you might discover someone unknown to you...

I agree though; my lists would be substantially different depending on my mood; genre, ensemble, etc...

In my top 10, regardless of order:

Bach, Schoenberg, Debussy, Ravel, Webern, Bartok, Grieg, Chopin, Mozart and Bruckner (great symphonies).

Some of my favourite pieces:

Grieg's "Piano Concerto", Moszkowski's "Piano Concerto in E", Poulenc's "Piano Concerto for two Pianos in D minor", Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" and "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta", Debussy's "prelude to the afternoon of a faun", his "String Quartet in G minor", and his piano pieces (notably, his Image "Reflets dans l'eau"), Webern's "Langsamer Satz" and his Op.1 "Passacaglia", Schoenberg's "Gurre Lieder", "Friede Auf Erden", "Verklarte Nacht" and his Suite Op.25, almost everything by Bach, McDowell's "In Wartime" (2nd movement) from his 2nd Suite, Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No.2", Schubert's "Impromptu Op.90 No.2", Chopin's Etudes and Ballades, Mozart's Requiem, Serenade K.365 (I don't remember the number exactly, it's the one played in the movie, which Mozart says "they are playing my music... without me" (early in the movie), Warlock's "Suite for Strings", Barber's "Cello Concerto No.1", John Cage's "Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano", Schumann's "Kreisleriana", Brahms' Intermezzo's for piano, and many many others.

Worst composers ever: Delius (his music can't be any boring than that) and Smetana (also too boring).

How can you not love Delius? :D His music is so delicious..