# Who are your big 3?



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I’m curious to see what others think are their big 3. By that I mean who they think are the greatest and by what criteria. Aside from historical importance or consensus of favourites, my big 3 in terms of originality and technical innovation are: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Bartok. Mozart and Beethoven used to be like God to me, but their music over time, or after listening to a lot of music, doesn’t quite seem so towering to me anymore relative to some others.

A big criteria is probably how the music moves them. But seeing that is very subjective, I was hoping for something more than just favourites. ie. Schubert and Dvorak are popular, and they write some very nice sounding and even moving stuff, but are not really that innovative.


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I'd argue that Schubert is fairly innovative. His rapid modulations where he seems to skip a step or two and just launch into a new key with no preparation are even wilder than some of the things Beethoven attempted. 

He's not in my big three though. That's going to take some thought.


----------



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

If I look at instrumental music, then my scope is largely focused on symphonic works, and there my big three are Beethoven, Mahler, and Mendelssohn. 

If I look at opera it is going to be very difficult to choose a big three, but perhaps my big three would be Wagner, Handel, and Donizetti.


----------



## josquindesprez (Aug 20, 2017)

Josquin, Monteverdi, Bach

Can't do without them, they were hugely influential, they knew how to spin a tune, etc. Beethoven and Wagner would have been on the list long ago, probably joining Bach, but Romanticism has grown a bit less interesting as time has gone on.


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

At the top for me would be *Beethoven*. No surprise there. He stands at the crossroads of music history, almost exact center of the 400 years of music that interests me. Aside from that I'm so familiar with his musical gestures they are like an old friend to me.

It would be next to impossible to pick only two more, but *J. S. Bach* should probably be one of them. He is not so much an innovator as a perfecter of all that had gone before.

And third might be *Schoenberg*, but as I've only started liking him for the last two or three (or five maybe) years it's hard to say why I think he's important, but who else changed music so drastically?

Next year my list might be different.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I have a big one (Bach) and dozens of little ones.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

At the top: Verdi, Donizetti ,No 3 Bellini/ Rossini.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Personal taste: Bach, Mahler, Brahms.

Long lasting influence on others: possibly Beethoven, Wagner, Schoenberg.


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Definitely Handel, Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. No contest here!


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Bach, Beethoven and Schnittke. I was going to list them in order but really they're all first equal for me. I don't think anyone can deny Bach or Beethoven - they (along with the almost-as-fabulous Mozart) are probably the "traditional" Big 3, and justifiably so - but Schnittke's music has a special spicy deliciousness that makes him a personal favourite.


----------



## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

My favorites: Beethoven, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Mahler, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Debussy, Tchaikovsky. I have different tastes per day. Today? I would be in the mood for some nice Stravinsky neo-classical, throw in Debussy Piano Music and Mozart string quartets, Perfect. Of course tomorrow will be different, but I find there I am always in the mood for at least one of the mentioned composers above. 

The BIG three of music (not my favorites, but the "greatest") are simply Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart. I'm sorry if I give you a heart attack with my absurd choices.


----------



## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Puccini, Wagner and Verdi


----------



## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

MoonlightSonata said:


> Bach, Beethoven and Schnittke. I was going to list them in order but really they're all first equal for me. I don't think anyone can deny Bach or Beethoven - they (along with the almost-as-fabulous Mozart) are probably the "traditional" Big 3, and justifiably so - but Schnittke's music has a special spicy deliciousness that makes him a personal favourite.


Oh yes! I knew there were other Schnittke fans out there...


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

My big 3 tend to be eccentric/mentally troubled lone wolves who may have lived via independent means and did not require commissions for their livelihoods.

-) Charles Koechlin
-) Giacinto Scelsi
-) Aarre Merikanto

They wrote music for deep contemplation and listener transcendence.


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

As always:
1) Mozart
2) Bach
3) Schubert
...They are always there, but I love very many other composers, too many to make a sensible list...(top 3 is easy)


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. TBD


----------



## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

My top 3: Vaughan Williams, Bax, Finzi.

Why? Because I enjoy listening to their music.


----------



## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

*My Top 3*
1.Josquin des Prez
2.Mozart
3.Brahms
...
Bach, Wagner, Schubert, Scriabin, Debussy would be my next.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Kivimees said:


> My top 3: Vaughan Williams, Bax, Finzi.
> 
> Why? Because I enjoy listening to their music.


In which case I should make RVW my 3rd


----------



## lextune (Nov 25, 2016)

Prodromides said:


> My big 3 tend to be eccentric/mentally troubled lone wolves who may have lived via independent means and did not require commissions for their livelihoods.
> 
> -) Charles Koechlin
> -) Giacinto Scelsi
> ...


This is part of what makes this site so great. I had never heard of any of these composers, and now I have heard a few things from each of them. Including Aarre Merikanto's Six Piano Pieces Op. 20; which I really enjoyed. Thanks!


----------



## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Brahms and Schumann are my top two but can't decide on Beethoven or Tchaikovsky for my third as love them both!


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Ice cream, peanut butter, and cocoa puffs. And composers? I enjoy many without a ranking hierarchy.


----------



## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

First of all, difficult question.

Despite there are many and many superb composers, I feel more empathy with these ones (just considering 3 names):

*Beethoven
Shostakovich
Dvorák*

then they come to complete a top 10 list:

*Brahms
Tchaikovsky
Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
Respighi
Martinu*


----------



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

JS Bach
Beethoven

Sorry, can't pick a third.


----------



## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

OP expressed criteria of technical innovation and originality, so you said it before I did.
I agree with you. I don't even like Schoenburg's music but I have to admit to his innovation.



Weston said:


> At the top for me would be *Beethoven*. No surprise there. He stands at the crossroads of music history, almost exact center of the 400 years of music that interests me. Aside from that I'm so familiar with his musical gestures they are like an old friend to me.
> 
> It would be next to impossible to pick only two more, but *J. S. Bach* should probably be one of them. He is not so much an innovator as a perfecter of all that had gone before.
> 
> ...


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Innovation is not that big of a part of the criteria that determines my favorite music. Having a distinct compositional voice is important, innovation is a value neutral term in my opinion, not all innovations are equal.

1) J.S. Bach
2) Brahms
3) Ravel
4) Debussy
5) Mozart
6) Rodrigo
7) Bartok
8) Ives
9) Monteverdi
10) Bruckner
11) Partch
12) Prokofiev
13) Buxtehude
14) Takemitsu
15) Schnittke

There is lots of other music I like but it becomes too difficult to rank past this...even the last 5 or 6 spots on this list are subject to change here and there.

This list is based on my listening preferences.


----------



## R3PL4Y (Jan 21, 2016)

1. Beethoven, impossible not to include
2. Stravinsky
3. Schoenberg


----------



## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

In no particular order:
Bartók
Boulez (he could've written Répons and nothing else and I'd still put him in my big three)
Scelsi

MoonlightSonata called Schnittke's music "spicy deliciousness". For me, Bartók is the spicy and Boulez is the deliciousness.



Prodromides said:


> My big 3 tend to be eccentric/mentally troubled lone wolves who may have lived via independent means and did not require commissions for their livelihoods.
> 
> -) Charles Koechlin
> -) Giacinto Scelsi
> ...


I'm glad someone else recognizes the genius of Scelsi. In certain respects, he's had a tremendous influence on the way I think about things.


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Puccini and Verdi are also great minds to add to the list.


----------



## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Very tough, and it could be different on another day. I could comfortably go with these three though:

Brahms
Verdi
Mozart


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

If pressed: (pun intended)

Bach, Mozart and Haydn.

By the way if any of these three doods needs to take a sick day, Brahms has graciously agreed to be a per diem substitute at the going rate of $30 a day.


----------



## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

If it is a matter of choosing independently of what I personally like to listen to and according to the criteria of the OP (originality, technical innovation, influence etc..) it would have to be:

1. Bach (for technical development; but also a nod to Vivaldi for providing a standard concerto model with ritornello which had a huge influence on baroque music and beyond (in-your-face Stravinsky).
2. Beethoven in several areas: symphonic writing, string quartet, the concerto.
3. Wagner (huge influence on orchestral style in his own time and half a century beyond).

I want to add an honorary 4th with Debussy. His music sets the tone of of the 20th century.

From a more personal point-of-view the "big 3" I listen to most recurrently:

1. Hindemith
2. Satie
3. Debussy

We all know this shifts to-and-fro with time and, of course, there are about a dozen other composers on the periphery whose work I listen to.


----------



## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

As with all lists of this type, if you asked me again in a few days, it would most likely be different. 

Bartok
Stravinsky
Carter


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

At present I'd have to select the three 'B' s...

That is, Beethoven, Bartok and Britten.


----------



## Nocture In Blue (Jun 3, 2015)

Difficult to just pick three. But I have to go with:
*Bach
Mahler 
Beethoven*

If this was a "Big 10" the rest would be:
Debussy
Mozart
Sibelius
Wagner
Schumann
Chopin
Faure


----------



## chrish (Aug 21, 2016)

Debussy and Chopin

I am only into solo-piano for now and these two are the only ones whose work I consistently seem to like. Others have been hit-or-miss. so, still discovering the 3rd one.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Second Big Three:

Schumann, Copland, Mahler.


----------



## Taplow (Aug 13, 2017)

Strauss, Handel, and Mendelssohn.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Three is a nice number (the Holy Trinity and such), but I have to name four: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner. None of them are among the composers I listen to most. They merely overwhelm me with the originality and immensity of their creative projects and the completeness with which they carried them out. They all did something impossible to follow, something that could intimidate, inspire and challenge others but would inevitably expose the smallness of anyone presuming to imitate them too closely. All four were big enough to be inspired by their predecessors, and then to surpass them - except when they were inspired by each other.


----------



## malvinrisan (Feb 17, 2017)

Personally, for whatever reason i'm really attracted to the music of Wagner, Messiaen and Stockhausen the most at the moment. Although it changes over time for me. I remember being really into Beethoven, but not so much anymore. I dont really know why. And maybe soon i will have other favorite composers. Im have only listened to music more serious for the last 4 years, if anyones wondering.


----------



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I have a Big duo in JS Bach and Beethoven as I have already posted. These will never change but the 3rd composer always does. At present my 3rd could be one of these:

Schubert
Franck
Bruckner
Brahms
Tchaikovsky
Clementi
Czerny
Hummel


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Taplow said:


> Strauss, Handel, and Mendelssohn.


Sounds like an injury collection law firm.


----------



## Agamemnon (May 1, 2017)

Mozart, Beethoven and Berio.


----------



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Bach, Beethoven, Mozart


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

can't do a "big 3"....i can do a big 2....on any given day..it is very probable that Beethoven and Mahler will be in my top 3....3rd spot changes frequently: Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Stravinsky, Ravel, Shostakovich, all are frequent contenders, then there's Wagner, Schoenberg, Bartok , Prokofieff, Bruckner, and a few others who are real favorites


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Okay. In case any three of the six composers I previously chose in Rounds One and Two can't show up, I nominate as my: *SUPPLEMENTARY LIST:*

*HANDEL*, for his sparkling opera Semele, at least as fine as Giulio Cesare.

*Berlioz* for composing the greatest opera ever written, Les Troyens.

*Britten* for composing the second greatest opera ever written, Peter Grimes.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

chrish said:


> Debussy and Chopin
> 
> I am only into solo-piano for now and these two are the only ones whose work I consistently seem to like. Others have been hit-or-miss. so, still discovering the 3rd one.


Let us know what it up next, welcome to Talk Classical.


----------



## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

chrish said:


> Debussy and Chopin
> 
> I am only into solo-piano for now and these two are the only ones whose work I consistently seem to like. Others have been hit-or-miss. so, still discovering the 3rd one.


Have you listened to any Scriabin?


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Meyerbeer
Berlioz

Third - one of Offenbach, Massenet, Rossini, or Rimsky-Korsakov


----------



## Napodano (Sep 18, 2017)

I am an avid-listening newbie so my big three may change over time but for the moment they are:

- Shostakovitch for his capacity to put drama into music and 2017 is the 100-year anniversary of the Russia Revolution!
- Stravinsky after hearing the Rite of Spring he has been with me ever since
- Part/Penderecki for the choral music and their incredible ability to introspection

Opera:
- Wagner: I am just approaching the Ring and I am overwhelmed by his grandeur
- Rossini: ah, the bel canto!
- Verdi: His requiem played by Toscanini, enough said!

Mauro


----------



## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Schubert not innovative? What?

Anyway, mine are Schubert, Debussy and Messiaen.


----------



## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

Sibelius
Nielsen
Martinu

(but then again where does that leave Brahms,Schubert,Dvorak,Prokofiev,Myaskovsky.....oh and Schumann and Beethoven?)

too hard!


----------



## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Haydn and....................
My brain hurts, just can't decide


----------



## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

3 is very tough. Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner would probably win out for me. Certainly cliche masters but among the 3 I could live the rest of my life with only their works (though I wouldn't like to!).

EDIT: If I'd go by where I am right now, sort of a big 3 of the day, I'd say Handel, Schumann, and Purcell.


----------



## chrish (Aug 21, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Let us know what it up next, welcome to Talk Classical.


Thank you :tiphat:



arnerich said:


> Have you listened to any Scriabin?


I have searched the the old threads as an active lurker I got the impression that best composers to try out based on liking of Chopin would be Schubert but I haven't had much luck with him. I love Beethoven's Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata as well as few compositions from Mendelssohn, Liszt and Satie but overall I haven't been able to find the consistency.

Admittingly I have never tried Scriabin before. Do you think he would be a good fit based on my interests?


----------



## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

To tell the truth I must admit that all top three is shared by *J.S.Bach*. Not even Mozart of my favorite Bruckner or Vivaldi is nearby....

By the way as for innovation being a sign of a genius or a talent. I don't know why but for me being innovative isn't equal to those concepts. It can be that being innovative goes together with having talent, for me a true work of art which I even consider to be great shouldn't necessary include innovative elements in it. If they are present in a work it's all right, if not a work won't lose its greatness because of absence of some elements which could be considered to be new.


----------



## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

chrish said:


> Admittingly I have never tried Scriabin before. Do you think he would be a good fit based on my interests?


There's a lot to choose from Scriabin's output. But I think this prelude is a good introduction to his music.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

^^ I don't like Scriabins's earlier Chopinesque side. I like his Preludes Op. 35 and especially Op. 74, and his Black Mass Sonata.


----------



## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Brahms
Beethoven
Mahler


----------



## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

BRUCKNER

My symphonic god. 





BEETHOVEN

I love his chamber and piano music especially. He's perfect for me because, at least in his later works, he's experimental but of course still very tonal, and so easier to listen to than most atonal composers.






WEBERN

Probably not one of the 3 composers I listen to most, but I have so much respect for him, and do listen to his music quite a bit. His music is unlike any else in its symmetry and economy. Its easy to be fascinated by just 1 or 2 bars of his music.


----------



## Guillet81 (Jul 4, 2016)

Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, holding to chronological order.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Verdi / Rossini and Bellini today.


----------



## ludwigii (Jun 24, 2017)

*Alfred Schnittke*, for his excessive and violent dramaturgy, because his music constitutes a ingeniuos synthesis of all the experiences of the twentieth century.

*Sergej Prokofiev*, for his sarcasm and energy, without renouncing to the great lyricism.

*Johann Sebastian Bach*, because I consider him to be the most intelligent and human, that is superhuman


----------



## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

Dvorák 
Ravel
Sibelius/Shostakovich

Listened to most on my iPod. Could change tomorrow though.


----------



## Michael Diemer (Nov 12, 2017)

Debussy, Sibelius; Ravel and Mozart tied for third.


----------



## nikon (Nov 16, 2017)

It's hard to choose, really...

Bach, Bruckner, Mahler


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Brahms, Sibelius, Prokofiev.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

1 Varese
2 Stockhausen
3 Cage


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Verdi/ Bellini/ Donizetti.


----------



## chrish (Aug 21, 2016)

chrish said:


> Debussy and Chopin
> 
> I am only into solo-piano for now and these two are the only ones whose work I consistently seem to like. Others have been hit-or-miss. so, *still discovering the 3rd one.*


Listening to last piano sonata from Beethoven. It's difficult to imagine how human brain can create something like this. I also love some stuff from Schubert. To me he sounds like the hybrid of Beethoven and Chopin (i.e. best of the best). Too bad he died right when he matured as a musician.


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Though there's so much by so many other composers that I'd hate to be without, Mozart unshakeably tops my list, with Bach an honourable second. My third is Chopin, not because I consider him "greater" than other greats but because my instrument is the piano and Chopin's solo piano music has given me more pleasure for longer (both as listener and as player) than any other.


----------



## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Mozart, Beethoven, Bruckner

Mahler occasionally edges out old Anton


----------



## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Mozart Schubert Bach

Beethoven gets an honourable mention.


----------



## AfterHours (Mar 27, 2017)

Beethoven
Bach
Mozart

with Brahms, Schubert and Shostakovich not far behind

Criteria: https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15503


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Handel, Bach, Mozart. One thing in common: they wrote beautiful melodies, enormous amounts of vocal music.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Anyone for an anti big three 

you know
1 Lloyd Webber
2 Rieu
3 Clayderman


----------



## Anankasmo (Jun 23, 2017)

Bach
Beethoven
Saint-Saens


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

*BMW*: Beethoven (or Bach just as well!), Mahler, Wagner.


----------



## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Brahms, Haydn, Sibelius


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Richard Strauss /Verdi/ Donizetti


----------



## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Bártok, Schnittke and Gubaidulina. But Messiaen should be in there as well.


----------



## jli2 (Dec 4, 2017)

My list: Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Wagner, Shostakovich. Sorry it is not the big three list, instead it contains seven. I felt that Mahler;s music touches me the most, while the rest's are all, in one way or another, composed great, great music (only talking their symphonies).


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> I have a big one (Bach) and dozens of little ones.


But I'm now in the mood to go with a top 3: Bach, Scriabin and Schumann.


----------



## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Mozart
Bach
Beethoven


----------



## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

1. Prokofiev
2. Bartok
3. Debussy 

(though Samuel Barber, John Adams, or Olivier Messiaen are perhaps just as likely in the no.3 spot)


----------



## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

_BACH,_ Mozart, _BEETHOVEN_, Bruckner, _MAHLER_.

If a "mystic seven" is needed, I'll add Stravinsky and Shostakovich.


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2017)

Becca said:


> 1. Mahler
> 2. Sibelius
> 3. TBD


Absolutely love love love TBD - so heartened that I'm not the only one on the forum with such superb taste!


----------



## Guest (Dec 11, 2017)

Becca said:


> In which case I should make RVW my 3rd


Oh, no! Becca, Becca, Becca... how bitterly disappointed I am... leaving me as the lone voice to extol the merits of TBD...sigh... alone again... naturally...


----------



## Boston Charlie (Dec 6, 2017)

My Big 3: Bach/Beethoven/Stravinsky

I was captivated by Beethoven right away, even as a teenager. Bach came to me on a more gradual basis. While I liked Bach's orchestral, organ and chamber works well enough, it wasn't until well into my late 30s or even early 40s that I started to really enjoy and appreciate Bach's choral masterpieces as a musical and religious ideal that transcends time and space. Stravinsky was another story. As a teenager, I loved the "Rite of Spring" and wanted to like everything else by Stravinsky, but except for the "Ebony Concerto", everything else by Stravinsky left me mystified. It wasn't until about the same time I started to "get" Bach's inner genius that I also started to understand Stravinsky as a master craftsman.


----------



## AfterHours (Mar 27, 2017)

Whoops ... wrong thread :tiphat:


----------



## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

1. Sibelius
2. Brahms
3. Mussorgsky


----------



## lele23 (Sep 1, 2016)

Haydn, Messiaen, Mozart.


----------



## spidersrepublic (Dec 12, 2017)

Bach, Martinů, Schnittke


----------



## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

Bach, Handel, Bruckner

BHB


----------



## Etherealz (Dec 19, 2017)

Lots of people are Bach fans, haha.


----------



## spectral (Dec 19, 2017)

(criterion = musicality)

*solo keyboard:*

Scriabin
Rachmaninov
Roslavets

honorable mentions:

Satie (pre-conservatory primarily)
Prokofiev
Glass
Protopopov

*concerto:*

Scriabin
Rachmaninov
Beethoven

honorable mentions:

Bach (concerto for four harpsichords is absolutely divine)
Prokofiev (first movement of second concerto)
Rautavaara

*symphony:*

Dvorak
Prokofiev
Rachmaninov (For his magnificent first symphony - the others I could not care less about)

honorable mentions:

Shostakovich (merely for his 15th symphony's adagio)
Ustvolskaya

*most annoyed by:*

Bartok
Schoenberg
Khatchaturian


----------



## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

Beethoven, Bruckner, and...

I'm uncertain about the third spot; either Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Webern, Satie, Cage or Stockhausen


----------



## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

Big 3? General Motors, Chrysler and Ford.


----------



## Uxbal (Dec 22, 2017)

Only 3? That’s a tall order.

J.S. Bach
Bartok
Kurtág


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Still .....Verdi/ Donizetti/ Bellini.
( Rossini)


----------



## Star (May 27, 2017)

Phil loves classical said:


> I'm curious to see what others think are their big 3. By that I mean who they think are the greatest and by what criteria. Aside from historical importance or consensus of favourites, my big 3 in terms of originality and technical innovation are: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Bartok. Mozart and Beethoven used to be like God to me, but their music over time, or after listening to a lot of music, doesn't quite seem so towering to me anymore relative to some others.
> 
> A big criteria is probably how the music moves them. But seeing that is very subjective, I was hoping for something more than just favourites. ie. *Schubert and Dvorak are popular, and they write some very nice sounding and even moving stuff, but are not really that innovative.*


*

*

Schubert? Sorry? Listen to his works and they are incredibly innovative with modulations. And why on earth does great music always have to be innovative? Bach's music built on what had gone before but developed it to a level unheard of before or since.


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Meyerbeer, Berlioz

plus one of: Rossini, Richard Strauss, Massenet, Offenbach, Rimsky-K


----------



## Jacob Brooks (Feb 21, 2017)

Bach Haydn Schubert


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. Closely pursued by Dimitri Shostakovich, Benjamin Britten and Franz Schubert.


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. 

(Somebody had to say it.)


----------



## Guest (Dec 22, 2017)

Scriabin
Takemitsu
Bruckner

(Usual caveat: Subject to change).


----------



## Guest (Dec 22, 2017)

*Bach - Dufay - Ockeghem*

Growing older my preferences are completely changed.
I like Mozart, Beethoven Bruckner,Debussy,Bartok Schönberg,Messiaen and many more but
I experience the most joy with the three above and of course the same for Josquin Desprez

I love Bach and in particular his Cantatas so I very much favor the human voice .

Listening to this music is a real bliss,more than just entertainment.


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Contrary to my previous post (#104) I really meant to say - Elvis, Bob and Joni. A very merry xmas and a guid new year to all at TC, posters and mods both. It's been a good year and I'm sure 2018 will provide the same fun as this year has.:tiphat:


----------



## karlsoren (Dec 19, 2017)

I think Bach and Beethoven stand out above everyone else. 
Reasons?
1. the sheer quantity of what they created. 
2. The high level of the compositions. 
3 A kind of fearless willingness to do wild things: Bach's solo pieces for violin and cello; the double chorus in St. Matthew. Beethoven with the Moonlight first movement, the little crazy movements in the late quartets; the long slow movements; using a chorus in the 9th. 

I remember once hearing the B minor mass and feeling for a few moments like I was inside Bach's enormous mind--I felt completely dwarfed yet also completely at home. The same thing happens when I listen to Beehtoven, especially the quartets but really just so much of what he did. 
what gifts they left for us!


----------



## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

dogen said:


> Scriabin
> Takemitsu
> Bruckner
> 
> (Usual caveat: Subject to change).


Dude, I like this big 3


----------



## WolfgangB (Dec 23, 2017)

When I was young, it was mostly Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin. My piano teacher always favored Brahms, but as a teenager I think I just didn't understand it. Then little by little, my favorite composers became (till today) Brahms, followed by Rachmaninov and Fauré.


----------



## WolfgangB (Dec 23, 2017)

Oh and I forgot Isaac Albeniz!


----------



## WolfgangB (Dec 23, 2017)

*Radamés Gnattali*

Hi,

this is a Brazilian composer which does not seem to exist on this site. Very nice style, a little bit jazzy but I hope considered serious enough for this forum! 
Check out e.g. Alma Brasileira


----------



## Jacob Brooks (Feb 21, 2017)

karlsoren said:


> I think Bach and Beethoven stand out above everyone else.
> Reasons?
> 1. the sheer quantity of what they created.
> 2. The high level of the compositions.
> ...


I agree that this is a somewhat good way to define a good composer, it's just that Schubert and Haydn did this a lot better than Beethoven


----------



## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

Blancrocher said:


> Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.
> 
> (Somebody had to say it.)


True.... But I think I had the most unusual combination, BHB (Bach, Handel, Bruckner), although in reality it is BBHB (Beethoven added)


----------



## pcnog11 (Nov 14, 2016)

Mozart
Beethoven
Bach/Handel

if I may have 4


----------



## Brahmatist (Jul 27, 2013)

Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms... ...and Bach as the foundation.


----------



## RichieWagon (Sep 20, 2017)

I can’t really think of a big 3, but a big 2 is much easier: Mahler and Wagner. What they had in common was their willingness to take music to its extremes (in volume, length, etc.) in a way that no other composer ever did.

As for a third composer... Beethoven maybe?


----------



## jespis (Sep 1, 2014)

Prokofiev
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams


----------



## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

They’re the 3 B’s:
Bach, Beethoven & Brahms


----------



## R3PL4Y (Jan 21, 2016)

Vaughan Williams
Shostakovich
Sibelius


----------

