Who is your favourite composer?

[llamaman]

Post comments on why.

I myself chose Beethoven, as his pieces show tons of emotion, and are great fun to play.

Note:Spelling mistake Haydn not Hayden as I stupidly put

[p_2005]

Schumann is not remembered as being as great a composer as Chopin or Liszt, but his works are amazing, and his skill in placing a melody within a beautiful accompaniment is truly amazing.  Also, I PERSONALLY find that some of Chopin and Liszt's works are too over-emotional, especially in a rather sad way  .  I find the character in Schumann a lot more realistic, and greatly varied, even in single pieces.

[Bouter Boogie]

You forgot to add a lot of options like Gershwin and Scriabin  Lol, so I voted for Chopin and other 

[apion]

Brahms ....... because he's got it all.

[pseudopianist]

1.Liszt (Man I will get flames for this)
2.Chopin
3.Rach
4.Bach
5.Scriabin

[Daevren]

Ack no one voted Bach and no Scriabin, Barber, Ligeti, Medtner etc etc..

[shasta]

Mendelssohn. 
His trios, Hebrides, concerti (piano, violin), Sw/oW, symphs, Midsummer... are sublime.

[llamaman]

Looks like there's a few I need to add, is there any way for me to do that?

[ravel]

 if you are planning on adding more composers,do not forget to add ravel and prokofiev .(havent played any prokofiev yet, but he is one of my favourite composers , love his concertos and sonatas and toccata and in general all piano music of his). infact both of them have written some of the best and most important piano works  ever.

[llamaman]

Ravel! How could I forget Ravel! *hangs head in shame* He's the first one I shall add

[ravel]

wow , i didnt know you are that quick!!!!!!!!!, i just sent that post. anyway, since you didnt have ravel ( as i said i havent played any prokofiev yet), i voted for debussy and rachmaninov. i wanted to vote for other too ( and that other would be ravel), but there is a maximum of only two votes .

[llamaman]

Me niether. I amaze myself sometimes . Debussy is a good composer, but I can't play most of his works owing to small, inflexible hands.

[ravel]

 sorry for going off topic, but amongst the composers i have played, rachmaninov causes the most problems because of hand stretches ( his left hand reach was like 13 or 14 keys, or something like that , isnt it?).

[llamaman]

Yes, one of his preludes, I think it was in C# Minor has a reach of a 13th in both left hand and right hand at the same time. And then with only a quaver (eighth) rest, both hands jump to another chord with a 10th. I can barely reach the 10th, let alone the 13th

[Floristan]

Chopin is the most idiosyncratic piano composer.  No one composed better for the instrument from a pianist's viewpoint.  His music fits well under the hand, and, because of Chopin's love of bel canto singing, it is always beautiful and rarely harsh or strident, even in the most dramatic moments.

From a strictly compositional perspective, Beethoven made the fullest use of the instrument and its complete expressive range.  There are so many sublime moments in the late sonatas that it is as if God is composing.  These moments are offset by a host of other emotional states, not all pretty, which serve to make the sublime moments even more precious.  As a musician, I adore Beethoven, but as a pianist, I love Chopin, so Chopin gets my vote.

[dinosaurtales]

So where's Prokofiev in all this? 

[Chrysalis]

i chose debussy and chopin

[MattL]

Got to be

1.Beethoven
2.Prokofiev
3.Rachmaninov
4.Bach

You know you love 'em

[Toivot]

It's Haydn, not Hayden 

btw I voted for Mozart and Bach 


hm, I never heard a piece by Prokofiev. Can someone recommend me a good piece for listening?

[Teddybear]

Mozart and Rachmaninoff. Together they portray my personality very well (unfortunately). The third one would have been Liszt, I guess.

T

[hodi]

mendelssohn and rachmaninov

mendelssohn:
for his piano trios, songs without words, concertos, a midsummer night's dream, symphonies,cello sonatas, violin sonatas,piano works
everything

rachmaninov, for the piano & orchestra works,preludes

[Nana_Ama]

mendelssohn and rachmaninov

mendelssohn:
for his piano trios, songs without words, concertos, a midsummer night's dream, symphonies,cello sonatas, violin sonatas,piano works
everything

rachmaninov, for the piano & orchestra works,preludes

same here
but it's so hard to choose!  I really like Bach and Brahms as well!!

[6ft 4]

As always the Big Three:

Beethoven
Bach
Mozart

[vaiva]

so there is Prokofjev? my favorite one?

the second is Grieg.

and then the others: Chopin, Rachmaninov...

ps. and if i must choose Classical sonata, i prefer Beethoven.

[vaiva]

It's Haydn, not Hayden 

btw I voted for Mozart and Bach 


hm, I never heard a piece by Prokofiev. Can someone recommend me a good piece for listening?

oh, so i suggest to listen his concertos, sonatas no.7, no.2, toccata op.11, but you know, he was a genious and all his music is ...is...is... super amazing marvelous splendiferous divine and ect. so it's difficult to me to mark some of his piece...

i wish you to discover Him!!!

[MattL]

I would suggest listening to his piano concerto no. 2 (first mvmt) and Le Suggestion Diabolique

[JCarey]

Beethoven and Rachmaninoff are my two favorite composers, though I also love the music of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, but he was not included in your list.

[rob47]

Chopin is the most idiosyncratic piano composer.  No one composed better for the instrument from a pianist's viewpoint.  His music fits well under the hand, and, because of Chopin's love of bel canto singing, it is always beautiful and rarely harsh or strident, even in the most dramatic moments.

No, Liszt.

In my "humbly-modest-not-trying-to-offend-nor-argue-with-you-as-everyone-is-entitled-to-their-own-opinion-and-yours-is-just-fine" opinion.

or IMHMNTTONAWYAEIETTOOAYIJF0, for short.

[Etude]

Rachmaninov and Sorabji are my main favourites at the moment.

[Jake]

My favorite composers are

First place: Alkan, Scriabin, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt
Second place, tie: Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Godowsky, Bach

I'm not ruthless enough to rank them any further.

Alkan, Liszt, Chopin, and Godowsky are the greatest piano composers, imho. My piano teacher tells me that he finds himself correcting or changing Liszt's fingerings waaay more often than Chopin's (Liszt, being the Muhammad Ali of the piano world, showed off any chance he could) - and Chopin slightly more often than Alkan or Godowsky!

Edit: Ohh, composers to play!

Well, I've only played Bach, Chopin, and Schubert so far. I enjoy them equally.

[pies]

­

[lelle]

Could I vote twice for bach?  

EDIT: woups seems like I bumped a 5 year old topic, sorry

[wert718]

lol, Bach, Handel, and Haydn are my favorites, they were all Christians.

[kuya]

1. Tchaikovsky
2. Rachmaninoff
3. Mozart
4. Debussy

That ranking is not of value though, there are some pieces by other composes I rate higher than some pieces from those composers.

[thalbergmad]

Could I vote twice for bach?  

Yes, JC and CPE.

Thal

[amateurguy]

My overall favorite composer is Schubert. I think his late piano sonatas are incredible and are some of the most amazing music ever composed. The beauty of Schubert's music often lies in its simplicity.

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

 I think JS Bach and Mozart are my favourite composers. It's hard to decide, as many other composers composed amazing music that I enjoy very much (I like Grieg, Chopin, Debussy, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff)... I'm not saying that Bach and Mozart were better composers than all the other composers, but I find that Bach and Mozart speaks to me the most and I can just connect with the music when I play. I don't know how to explain it really... But I never get tired of practicing Bach or Mozart's music. 

[mila5405]

I like to play Bachs Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue in d minor BWV 903 . The recitativic parts is a wonderful dialog between the composer and god (even if im not a good christian I can understand that)

Chopins nocturne no 5 in F#sharp minor Op.15 No.2 is a delicate piece. More of an eartly love than Bachs Fantasy. His musical language always affect me. Its as elegant as the french language, sending its scent through the air.

[danie1996]

I love bach inventions.  ;DTheire for inteligent people, metrical, and beatufull. You need a lot of work for work on bach inventions. I like how Glenn Gould plays:

[ask_why]

I voted for Beethoven and Rachmaninov -- would've voted for Gershwin too if he were listed.  Were we only supposed to vote for one?  Oops 

[rv]

Scriabin & Rachmaninoff

[vincentl]

I voted for Beethoven and Chopin, playing their compositions is just wonderful. Not to mention that my favorite periods in music history are Classical and Romantic. Well, that's just my opinion.

[magio]

i am really happy to see that the answer "other" is one of the 5 hottest!!!
because at the moment my favourite one is CHARLES VALENTIN ALKAN!!!!

[chris_goslow]

The ones that I initially checked (before I narrowed it down to two) are:

Beethoven
Mozart
Bach
Chopin
Brahms.

Fortunately, we can enjoy playing the music of all these greats, and so many more!

[musichopin]

chopin is the best of all

[phil2]

I'm going to have to jump on the bandwagon here 

Rachmaninoff, Liszt

[tasuki]

Chopin and Rachmaninoff...

[overfjell]

Rachmaninoff and 'other' being Alkan.

[sophie117]

I'm surprised that Schumann is relatively so lowly rated. If one had had a thorough experience of his music, it's not difficult to find the presence of Chopin's melody, Grieg's Genuine emotion, Mozart's jovial genius, Beethoven's intellect and Brahms' meticulousness.

[thalbergmad]

I'm surprised that Schumann is relatively so lowly rated.

I ain't