Comments on: Top 15 Most Influential Classical Composers

By: peter8172

peter8172 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:28:49 +0000

Well, I do agree and disagree on a few items on here. Johann Sebastian Bach (not C.P.E., but his old man) is unquestionably the Greatest composer whoever lived……BAR-NONE. Even though he is not my favorite, almost all music experts will agree on Bach. Why ? Because of he mathematical precision of his music. I will agree on Wagner as being unquestionably the greatest composer for OPERA whoever lived. He set the standard for which no other composer has even attempted in the world of opera. Its too bad that he had an insensate hatred for Jewish people. I will agree on Josef Haydn as he was the PIONEER of the SYMPHONY and is actually credited for inventing the symphony. I agree on Mozart, just simply because he’s MOZART. Its too bad that he couldn’t have hung in there for another 25 years as his output would have been astronomical. Verdi composed 80 Operas !! So as far as being prolific in that department, I give him a thumbs up ! I will put Stravinsky for his influence on causing CONTROVERSY. After the premiere of “The Rite Of Spring” in 1910 in Paris, he changed the world of classical music forever and paved the way for more advanced modern music. There is an anecdote about that premiere in Paris in 1910 about the Great French Composer Camille Saint-Saens. He was in attendance and in the twilight of his life as he was 75 years old at that time, listened for the first 30 seconds, got out of his seat and headed for the exit and shouted out his outrage for that kind of music. I will say that there are 2 notable omissions. One is obviously Beethoven as NOBODY composed a symphony like he did and also listen to his last 4 String Quartets. That is CHAMBER MUSIC that is unequaled. And last but certainly not least, the omission of both Franz Schubert and George Gershwin. The great pianist Andre Watts once said that the two greatest SONGWRITERS in history we’re those two composers. So that’s my opinion and coming from a person who’s Father was an Amateur Concert Pianist and studied at the Longey School of Music at the campus of Harvard University, and a Grandfather who was a Professional Basso Operatic Singer who was very close friends with the Great Met Opera Tenor from Canada Raoul Jobin and also my Grandfather was a student of No.2 on your list Nadia Boulanger when my Grandpa immigrated from Canada to the United States and first settled in Baltimore and his voice coach was Ms. Boulanger.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:22:12 +0000

Wow. No Beethoven, Debussy or Chopin? John Cage at number 1? I feel sorry for you.

By: peter8172

peter8172 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:52:59 +0000

How about Francois Couperin, The Scarlatti Family, John Field, Muzio Clementi, Alexander Scriabin, Amy Beach, Fanny Mendelssohn (Felix’s Sister) who composed over 500 lieders

By: Sophie

Sophie — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:56:05 +0000

You’ll fail

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:02:47 +0000

Op. 101 piano *sonata*

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:01:25 +0000

This is idiotic. Where does one begin?

The entire history of the string quartet has been one long footnote to Beethoven. Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms—basically, you know, arguably the four most important Romantic composers—spent much of their career coming to grips with Beethoven’s achievement, and in particular the string quartet. Schumann’s 1st string quartet and Mendelssohn’s second quartet quote from Beethoven’s sublime Op. 132 string quartet. (Ever hear of it?) The great c# minor quartet Op. 131 is alluded to in Shostakovich’s 8th string quartet, perhaps the most famous of 20th c. quartets.

Moving on to works in other genres, Brahms’s 1st symphony and Dvorak’s 9th symphony quote almost directly from Beethoven’s 9th. The use of cyclical composition in Mendelssohn, Schumann, and other romantics builds on Beethoven’s use of it in such works as the Op. 101 piano quartet. Liszt’s piano sonata is very much indebted to Beethoven’s final sonata, Op. 111.

I am not even trying very hard—these are just examples that leap to mind.

By: William Bingham

William Bingham — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:24:21 +0000

Why can’t the Dead be jazz? What definition of jazz doesn’t it fulfill? Theme and variations? Ad lib solos? Swing? Syncopation? Not black enough? No addiction tragedies?

By: William Bingham

William Bingham — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:41:54 +0000

Perhaps influential to Bernstein and Copeland, but probably not in the top 100. If included in a concert, my mother would say he’s “a layer of turnip greens between two layers of ice cream.” I think nerd drone music has improve a lot since then.

By: William Bingham

William Bingham — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:31:37 +0000

I dunno. I think Shostakovich has perpetuated the symphony as the most elite musical form. But he doesn’t get into the top 15…

By: William Bingham

William Bingham — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:50:23 +0000

Wrong!
1. Bach (JS)-codified equal temperament.
2. Beethoven-founded Romanticism (Casals said all music is romantic).
3. Wagner-every composer after had to react to him. Nietzsche too.
4. Mozart-chamber music, concerti, symphony, opera still composed because of him. Kierkegaard based half of Either/Or on Don Giovanni.
5. Berlioz-advocate of Beethoven, followed by Liszt and Wagner, insisted you could play any note in any key-there were no forbidden notes.
6. Liszt-invented the tone poem (thanks for Strauss and Sibelius).
7. Monteverdi-gave us opera.
8. Schoenberg-every composer after had to react to him.
9. Stravinsky-see above.
10. Brahms-everybody’s got one. Faure (the French Brahms), Dvorak, etc.
11. Haydn-tutored (and was influenced by) Mozart. Tutored Beethoven. Composed a bit.
12. Verdi-national hero of Italy who also composed a bit.
13. R. Strauss-my 2nd favorite (after Verdi).
14. J. Strauss-the Waltz King made light music semi-respectable. Thanks for operetta, Lehar, Gilbert & Sullivan.
15. Puccini-very heavy light music. Almost never composed a flop!