And your favorite composer is...

I'm seeing the name John Williams way too much.

And Berlioz, common now, he's not that great!

As for me...

Handel
Mozart
Mendelssohn
Dvorak
Puccini
Vaughn-Williams

I never said that.

The thread specifically says FAVORITE composer, not THE GREATEST.

And I like Berlioz's music alot because it makes me feel something that no other music can.

My fav composers are Koji Kondo, then Puccini, then Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Verdi, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Stravinsky.

hmm. i forgot to mention koji. i love mario/zelda music, they're so fitting!

hmmm.....it's hard for me to pick a favorite or put them in order....

but for opera I'd say it's Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Mozart, Donizzeti (though I haven't heard many works by him), and Wagner.

For piano it's a close tie between Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven, with Mozart close behind.

For everything else there's still Schubert, Beethoven, and Mozart, along with Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Mahler.

I guess those are my favorites, though I love all music, really . I simply have more of those CDs right now and have heard more of their music ...

Brahms or Tchaikovky hands down.

Vivaldi

well, for personal reasons, and my first inspiration when i was younger and till today is Franz Schubert...

i can´t describe how amazing his concept of music was... he was a true artist (like beethoven)... he was humble and understood simplicity as well as virtuosity... he was one of the few (of the classic-romantic era) composers to write using spaces and visualizing (which he demonstrated in his songs, lieders)...

after him i choose Liszt (followed the same path that schubert but got further) also humble and human... sacrificed his "virtuosity" and fame as a pianist in order to dedicate himself to write orchestral music and symphonic poems... sacrificing, taking risks, being humble, that´s the type of composers i admire the most... and same goes to:

Gustav Mahler... oh my God... this guy just blows me away... writing getting inspired by the sounds of nature... followed the same tradition and path of schubert and liszt... of course with a little touch from wagner... Mahler, Mahler..

to me those are the 3 greats Schubert, Liszt, Mahler...

then there are the ones i study and admire for their works: bach, mozart, chopin, beethoven, schoenberg (i was really into him), Ives, John Adams...

nowadays, john adams is admirable.. there are many others but i don´t feel that spark or magic in today´s composers... altough i do find it in FILM composers... but not all of them... i could say:

danny elfman
james newton howard
alan silvestri
john williams
jerry goldsmith (RIP)
Don Davis

I am shocked and appalled that so few have said Bach! Listening to the Art of Fugue (IMHO) is like getting stuck into a hearty Christmas dinner. Other personal favourites: Shostakovich, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Balada, Purcell, Gilbert and Sullivan ( ) and the inimitable Buxtehude.

Originally Posted by SaepesGenistae

I am shocked and appalled that so few have said Bach!

And I'm shocked and horridly appalled by this statement.

I'm going to add Saint-Saens and Scriabin to my list.