# Classical Era Composers



## chrisco97 (May 22, 2013)

My favourite era of classical music is the Classical era. Two of my absolute favourite composers come from this era (*Beethoven* and *Haydn*). I am pretty sure though that there must be several other fantastic Classical composers I have yet to hear. I have loved listening to other composers that are not as well known from the era such as *Kraus* and *Hummel*, but who else is there that is worth a listen? I would love to know so I can check out their music!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Clementi wrote plenty of sonatas worth listening to. I like Hummel a lot too. 

The Bach sons, each in their own way are great. 

One of my favorite obscure ones is Henri Joseph Rigel.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Since you've already mentioned Kraus you probably already know Boccherini and Weber pretty well.

Oh, I know! John Field. You've gotta love John Field. But if he is classic, he is at the very tail end of it maybe, like Beethoven.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Mauro Giuliani is one of my favourites. Kraus is terrific, Michael Haydn I'd say is just as good as Mozart, there's the Stamitz family as well and composers of the Mannheim school. One composer I'm becoming for familiar with is Mysliveček.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Michael Haydn I'd say is just as good as Mozart...

:lol::lol:


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, of course. Giuliani is nice, but how could anyone forget Schubert?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Michael Haydn I'd say is just as good as Mozart...
> 
> :lol::lol:


Do I ever laugh at you for your taste in music?


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Do I ever laugh at you for your taste in music?


Who knows? In the privacy of one's own place....


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## Garlic (May 3, 2013)

Gluck is pretty great, if you like opera.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I find the late symphonies of Christian Cannabich quite rewarding. I also like many of the works of Franz Krommer especially works for clarinet.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Carl Stamitz has some very enjoyable music. To me, just as great as Beethoven. j/k


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

brotagonist said:


> Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, of course. Giuliani is nice, but how could anyone forget Schubert?


I think of Schubert as Romantic. Similar to Mendelssohn and Schumann.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

neoshredder said:


> I think of Schubert as Romantic.


Wikipedia calls him transitional and lists him in Classical period music.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Étienne Méhul, called in his life "the French Beethoven," is interesting. His overture "Young Henry's Hunt" is often heard on the radio here and is on YouTube. His four symphonies (the last two only recently discovered) are interesting, especially the slow movements. He was about seven years Beethoven's senior and died in 1817. He was best known for his operas, but I don't think any are performed today.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Weston said:


> Since you've already mentioned Kraus you probably already know Boccherini and Weber pretty well.
> 
> Oh, I know! John Field. You've gotta love John Field. But if he is classic, he is at the very tail end of it maybe, like Beethoven.


Wait, Weston, so that dog in your avatar changes too .


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Michael Haydn I'd say is just as good as Mozart...
> 
> :lol::lol:


Have you heard Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor? I would definitely not make fun of him, he was great.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Have you heard Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor? I would definitely not make fun of him, he was great.


Jos. Haydn was supposed to have said that his brother's religious music was better than his own. History has, so far, disagreed.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Another classical period guy is Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801). He wrote a boatload of operas -- Naxos has three disks of nothing but his overtures. One opera, Il Matrimonio Segreto, is still preformed occasionally and a recording is available.

His overtures are mildly entertaining but not likely to dethrone any better-known names.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Jos. Haydn was supposed to have said that his brother's religious music was better than his own. History has, so far, disagreed.


well, J. Haydn was probably trying to give his brother the attention he deserved. I wouldn't use the standard argument to judge M. Haydn's music - from listening to his Requiem, I would probably say he equals J. Haydn in this field.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Have you heard Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor? I would definitely not make fun of him, he was great.


StlukesguildOhio generally makes fun of anyone who puts another composer above Mozart. 
Although he would probably agree with me if I say Fernando Sor was a good composer.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> StlukesguildOhio generally makes fun of anyone who puts another composer above Mozart.
> Although he would probably agree with me if I say Fernando Sor was a good composer.


Speaking of good classical composers, I think Ferdinando Carulli is a very good composer for the guitar.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Vanhal wrote some neat little sturm und drang symphonies


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

dgee said:


> Vanhal wrote some neat little sturm und drang symphonies


Cool, I like that Vanhal finale.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> StlukesguildOhio generally makes fun of anyone who puts another composer above Mozart.
> Although he would probably agree with me if I say Fernando Sor was a good composer.


Sor was obviously much better than Mozart, seeing as he composed for the guitar and Mozart didn't. {runs and hides}


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Have you heard Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor? I would definitely not make fun of him, he was great.

I have no doubt that he was a very fine composer... even great at times. If I recall, it was myself and member Harpsichordconcerto who pushed for Michael Haydn to be included in the TC list of the 100 greatest composers. Beyond the C-minor Requiem I would very much recommend the works on this disc:










Now... having said that...

CotAG- StlukesguildOhio generally makes fun of anyone who puts another composer above Mozart.

... placing Michael Haydn above Mozart... or Joseph Haydn for that matter... is simply absurd. Contrary to the CotAG's assertion, I certainly do place one composer above Mozart (J.S. Bach) and find several others (Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Wagner, Brahms, etc...) to be quite close to him... to the degree that one might make rationale arguments for any of them. Unlike CotAG I'm not one to over-inflate the merits of whatever composer I have recently discovered and been playing excessively over the past few days.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Speaking of Michael Haydn being better than Mozart, I have recently heard beautiful flute concerto by the first of two in slow movement of which you can hear certain theme which seems like model for famous slow movement of flute and harp concerto by Mozart. So much of a model that, taking into account Mozart's interest in M. Haydn's music, it's very likely that he could actually "borrow" this motive from him.

I've heard it on this CD:










And it's much recommended, not only for curiosity mentioned above but for the splendid flute concerto itself (there are so few of them).


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I was going to mention Gluck... but I see his name has already popped up. Nevertheless, I do think he should be considered among the finest composers of the period. He is historically important in terms of his impact upon opera... and I would argue that he was the finest operatic composer between Handel and Mozart.


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

Luigi Boccherini, Ignaz Pleyel, Albert Gyrowetz, Hummel.

Albrecthsberger , Krommer, Pavel Vranicky, Cherubini, the Stamitz, Anton Reicha , Gossec, Viotti, oh it's just too many of them, lining up to be sorted out by we, the 21st century listeners.


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## GiulioCesare (Apr 9, 2013)

Mozart
Haydn
Boccherini
Gluck
William Boyce (not mentioned yet I think).


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Well, I wouldn't say it's absurd to place J. Haydn above Mozart - I think anyone has the right to do that, if they prefer Haydn's music. To say statements like 'Haydn is the better composer', which attempt objectivity, is another matter. I don't make such statements because it's a matter of personal taste.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

HaydnBearstheClock said:


> Have you heard Michael Haydn's Requiem in C minor? I would definitely not make fun of him, he was great.


Saying he wrote great sacred music isn't quite the same as saying he was great as Mozart, is it?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

trazom said:


> Saying he wrote great sacred music isn't quite the same as saying he was great as Mozart, is it?


Hey, he also wrote Mozart's 37th Symphony. In my book that counts for a lot.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

KenOC said:


> Hey, he also wrote Mozart's 37th Symphony. In my book that counts for a lot.


And then you compare that to the symphonies next to it, the Prague and the Linz, and the difference in quality is obvious....or it SHOULD be; that or Mozart had one cataclysmic lapse in inspiration(and skill).


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

trazom said:


> And then you compare that to the symphonies next to it, the Prague and the Linz, and the difference in quality is obvious....or it SHOULD be; that or Mozart had one cataclysmic lapse in inspiration(and skill).


The true authorship wasn't discovered until 1907. Immediately everybody said to Breitkopf & Härtel, "I really don't know how you could have made such a stupid mistake!" Of course, they didn't say anything *before* 1907. :lol:


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

trazom said:


> Saying he wrote great sacred music isn't quite the same as saying he was great as Mozart, is it?


I just said that M. Haydn shouldn't be made fun of, he was a great composer.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

_Leopold Kozeluch_ wrote some temperamental symphonies, such as the one in g-minor, played by a (too) small ensemble here 




_Arriaga_´s string quartets (nr.1 



) and _Kuhlau_´s chamber music, including the flute quintets and the piano quartets, are also among the best works of the period IMO (no.2 



)


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

trazom said:


> And then you compare that to the symphonies next to it, the Prague and the Linz, and the difference in quality is obvious....or it SHOULD be; that or Mozart had one cataclysmic lapse in inspiration(and skill).


Can you show me exactly where in the score there is a lack of skill?


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