# Most Played Composers



## Rachman (Dec 7, 2006)

Hi,

I was wondering who are the most played composers nowadays? What is popular with the classical audience lately, if someone could please tell me?

thanks.


----------



## Topaz (Oct 25, 2006)

I don't have any totally reliable up-to-date figures but would imagine it's likely to be the same as it's been for a long time: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Handel, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Liszt, Debussy, Stravinsky, Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff.

There will be some regional variations, like in UK you will find Elgar and Vaughan Williams are popular. In USA it will be Copland and Ives.

Is this what you want to know?


Topaz


----------



## linz (Oct 5, 2006)

I don't see Verdi and Puccini?


----------



## Topaz (Oct 25, 2006)

*Linz*

OMG your're right! I'm slipping. Take off 105 posts, put me back to "junior member", or "in jail".

Topaz


----------



## Rachman (Dec 7, 2006)

Topaz said:


> I don't have any totally reliable up-to-date figures but would imagine it's likely to be the same as it's been for a long time: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Handel, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Liszt, Debussy, Stravinsky, Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff.
> 
> There will be some regional variations, like in UK you will find Elgar and Vaughan Williams are popular. In USA it will be Copland and Ives.
> 
> ...


Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks!


----------



## 4/4player (Nov 17, 2006)

Topaz, I know this might be a impossible favor, but could you narrow that long list into 1 person or at max 3 composer?=)...hehe

4/4player
Im just curious, thats all...


----------



## Topaz (Oct 25, 2006)

LvB, WAM, Bach are the greatest. Next tier: Schubert, Wagner, Brahms. 

Will that do?

(My own preferences are Lvb, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms).


Topaz


----------



## 4/4player (Nov 17, 2006)

Topaz,

Thank you for that favor,lol
I do quite agree with you on Beethoven. His "Moonlight Sonata" and fifth S do get a lot of listening...Though I think Mozart is played more often too, since of the vast amount of works he did...hehe.
4/4player


----------



## Tromboneman (Jan 4, 2007)

Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Vivaldi, Chopin are all in my library of music on my computer, i have also started listening to a few of Rimsky-Korsakov's songs. My friend at school is playing one of his compositions at a solo & ensemble contest, can't remember the name, some concerto, its great tho. But what people listen to today depends solely on 1. what your personality is and 2. how your feeling. I love Mozart, not all people do. I listen to classical always on how i feel, if i feel depressed about school i always listen to Ride of the Valkyries, gets me pumped! but yeah.... u get the point.


----------



## orquesta tipica (Jan 17, 2007)

Where I live, the two radio stations that played classical music overloaded themselves on Tchaikovsky and his contemporaries.

But interestingly, not enough of Beethoven as you'd expect. They did play it, and they played Mozart, but boy, it seemed like 3-1 in favor of the late Romantics.


----------



## MarkLV (Feb 3, 2007)

According to numerous worlwide polls, the most favourite (and arguably the greatest) composers are:

1. Beethoven
2. Mozart
3. Tchaikovsky
4. JS Bach
5. Brahms

As to which ones are the most played, I have no idea - it varies from country to country.


----------



## Topaz (Oct 25, 2006)

Which worldwide polls are you referring to?


----------



## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

Topaz said:


> LvB, WAM, Bach are the greatest. Next tier: Schubert, Wagner, Brahms.
> 
> Will that do?
> 
> ...


12 years later they are still near the top.


----------



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Actually, I think all you need to do is go to Arkivmusic and look at their first Composer page. There they are: all the most popular and also the most played in symphony concerts, operas, chamber - nothing unexpected.


----------



## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Topaz said:


> I don't have any totally reliable up-to-date figures but would imagine it's likely to be the same as it's been for a long time: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Handel, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Liszt, Debussy, Stravinsky, Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff.


Interesting that you should write that. The only classical music station in our state is NPR and their playlist is here. Between 12 AM and 2 PM most of the composers you listed don't appear, and some none at all. If you go by the share of time per composer, then all those you listed above (and all together) probably represent only 10% of the music played on NPR? It's one of the reasons I don't listen to NPR Classical. It's only during commuting 7-9 AM that NPR condescends (and, yes, that's the right word and practically straight from the programmer's mouth) to play music prior to the late 19th and early 20th century. NPR apparently got a lot of complaints from drivers about having to listen to music that sounded like road rage.

The best time to hear all those composers on NPR is during fundraising. When they're trying to get money out of you, it's nothing but Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. Once fund raising is over, they wash their hands of all that proletariat candy just as fast as they can.


----------



## Johnnie Burgess (Aug 30, 2015)

mbhaub said:


> Actually, I think all you need to do is go to Arkivmusic and look at their first Composer page. There they are: all the most popular and also the most played in symphony concerts, operas, chamber - nothing unexpected.
> View attachment 120794


With bachtrach you can find out how many concerts are planned for a composer for the next year.


----------



## ECraigR (Jun 25, 2019)

The radio station I listen to in Albany is probably most often playing Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Debussy. I could be wrong, but I often find those on. They also play a lot of minor composers though, so who knows.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I never listen to NPR or any other radio station for music listening. I can't see listening to what others offer when I have many thousands of cd's that I own.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

There’s always the chance of hearing something new or unexpected on the radio, or an exceptionally fine performance. I’ve been listening all day and it’s been wonderful not to have to choose the playlist myself, and it’s a connection with the outside world because the station (KUSC) has knowledgeable and informed live hosts. This can be quite nice because I’m no longer a collector who has the need of ownership. Sometimes life puts enjoyable things on our path in unexpected ways. Overall, I like hearing a balance between the familiar and the unexpected or the experience can become jaded.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Larkenfield said:


> There's always the chance of hearing something new or unexpected on the radio, or an exceptionally fine performance.


I can do that through NML on my computer and still listen to what I select.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Bulldog said:


> I can do that through NML on my computer and still listen to what I select.


 That's good to know.


----------



## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Bulldog said:


> I can do that through NML on my computer and still listen to what I select.


Not having NML may I ask - is there a random selection feature or is the user still selecting the piece before listening?


----------



## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

Rachman said:


> Hi,
> 
> I was wondering who are the most played composers nowadays? What is popular with the classical audience lately, if someone could please tell me?
> 
> thanks.


Ludovico Einaudi - currently the world's most popular classical composer.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Malx said:


> Not having NML may I ask - is there a random selection feature or is the user still selecting the piece before listening?


I do not think that they have a random feature.


----------

