Who is the Greatest (Not Favourite) Composer

And yet, for chamber music, I believe Brahms has no rival in history.

duh! Beethoven of course, but think about it Mozart and Schubert died really really young, (mid thirties) only if those two had lived let's say 10-20 more years, i doubt we will be praising beethoven now as much as we do.

I slightly doubt that

OJECTION!

Why is Grieg not on this list???

OBJECTION!!!!!!!!!! OBJECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE SELECTION IS TOTTALLY BIASED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!
Grieg! CHOpin of the north!

OJECTION!

Why is Grieg not on this list???

Well, Do you really think Grieg has the slightest chance of ever being Crowned the gretest composer ??? Let's have a look at his Genres of Composition - 1 Piano Concerto, 1 Piano Sonata, 1 Symphony - The work was so bad that the composer requested it never be performed !! Hundreds of Miniatures. I agree that he was possibly the most lyrically gifted - after Schubert, Chopin and the Russians........... but in Classical Music - the composer who writes the best melody dosent exactly write the best music !! (Brilliant Examples - Beethoven & Brahms).

Oh and yes .... the selection is totally biased

Come on Beethoven Fans - Mozart seems to be catching up - get voting !!

Akhil G.

And yet, for chamber music, I believe Brahms has no rival in history.

Please tell me your Joking Pal !! - Where does the whole - Beethoven - Schubert - Mendelssohn Chamber work go then ??

No, I'm not joking. Almost every single chamber work that Brahms completed is at least the equal of the best that Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn ever produced. If I were to list what I consider to be great chamber masterpieces, I would include two to four pieces each by the latter three composers... and all but two to four pieces from Brahms's entire chamber music output. Listen to his piano quintet, any of his three piano quartets, his horn trio, his clarinet quintet, his first string sextet, either of his first two string quartets... that's just off the top of my head. Not a dull moment in any of them... and each piece is epic in scale, which is incredibly hard to do with a small ensemble. Brahms had a gift for compressing incredible amounts of musical material into compact, coherent forms. Most of Brahms's chamber works can hold my attention for their entire length, 40 minutes to over an hour. I can only say the same for a few chamber works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

No, I'm not joking.Â* Almost every single chamber work that Brahms completed is at least the equal of the best that Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn ever produced.Â* If I were to list what I consider to be great chamber masterpieces, I would include two to four pieces each by the latter three composers... and all but two to four pieces from Brahms's entire chamber music output.Â* Listen to his piano quintet, any of his three piano quartets, his horn trio, his clarinet quintet, his first string sextet, either of his first two string quartets... that's just off the top of my head.Â* Not a dull moment in any of them... and each piece is epic in scale, which is incredibly hard to do with a small ensemble.Â* Brahms had a gift for compressing incredible amounts of musical material into compact, coherent forms.Â* Most of Brahms's chamber works can hold my attention for their entire length, 40 minutes to over an hour.Â* I can only say the same for a few chamber works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

Perhaps your right .... yep heard all of Brahms' Chamber Work ...... Yes I must agree with you there on closer examination .... although our friends on this site won't be as open minded !! Not a single Brahms Chamber piece or any other Brahms piece is the work of an Apprentice. One could Quote Schumann Saying " Brahms just appeared a complete musician ".

Either appeared a complete musician, or just took his time.

Brahms spent 24 years (yes, twenty-four years), on and off, composing his first symphony. Most members of this site haven't even been alive for 24 years. He was just 18 years old when he started it; he was 42 when he finally completed it, which meant that at the time it was premiered he was a middle-aged man who had literally spent more than half his life writing that single piece. Now that's patience!