# Rate the Eras of Classical Music



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

From favorite to least favorite:

Romantic/Impressionisitc
Classical
Baroque
Contemporary(Atonal)


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

You can include Renaissance if you'd like, but I haven't listened to much of it at all to have an opinion on it.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Atonal is not an era, and there's plenty of contemporary music that is not atonal.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

From most to least favourite:

Romantic
Modern
Contemporary
Classical
Renaissance
Baroque*

Except Bach. He's my #1 even though he was baroque.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

I don't have a preference and listen to all in about equal measure. Almost every day I listen to some Bach/Couperin/Froberger/Rameau and then to some Schoenberg and Brahms and Schubert and Lutoslawski. I like the variety. I would get bored fast if I listened only to romantic for example, because if you listen too much to it, most of the symphonies start to sound pretty similar.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Art Rock said:


> Atonal is not an era, and there's plenty of contemporary music that is not atonal.


But it is the dominant form in Contemporary, correct? This is what they teach composition students at conservatories, right?


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Why does one have to rate one era over another?


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Captainnumber36 said:


> But it is the dominant form in Contemporary, correct? This is what they teach composition students at conservatories, right?


We have been down this path many times before and in the United States the answer is no.

For example Curtis Institute of Music. Their composition faculty:

Jennifer Higdon, Chair
David Ludwig
Tod Machover
Michael Djupstrom
Richard Danielpour

All of them are very tonal composers with the exception of Machover. And he is not a serial composers.

The chairman of the composition department at George Mason University in Mark Camphouse. He is a very tonal composer.

I wonder how many university/conservatory faculties that I have to list.


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## BiscuityBoyle (Feb 5, 2018)

"Romantic/Impressionisitc"

Hmmm. Ravel and especially Debussy have a far greater (and more meaningful) overlap with modernism than with romanticism. We think of Debussy the great innovator, not the author of Valse Romantique and the piano trio.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

BiscuityBoyle said:


> "Romantic/Impressionisitc"
> 
> Hmmm. Ravel and especially Debussy have a far greater (and more meaningful) overlap with modernism than with romanticism. We think of Debussy the great innovator, not the author of Valse Romantique and the piano trio.


I wasn't linking them together, I was just saying those two eras are tied for me in the number one spot.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

arpeggio said:


> Why does one have to rate one era over another?


You don't! I for one have a preference though.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

arpeggio said:


> We have been down this path many times before and in the United States the answer is no.
> 
> For example Curtis Institute of Music. Their composition faculty:
> 
> ...


No need to get upset, thanks for informing me. I had the wrong impression! How would you describe Contemporary composition in the USA then if not dominantly Atonal. Is it a amalgamation of forms and techniques of past eras?


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Captainnumber36 said:


> No need to get upset, thanks for informing me. I had the wrong impression! How would you describe Contemporary composition in the USA then if not dominantly Atonal. Is it a amalgamation of forms and techniques of past eras?


I will respond by relating to you a discussion I recently had with Mark Camphouse. He quoted Prokofiev who stated that we have not you exhausted everything that we can do with C major. In his case he is trying to create a new sound using tonality.

Beyond that you will have to go somewhere else to get all of the answers to your questions.

I have provided you with a list of some composers. You can find examples of all of their music on YouTube.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

My favorites eras are: Romanticism, late-Romanticism, post-Romanticism, neo-Romanticism (I think all of them are different)  ,
20th century (not all of it), Impressionism, partly Classicism.

I'm not very fond of Baroque, Renaissance and Middle Age, but I respect them profoundly.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Impossible! Personally, I do not (yet) get or spend much time with pre-Baroque music. But, for then on, I can't think of an era (up to the present day) that is somehow better or worse than the others. I spend wonderful time with them all. I could not say whether any of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach or Brahms is better or greater than any of the others - not personally or "objectively" - and then in each era there are so many others who are as great. Riches abound.


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> From favorite to least favorite:
> 
> Romantic/Impressionisitc
> Classical
> ...


Once again, Medieval music is slighted! [[[[[[]sigh]]]]]]


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

This thread is not going well, haha. I have offended you all I think!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Captainnumber36 said:


> No need to get upset, thanks for informing me. I had the wrong impression! How would you describe Contemporary composition in the USA then if not dominantly Atonal. Is it a amalgamation of forms and techniques of past eras?


I think that contemporary US composers often have an overall reputation as being more stylistically conservative than European ones, though there are many exceptions, of course.

Can´t rate the eras either, but I tend to listen to Medieval and Renaissance music the least.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Contemporary 
Modern
Romantic 
Renaissance/Medieval 
Classical 
Baroque


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

science said:


> Contemporary
> Modern
> Romantic
> Renaissance/Medieval
> ...


Is Modern another term for Impressionistic? What are some Contemporary composers/works you enjoy?


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Tough question as it's mostly dependent on my mood, but: 

1. Romantic
2. Modern
3. Classical
4. Baroque
5. Renaissance/Medieval
6. Contemporary (mostly do to my lack of familiarity)


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## Razumovskymas (Sep 20, 2016)

My favorite era is 1770-1827


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Is Modern another term for Impressionistic? What are some Contemporary composers/works you enjoy?


For me "modern" is c. 1890s to c. 1968, including impressionism but a lot more than that; and "contemporary" is after that.

Some examples of contemporary works that I enjoy:

Crumb: Black Angels
Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time
Rzewski: Variations on El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido! 
Rzewsk: Coming Together 
Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz 
Nono: ..... sofferte onde serene ..... 
Ligeti: Le Grand Macabre 
Ligeti: Etudes for piano 
Reich: WTC 9/11 
Adams: Harmonielehre 
Glass: Aguas da Amazonia 
Feldman: Rothko Chapel 
Feldman: Three Voices

That's enough. There's lots more....


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

1. Baroque (only because of Bach)
2. Modern
3. Late Romantic
4. Classical
5. Romantic
5. Pre-Baroque
6. Contemporary


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I've noticed 80% of my favorite listening was composed between 1780 and 1830 so I guess late classical and early romantic. The other 20% are pretty equally divided between all other time periods.


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## Norman Gunston (Apr 21, 2018)

If you don't know Classical music, then you can't know Baroque music. It's a simple trick that history has lied about, it's just superior. 20 inch speakers make the difference but don't get to the heart of the issue.


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## Ivan Smith (Jun 11, 2018)

Any as long as its post 1911


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## PeterFromLA (Jul 22, 2011)

Contemporary (1945 to present)
Modern (1890 to 1945)
Romantic
Baroque
Classical
Renaissance
Medieval


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Ivan Smith said:


> Any as long as its post 1911


This pretty much describes me. Except that I use 1919 as my cutoff date.

20th century up through, and including, contemporary are my favorite eras, and pretty much all I listen to.


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Romantic
Medieval
Impressionistic
Modern, post 1921
Baroque
Classical


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Captainnumber36 said:


> From favorite to least favorite:
> 
> Romantic/Impressionisitc
> Classical
> ...


You terminology is slightly off. The correct term is Contemporary (Adult). Some real classics there, I'm not sure why they're your least favorite.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

fluteman said:


> You terminology is slightly off. The correct term is Contemporary (Adult). Some real classics there, I'm not sure why they're your least favorite.
> View attachment 104657


lol, haha :lol::lol:


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

1. Modern/Postromantic
2. Renaissance
3. Classical
4. Romantic
5. Baroque
6. Midieval
7. Postmodern


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## Alkan (Jun 30, 2018)

Romantic
Impressionisitc
Classical
Baroque
Contemporary
Renaissance
Medieval
Cave man music
Gustave Mahler


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2018)

I tend to be more aware of the decade rather than the era with most music I listen to

2010s
2000s
1980s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1990s
1910s
Late Romantic (post-Wagner) and Mid Romantic (particularly for Wagner's mature works)
1900s
Medieval
Baroque
Renaissance
1920s
Classical
1930s
1940s
Early Romantic


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

1. Romanticism

The best (Wagner, Bruckner, Chopin). (But also some of the worst)

2. Modernism

Most creative and productive period in classical music history but I don't think it produced any absolute geniuses like the Romantic era did. At least there are no pieces as profound as Bruckner's 9th, Mahler's 10th, Parsifal, etc. Stravinsky isn't even my favorite composer of this era but he comes closest to the definition of "genius."

3. Renaissance

Amazingly beautiful music. This period is very long and much more diverse than is often recognized. Everyone but deprofundis underrates Renaissance music :lol:

4. Baroque

10% Glory, 90% click-clack continuo. The Glory (several cantatas by Bach, mostly the _Actus Tragicus_, and his masses/passions/oratorios) is definitely worth it though

5. Classical

I love Mozart but not much else


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## Machiavel (Apr 12, 2010)

Romantic-Impressionist-Modern
Classical-Baroque
Contemporary



























Operas:devil::lol:


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## Fredx2098 (Jun 24, 2018)

1. Modern
2. Romantic
3. Pre-Baroque
4. Classical and Baroque


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Antediluvian
Lower Hooter
Upper Hooter
Broke but, well, it's complicated
Undecided but nice
Bow and scrape
Age of rage
Me me me!

The last is where we still are today.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I really can't choose but find it interesting that many of us can. For me, it depends on my mood. Some days I mostly want Baroque, some days Classical, some days I like to mix it up ... etc. I don't usually listen to "early" - pre-Baroque - music but feel that is my ignorance more than my taste. I do tend to go mostly for the more big names (as defined by me!) in each genre but I have explored some byroads in each and have arrived at my favourites. For example, there was a time I tried a lot of slightly obscure Baroque music: I enjoyed the exploration but these days only listen to 5 or so Baroque composers. Same for Classical (probably fewer than 5). With later music (Romantic and Modern?) there are more (many more for Modern) who I listen to, and I I think the contemporary field is still obviously very open (after all, it is music for us now or was at some point during my life).


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

I enjoy music from every era very much, so I really can't rate one above or below the other. 

In terms of how often I listen to music from different eras: 

Baroque 
Renaissance
Medieval 
Contemporary (1945 to present) about the same as Modern (1890 to 1945)
Classical
Romantic

I used to listen to Classical & Romantic much more, but these days I find myself drawn to music from other eras.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I especially like music connected in some way with anybody named Sergei: Koussevitsky, Diaghilev, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff...... .


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I'm keenly interested in all of the following eras of music history, and don't think my ratings really say much. Since I view it all as part of an ongoing evolution.

Late Medieval, early to middle Renaissance--Machaut, Ciconia, Dufay, Binchois, Dunstable, Ockeghem, Josquin, Tallis, Isaac, Brumel, etc.
Baroque--mostly due to J.S. Bach, Corelli, & Handel, but also Biber, Vivaldi, Rameau, etc..
Classical--F.J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Beethoven, & Schubert.
French 'Impressionism'--mostly due to Debussy, Ravel, & Faure, but also Roussel, Franck, Koechlin, Satie, etc..
Late Romanticism--without Sibelius, Bruckner, Brahms, & Mahler I wouldn't rank it as highly.
Late Renaissance--Byrd, Monteverdi, Lassus, Du Caurroy, Gibbons, Tomkins, etc.
Early Romanticism--Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, etc.
20th Century--Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, Vaughan Williams, Barber, Messiaen, etc.
Mid to Late 20th Century (roughly post WW2)--Holmboe, Pettersson, Kokkonen, Boulez, Ligeti, Stockhausen, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Nørgard, Rihm, Rautavaara, Takemitsu, Tavener, Pärt, Ruders, Lindberg, Moody, etc.
Early 21st Century--a work in progress...


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## derin684 (Feb 14, 2018)

Mine is... though it always changes:

-Late romantic(Brahms ,Mahler, Sibelius, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Grieg)

-Impressionist(Debussy-controversial-, Ravel)

-20th Century Modern(only because of Prokofiev,Shostakovich, Bartok, atonal Scriabin, late Mahler and some Schoenberg)

Romantic(Liszt, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Beethoven-mainly because of his sonatas and late sq's-, Schumann, Schubert)

Baroque(this era is below because of other composers than Bach)

Classical


Can I count Mahler or Bach as a seperate era?


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

derin684 said:


> Baroque(this era is below because of other composers than Bach)


Gosh that's harsh, you should listen to some Monteverdi and Rameau to cure that.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I listen to more 20thc than anything else, and Beethoven is always high on my list. 
I like all other eras about equally, except the High Classical, which I like significantly less than any of the others.


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

Chronochromie said:


> Gosh that's harsh, you should listen to some Monteverdi and Rameau to cure that.







great aria here


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## derin684 (Feb 14, 2018)

Don't have much experience with early baroque period, I'll listen to them!


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## Chromatose (Jan 18, 2016)

1 - Baroque (the best stuff comes from here)
2 - 20th Century
3 - Classical
4 - Renaissance
5 - Medieval
6 - Non Orchestral music / popular music 
7 - Film Music
8 - Rap
9 - Romantic Era music (the worst music of all time comes from here)


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## Logos (Nov 3, 2012)

Chromatose said:


> Romantic Era music (the worst music of all time comes from here)


Why do you say that?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

My listening is more diverse as regards Modern, Romantic and Contemporary eras, less so in terms of Classical and Baroque eras. I strongly prefer instrumental but am receptive to some classical music with vocals, with the exception of lieder and opera.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2018)

I'd be curious to know what contemporary composers people listen to so I can discover some new stuff to hear for myself......


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

shirime said:


> I'd be curious to know what contemporary composers people listen to so I can discover some new stuff to hear for myself......


I'm sure you know most of the contemporary composers I am aware of and attracted to, and probably far more besides them. But perhaps the less likely ones (probably because I haven't seen you mentioning them and I haven't posted about them recently, either) include

- Julian Anderson
- Vyacheslav Petrovich Artyomov (does he count as contemporary?)
- Sally Beamish (I like her 2nd viola concerto)
- David Bedford (perhaps)
- Jonathon Harvey (contemporary? He died a few years back but was not so old. I like a lot of his music.)
- Anders Hillborg (I have and enjoy his "Eleven Gates" - plus other works - CD)
- Elena Langer (I only know her Platch and Platch II - but enjoy them)
- Erkki-Sven Tüür (some of his early works were interesting ... but I think he may have gone off the boil later - it is a long time since I listened to any of his music but that was the impression I gleaned way back!)

There are probably others but that's as far as I got quickly scrolling through my iTunes library.


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## Chromatose (Jan 18, 2016)

Logos said:


> Why do you say that?


To me the bombast of the compositions from Berlioz to Mahler and everyone in between to be too dramatic, if not loud than overtly sentimental. All the sturm und drang I could do without, as if every composer had to try and emulate Beethoven's dramatic flair to the max for a century afterwords, it didn't help that counterpoint seemed to fall by the wayside during the romantic era. I don't know it's very much music I avoid after spending so much time trying. It bores me the most of all music.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

shirime said:


> I'd be curious to know what contemporary composers people listen to so I can discover some new stuff to hear for myself......


Here's a few off the top of my head:

Thomas Ades
Thea Musgrave
Elliott Carter
Joseph Schwantner
Magnus Liindberg
Joan Tower
Krysztof Penderecki
James Dillon
Charles Wuorinen
Nico Muhly
Augusta Read Thomas
Luciano Berio
Brian Ferneyhough
Narong Prangcharoen


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

shirime said:


> I'd be curious to know what contemporary composers people listen to so I can discover some new stuff to hear for myself......


- György Kurtág
- Sofia Gubaidulina
- Unsuk Chin
- Jörg Widmann
- Hans Abrahamsen
- Kaija Saariaho
- Wolfgang Rihm
- Harrison Birtwistle

And many others!


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## Jacob Brooks (Feb 21, 2017)

1. Classical period
2. Baroque
3. Romantic
4. "Modern"

Composers:
1. FJ Haydn
2. JS Bach
3. WA Mozart
4. F Schubert
5. A Vivaldi


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

1910-1935 - heavens above, talk about an era of opportunity!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

shirime said:


> I'd be curious to know what contemporary composers people listen to so I can discover some new stuff to hear for myself......


Udo Zimmermann is one I forgot.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Alkan said:


> Romantic
> Impressionisitc
> Classical
> Baroque
> ...


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

EdwardBast said:


> I listen to more 20thc than anything else, and Beethoven is always high on my list.
> I like all other eras about equally, except the High Classical, which I like significantly less than any of the others.


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

arpeggio said:


> Why does one have to rate one era over another?


Because it's fun! 

Many of us here enjoy rankings, ratings and hierarchies...not PC at all...and that is one of the reasons it is fun.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

^^ Yes, it can be fun and can also be very complex trying to work out which towering giant is greater for you than another towering giant. I also like seeing how my opinions change over time. I don't know where PC comes into this, though?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Enthusiast said:


> ^^ Yes, it can be fun and can also be very complex trying to work out which towering giant is greater for you than another towering giant. I also like seeing how my opinions change over time. I don't know where PC comes into this, though?


I no longer rate the Eras like this. I am open to almost all of them now, but I still have yet to listen to much contemporary works.


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## Harmonie (Mar 24, 2007)

Oh my, that's actually a tough one. I've always had my top favorites, but ranking them is hard. Nevertheless I think it would go something like this:

Baroque
Impressionist
Renaissance
Medieval
Classic
20th century
Romantic

The top four eras being my very favorite, with Classic not falling too far behind. 20th century and Romantic are complicated, as I'll explain below.

There are a lot of reasons I'd put 20th century below Romantic, but then there's the fact that composers like Stravinsky, Holst, Vaughan Williams, etc. lived into the century and some of their biggest compositions came from there and I prefer them all over Romantic era by a landslide, in fact they're among my top favorites. The 20th century is just too diverse (and convoluted, lets be honest) of an era to be properly judged. If we're talking about the avant garde and atonal stuff, then 20th century is dead last for me, but there's just so much more to it than that.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

^^ 20th Century is not an era - it is a century. Early on - before WW1 it is the end of the Romantic era, then you have the era usually called Modern and then, after that (maybe post-1960), there is a new era that is still running (not sure what it is called). You stated preferences are all "Modern".


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## ManuelMozart95 (Sep 29, 2018)

Classicism is my favourite though I admit that by sheer amount of composers the Romantic and Baroque period are much more extense.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

mathisdermaler said:


> 1. Romanticism
> 
> The best (Wagner, Bruckner, Chopin). (But also some of the worst)
> 
> ...


I'm not sure that modern era hasn't produced any profound pieces

There's Stra vinskys Rite of Spring, which certainly is a very different type of profound.

Shostakovichs symphonies, particularly 5,7,10,14, and 15 I consider to be very profound.

Prokofiev Romeo and juliet and fifth symphony (also piano and violin concertos)

There's also plenty of ravel and Britten works that I would call profound. But I guess what matters what your definition is.
Dictionary defines it as "very great or intense." Still kind of vague...


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

1.	Classical. Four of my top 5 favorite composers are from this era: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.
2.	Baroque. The fifth is from this era: Bach. I also love Vivaldi, Rameau, Telemann and Monteverdi and some Handel.
3.	Romantic. Two more of my top favorites are from this era: Mendelssohn and Dvorak.
4.	Renaissance.
5.	Medieval.
6.	Post-Romantic.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

1. Traditional/ Folk Music

2. Early Music - including, as Early Music Festivals do, medieval - renaissance - baroque. 

3. Classical Music - my favourite being Boccherini

4. Any other sort of classical music with a small c - I don't go by era.
Probably includes more Romantic music than anything, but I will listen to 20C & 21C composers on occasion. 

5. Non-folk & non-classical music, such as ragtime & 1960s pop.


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## Steve Mc (Jun 14, 2018)

I used to rank baroque above everything else, but now things are rather even. I have favorite composers across the board.
But, if I were to have to make a ranking, it would go like this:
1.Classical (Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn combined is a winning combination) 
2. Baroque (which has my favorite, Bach)
3.Early Romantic (Chopin, Schibert, Mendelssohn, etc.. great stuff)
4.Late Romantic (Bruckner is my preference here)
5.Modern (including modern romantics like RVW and Rozsa)
6.Postmodern (which includes composers like John Williams, whom I adore)


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

1300-1600: 8
1600-1730: 8
1730-1830: 6
1830-1900: 8,5
1900-1950: 10
1950-2000: 10 
2000-now: ?

classical period is the most boring era to me, at least considering the music I've heard. Everyone talks about Mozart. He's never been one of my favorites.
While the twentieth century is by far the most interesting musical century. Sure, there are a lot of things I don't like, some dry avantgarde, a lot of horrible popular music, but overall for the sheer quantity and incredible musical diversity of great music it is my favorite century without a doubt.


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