# 240 Composers in 3 groups - Inputs please!



## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Hello. I have finally grouped my collection into 4 groups. What do you all think? What am I missing?

Thanks for any inputs! (The fourth group is "everyone else" and not listed.)

Group 1 is Essential (30 names), then Group 2 Significant (90 names) and then Group 3 Interesting (120 names).

FOLDER	G:\Favorites\Primary (30) Essential
FILE	Bach, Johann Sebastian 1685-1750 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bartok, Bela 1881-1945.lnk
FILE	Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Brahms, Johannes 1833-1897.lnk
FILE	Bruckner, Anton 1824-1896.lnk
FILE	Byrd, William 1540-1623 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Charpentier 1643-1704 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Chopin, Frédéric 1810-1849.lnk
FILE	Corelli 1653-1713 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Debussy, Claude 1862-1918.lnk
FILE	Dvorak, Anton 1841-1904 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Elgar, Edward 1857-1934 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Handel, George Frideric 1685-1759 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Haydn Franz Josef 1732-1809 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Janáček, Leoš 1854-1928.lnk
FILE	Liszt, Franz 1811-1886.lnk
FILE	Mahler, Gustav 1860-1911.lnk
FILE	Martinů, Bohuslav 1890-1959.lnk
FILE	Mendelssohn, Felix 1809-1847.lnk
FILE	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus 1756-1791 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ravel, Joseph Maurice 1875-1937.lnk
FILE	Rossini, Giacchino 1792-1868 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schubert, Franz 1797-1828.lnk
FILE	Schumann, Robert 1810-1856.lnk
FILE	Vaughn Williams 1872-1958 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Victoria, Tomás Luis de 1548-1611 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Vivaldi 1678-1741 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Wagner, Richard 1813-1883.lnk
FILE	Zelenka 1679-1745 - Shortcut.lnk

FOLDER	G:\Favorites\Secondary (90) Significant
FILE	- England Peterhouse Part Books - Blue Heron - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	- Middle Ages Iberia (Llibre Vermell, Songs Of Andalusia, &tc, Savall) - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	- Savall Sets - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Albéniz, Isaac 1860-1909 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Alkan, Charles-Valentin 1813-1888 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bach, Carl Phillipe Emmanuel 1714-1788 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Barber, Samuel 1910-1981 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bax, Arnold 1883-1953 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Berg, Alban 1885-1935 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Berlioz, Hector 1803-1869 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Berwald, Franz 1796-1868 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Biber 1644-1704 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bloch, Ernest 1880-1959 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Borodin, Alexander 1833-1887 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Britten, Benjamin 1913-1976 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Buxtehude 1637-1707 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Caplet, André 1878-1925 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Carissimi 1605-1674 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Cherubini, Luigi 1760-1842 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Couperin, Francois 1668-1733 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	D´Indy, Vincent 1851-1931 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Enescu, George 1881-1955 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Falla, Manuel de 1876-1946 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Faure, Gabriel 1845-1924 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Franck, César 1822-1890 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Frescobaldi 1583-1643 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gesualdo 1560-1613 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Glazunov, Alexander 1865-1936 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gombert c1500-1557 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Granados, Enrique 1867-1916 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Grieg, Edvard 1843-1907 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Haas, Pavel 1899-1944 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Haydn, Michael 1737-1806 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Heinichen, Johann David 1683-1729 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Hindemith, Paul 1895-1963 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Holst, Gustav 1874-1934 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Homilius, Gottfried August 1714-1785 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Honegger, Arthur 1892-1955 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Khatchaturian, Aram 1903-1978 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Kodály, Zoltán 1882-1967 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Kœchlin, Charles 1867-1950 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Korngold, Erich 1897-1957 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lully 1632-1687 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Marais, Marin 1656-1728 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Medtner, Nikolai 1880-1951 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Messiaen, Oliver 1908-1992 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Miaskovsky, Nikolai 1881-1950 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Milhaud, Darius 1892-1974 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Monteverdi, Claudio 1567-1643 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Mussorgsky, Modest 1839-1881 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Nielsen, Carl 1865-1931 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ockeghem, Johannes c1410-1497 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Palestrina 1525-1594 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Perotin 12th Century - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Pettersson, Allan 1911-1980 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Poulenc, Francis 1899-1963 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Prokofiev, Sergei 1891-1953.lnk
FILE	Puccini, Giacomo 1857-1924 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Purcell 1659-1695 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Rachmaninov, Sergei 1875-1945 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Raff, Joachim 1822-1882 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Rameau 1683-1764 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Reger, Max 1873-1916.lnk
FILE	Reicha, Anton 1770-1836 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Respighi, Ottorino 1879-1936 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai 1844-1908 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Rogier, Philippe c1561-1596 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Roussel, Albert 1869-1937.lnk
FILE	Saint-Saëns, Camille 1835-1921 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Scarlatti, Alessandro 1660-1725 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Scarlatti, Domenico 1685-1757 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schreker, Franz 1878-1934.lnk
FILE	Schütz 1585-1672 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Scriabin, Alexander 1872-1915.lnk
FILE	Shostakovitch, Dimitry 1906-1975 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Sibelius, Jean 1865-1957.lnk
FILE	Strauss, Richard 1864-1949 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Sweelinck c1562-1621 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Szymanowski, Karol 1882-1937 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Tallis, Thomas 1505-1585 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Taneyev, Sergei 1856-1915.lnk
FILE	Tchaikovsky, Peter 1840-1893.lnk
FILE	Telemann 1681-1767.lnk
FILE	Toch Ernst 1887-1964 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Verdi, Giuseppe 1813-1891 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Veress, Sándor 1907-1992 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Villa-Lobos, Heitor 1887-1959 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Wolf, Hugo 1860-1903 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Zemlinsky, Alexander von 1871-1942 - Shortcut.lnk

FOLDER	G:\Favorites\Tertiary (120) Interesting
FILE	- 49 Arias - Les Tragédiennes, (Gens, Rousset) - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	- An English Ladymass - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	- Conductus - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	- The Trio Sonata - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Alfvén, Hugo 1872-1960 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Alwyn, William 1905-1985 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Arensky, Anton 1861-1906 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Atterberg, Kurt 1887-1974 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Balakirev, Mily 1837-1910 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Banchieri 1568-1634 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bizet, Georges 1838-1875 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Boismortier 1689-1755 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bowen, York 1884-1961 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Boyce, William 1711-1779 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Braunfels, Walter 1882-1954 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Brixi, František Xaver 1732-1771 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Bruch, Max 1838-1920 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Busoni, Ferruccio 1866-1924 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Caldara, Antonio 1670-1736 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Caron, Firminus 1440-1475 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Catoire, Georgy 1861-1926 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Cavalli 1602-1676 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Cererols, Joan 1618-1680 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Chausson, Ernest 1855-1899 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ciconia c1370-1412 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Cirri 1711-1787 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Clementi, Muzio 1752-1832 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Cui, César 1835-1918 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Dallapiccola, Luigi 1904-1975 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Delalande 1657-1726 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Delius, Frederick 1862-1934 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Dohnanyi, Erno von 1877-1960 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Donizetti, Gaetano 1797-1848 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Dukas, Paul 1865-1935 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Dunstable 1390-1453 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Durosoir, Lucien 1878-1955 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Dussek, Jan Ladislav 1760-1812 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Fasch 1688–1758) - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Feo, Francesco 1691-1761 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gade, Niels 1817-1890 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gál, Hans 1890-1987 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gemeniani, Francesco 1687-1762 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Glinka, Mikhail 1805-1857 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gluck, Christoph Willibald 1714-1787 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gossec, François-Joseph 1734-1829 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Gounod, Charles 1818-1893 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Hahn, Reynaldo 1875-1947 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Hovhaness, Alan 1911-1987 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Hubay, Jenő 1858-1937 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Hummel, Johann Nepomuk 1778-1837 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ibert, Jacques 1890-1962 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Isaac, Heinrich c1450-1517 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ives, Charles 1874-1954 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Jolivet, André 1905-1974 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Jongen, Joseph 1873-1953 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Juon, Paul 1872-1940 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Kabalevsky, Dmitry 1904-1987 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Kallivoda, Jan 1801-1866 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Klein, Gideon 1919-1945 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Kramář, František (Krommer) 1759-1831 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Krása, Hans 1899-1944 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Krenek, Ernst 1900-1991 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lajtha László 1892-1963 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lalo, Édouard 1823-1892 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Langaard, Rued 1893-1952 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lassus, Orlandus (or 'Di Lasso') 1532-1594 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lekeu, Guillaume 1870-1894 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Léonin 12th Century - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Locatelli 1695-1764 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lutosławski, Witold 1913-1994 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Lyadov, Anatoly 1855-1914 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Machaut c1300-1377 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Magnard, Albéric 1865-1914 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Malipiero, Gian Francesco 1882-1973 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Martin, Frank 1890-1974 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Marx, Joseph 1882-1964 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Matteis, Nicola fl 1670-1710 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Mondonville, Jean-Joseph 1711-1772 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Novak, Vítězslav 1870-1949 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Offenbach, Jacques 1819-1880 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Pachelbel 1653-1706 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Padlewski, Roman 1915-1944 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Pandolfi Mealli, Giovanni Antonio (1630-unknown) - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Petersen-Berger, Wilhelm 1867-1942 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Pierné, Gabriel 1863-1937 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Piston, Walter 1894-1976 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Porpora, Nicola Antonio 1686-1768 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Richafort, Jean c1480-c1550 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Roslavets, Nicolai 1880-1944 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Rubbra, Edmund 1901-1986 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Satie, Eric 1866-1925 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Scharwenka, Xaver 1850-1924 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schmidt, Franz 1874-1939 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schmitt, Florent 1870-1958 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schnittke, Alfred 1934-1998 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schoenberg, Arnold 1874-1951 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Schulhoff, Erwin 1894-1942 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Skalkottas, Nikos 1904-1949 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Smetana, Bedrich 1824-1884 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Sorabji, Kaikhosru Shapurji 1892-1988 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Spohr, Louis 1784-1859 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Stanford, Charles Villiers 1852-1924 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Stravinksy, Igor 1882-1971 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Suk, Josef 1874-1935 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Sullivan, Arthur 1842-1900 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Tansman, Alexandre 1897-1986 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Tartini 1692-1770 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Tournemire, Charles 1870-1939 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Tubin, Eduard 1905-1982 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Turina, Joaquín 1882-1949 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Ullmann, Viktor 1898-1944 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Vaet, Jacobus 1529-1567 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	von Bingen 1098-1179 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Walton, William 1902-1983 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Weckmann 1616-1674 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Weigl, Karl 1881-1949 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Weill, Kurt 1900-1950 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Wellesz, Egon 1885-1974 - Shortcut.lnk
FILE	Willaert, Adrian 1490-1562 - Shortcut.lnk


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

For example these:

Alessandro Stradella
Franz Lachner
Vincenzo Bellini
Emilie Mayer
Leo Delibes
Karl Goldmark
Vasily Kalinnikov
Felix Weingartner
Bernard Herrmann
Jerry Goldsmith
John Williams!


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Fabulin said:


> For example these:
> 
> Alessandro Stradella
> Franz Lachner
> ...


Thank you very much. Half of yours are not among my also-rans, even. You are right on with Bellini - I just don't like him, but will keep trying. I have never heard of Meyer, but will pursue. Thanks again.


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

I put no Russians in the top 30, but I have 11 (!) in the group of 90. 
Are there any names new to anyone?
I guess I am tired of seeking something new and almost always just getting poor recordings, poor composers or music I don't like.
So any thoughts on missing names or composers treated unjustly are MOST WELCOME!

Composers I rate higher than perhaps expected: Raff, Toch, Taneyev, Reicha, Milhaud, Homilius.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Some suggestions of names to include in your list:

Sir Malcolm Arnold
Léo Delibes
Hildegard von Bingen
Scott Joplin
Josquin des Prez
Edgar Varèse
Mieczysław Weinberg

If you ask me, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Prokofiev and Stravinsky clearly belong to the first tier.


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## cello suite (Jul 31, 2018)

Andrea Gabrieli - Ricercari


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Thank you! Yes, Stravinsky deserves a higher rank. I will listen up and see how it goes. Weinberg was a pure oversight. His SQs are marvelous.

So to add 4 to the top 30, who gets moved out? Elgar, Rossini, Byrd and Corelli are my last 4 in.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

JakeBloch said:


> Thank you very much. *Half of yours are not among my also-rans, even*. You are right on with Bellini - I just don't like him, but will keep trying. I have never heard of Meyer, but will pursue. Thanks again.


That's the point of this thread, isn't it?


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

I suppose that this Classification reflects just your personal taste, is that so?
If not, there are serious mistakes...
Byrd, Charpentier, Zelenka above *Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev*?


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Yes, indeed! I have already gotten some great ideas for new listening. Thanks again.


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

If you like Baroque keyboard music, give Froberger a listen. Very expressive music for the era.











Toru Takemitsu for the Debussy fan, and Amy Beach for the Brahms fan. Give Takemitsu's "From me flows what you call Time" and the slow movement of Amy Beach's piano quintet a listen.

Henri Duparc destroyed most of his output, but his art songs are excellent. Give L'Invitation au Voyage a listen. Joseph Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne is beautiful too.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Add Nobert Burgmuller to "Interesting." Try his two symphonies, one left incomplete at his early death, and his Piano Concerto.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Congratulations -- I think it's an excellent list of composers, including acknowledged greats, unheralded names, personal choices, and discreet omissions. We each should have different lists; otherwise there would be no room for personal consideration and judgment in an activity where they are crucial. If I were making a list I'd include the following, but I won't say you've treated them unjustly:

Luca Marenzio
Orlando Gibbons
Agostino Steffani
Niccolo Jommelli
Domenico Cimarosa
Jean-Marie Leclair
Alexandre Guilmant
Friedrich Gernsheim
Julius Roentgen
Michael Tippett
Gerald Finzi


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

JakeBloch said:


> Thank you! Yes, Stravinsky deserves a higher rank. I will listen up and see how it goes. Weinberg was a pure oversight. His SQs are marvelous.
> 
> So to add 4 to the top 30, who gets moved out? Elgar, Rossini, Byrd and Corelli are my last 4 in.


Well, it's of course up to you to decide, but I would move out Byrd, Charpentier, Corelli, Elgar and Zelenka.


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Thanks to all. So far, new to me or newly recommended to me, are some great names. I will check them out, plus I will review some that I may have underrated, like Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

The groupings really do not matter too much. Instead, just being listed means I have listened to the composer and like him or her. I will probably review and update my groups once in a while. 

I hope some of you have read some composers from my lists that you might try out or try anew. Thanks again!


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

I think John Stanley needs more exposure, particularly his sonatas opus 1 and opus 4, and his concertos opus 2 and opus 10; his organ works, opus 5,6 &7, have a more resticted appeal and his vocal works rarely performed, I believe some are lost.

All the concertos are on Youtube and some of his sonatas, also the organ works, try them.


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

Roger Knox said:


> ... If I were making a list I'd include the following, but I won't say you've treated them unjustly:
> ....
> Gerald Finzi


This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Stanley and Finzi. Got it and will pursue. Thank you, both!


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Just a question (well, two):

How much time do you spend listening? How often do you listen to any given piece?


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

I spend about two hours a day listening, usually before going to sleep. I listen to the same piece of music when it moves me to do so, but usually once. I load-up my cell phone and listen from there, and then refresh those with new purchases or new interests. So if I like something, I could listen to it twice a week for four-five or more weeks. Mozart's piano sonatas by Brautigam are perennials, for example.


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

You've already got Britten and Vaughan Williams, so a thumbs up from this direction for that.

You don't appear to have any *Percy Grainger*, however, and I think you're missing out there. You also don't have *Michael Tippet*: he can be a bit hit-and-miss, but his hits are very fine. Later *Frank Bridge* is also very imaginative stuff. And I'd want to mention *Georgy Sviridov*, too.


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

I have one Tippett CD - Piano Sonatas and PCon - and I like it. I am considering buying the 6-CD set from Decca. ClassicsToday reviewed it well. Do you have it?
Sviridov is very good. I can probably count him as an oversight for not being in the "Interesting" group. His cantatas and other choral music are wonderful.
Bridge never interested me, but with your recommendation, I will try his later works. Thanks.
Grainger really never interested me - I have some chamber music of his. Where should I start with him, to try and get into his music?
Thank you for your recommendations!


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

ORigel said:


> Add Nobert Burgmuller to "Interesting." Try his two symphonies, one left incomplete at his early death, and his Piano Concerto.


Thanks for the recommendation! I will pursue his SQs and Symphonies. Have a nice day.


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Skakner said:


> I suppose that this Classification reflects just your personal taste, is that so?
> If not, there are serious mistakes...
> Byrd, Charpentier, Zelenka above *Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev*?


I am going to work on my Prokofiev, based on your strong recommendation. Which opera should I start with? What else of his is the most "essential"? I love his piano sonatas, his two string quartets and his PCons. I dislike his symphonies and am unmoved by his ballets.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

I suspect that this list is extremely biased against 20th century music. 

Composers that shaped modern music as we know it include:

Stravinsky
Schoenberg
Ligeti
Lutoslawski
Messiaen
Prokofiev
Shostakovich
Cage
Xenakis

And other major 20th century composers:

Ives
Walton
Piston
Ginastera
Schnittke

All of them are highly underrated on your list or do not appear at all—like Ligeti, Ginastera, Cage, and Xenakis. 

To place revolutionaries like Stravinsky and Schoenberg who changed the face of music next to composers like Max Bruch or Edouard Lalo who were one-hit wonders at best is simply....disturbing. 

I think you are ranking these composers by your own personal exposure to them, which results in a highly irregular ranking. For example, how can someone like Tchaikovsky, who is central to classical repertoire, be ranked close to Joachim Raff, who may have been important in his time but is completely forgotten today? 

Why is Vaughan-Williams in the first tier when Sibelius, who has a similar output and is perhaps more highly regarded, is in the second tier? 

How can Verdi and Puccini, the greatest opera composers second to only perhaps Wagner and Mozart, be behind Rossini, Elgar and Janacek?

Why are Schutz and Corelli not in the same category when they are best known today for shaping the Baroque era?

Anyways, I don't want to be too condemnatory when clearly you put a lot of work in this list. But perhaps this kind of ranking should be done with common consensus rather than a single person's subjective experience. Here on Talk Classical we have dozens if not hundreds of polls that covered topics of this nature.


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