Great Composers

[Mr. Wonderful]

I've just recently gotten into classical music. However, it seems that it is very hard to find composers outside Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Don't get me wrong, I love their work, but I'd like to get a wider spectrum of artists in my collection. That and three previously mentioned artist's CD's run so high.

Can anybody help me out?

[This message has been edited by Mr. Wonderful (edited November 18, 2003).]

[Peter]

Here are some of the main composers from each era -


18th century: Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Haydn, [Bach, Mozart & Beethoven!]

19th century: Berlioz, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Mahler, Bruckner, Verdi, Elgar, Richard Strauss.

20th century: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Bartok, Schoenberg, Britten.

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'Man know thyself'



[This message has been edited by Peter (edited November 18, 2003).]

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Mr. Wonderful:
I've just recently gotten into classical music. However, it seems that it is very hard to find composers outside Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Don't get me wrong, I love their work, but I'd like to get a wider spectrum of artists in my collection. That and three previously mentioned artist's CD's run so high.

Can anybody help me out?

[This message has been edited by Mr. Wonderful (edited November 18, 2003).]

On www.naxos.com most of the Naxos record catalog can be listened to for free. Go to that website and click on 'Search Our Catalog'. You will probably be prompted to register. After free registration, you can bring up their search screen, enter a composer's name, and be presented with several pages of works to choose from to listen to. This way you could sample composers and follow up with buys of those you enjoy, either using that site or other sources.

Also I would like to add Telemann to the 18th C., and Sibelius to the 19th.


[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited November 19, 2003).]

[Beyond Within]

Buy Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". You will worship it.

[Chris]

Your first link didn't work because you had a comma at the end of it.

[Joy]

I was also going to add Telemann but Chaszz beat me to it. Cherubini is an interesting choice plus he was a favourite of Beethoven. Edvard Grieg the Norwegian pianist and composer is also worth a look.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Stargazer78]

Originally posted by Peter:
Here are some of the main composers from each era -


18th century: Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Haydn, [Bach, Mozart & Beethoven!]

19th century: Berlioz, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Mahler, Bruckner, Verdi, Elgar, Richard Strauss.

20th century: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Bartok, Schoenberg, Britten.

This are pretty much it, Mr. Wonderful.

There are others, but Peter's list hightlights most of the greatest names and that is pretty much what any begginer can handle.

A few more names (some of which are alive today and could make it into a '21st' century list)

20th Century : Rachmaninov, Jean Sibelius, Maurice Ravel, Debussy, Alban Berg, Anton Webern

Alive today or recently deseaced : Pierre Boulez, Carter, Gyorgy Ligeti, Robert Simpson, Wolfgang Rhimn

Here you can find a list of composers for your pleasure :
http://www.classical.net/music/mstrindx.html

[This message has been edited by Stargazer78 (edited November 18, 2003).]

[Mr. Wonderful]

Thanks so much, guys. Your help is greatly appreciated.

I'd heard those from the 18th century, excluding Handel, and they're all awesome.

"Cherubini is an interesting choice plus he was a favourite of Beethoven."
Yeah, I had heard that from a magazine a long while ago, checked him out, and I can easily see why.

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Chris:
Your first link didn't work because you had a comma at the end of it.

Thanks, Chris. I have fixed it.

[Pastorali]

Hi folks
What's about MAX BRUCH????? Listen to his three violin concertos, the Scottish Fantasy, Adagio appassionata Op. 57, or in Memoriam Op. 65, they are all very nice. Also "Konzertstück in F" Op. 84, or the second symphony, and, and...sometimes I do like these sweet romantics...

[spaceray]

Try Alexander Borodin too if you have a chance.

[Peter]

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of lesser composers we could come up with, but for someone starting out I think they should get to know the better known names first then explore.

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'Man know thyself'

[spaceray]

My first classical music record was hot off the press in 1970 Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor,I must confess that at that time I found Beethoven a bit intimidating.I don't agree that you should just start at the top and work your way down the list of great composers.I think you can listen randomly to a lot of music and get just as much joy from a Borodin string quartet as you may from Beethoven's amazing Ninth Symphony.
Music is a huge subject,learning to read and play it one must follow strict rules,at least you can be unconventional in your listening.

[Stargazer78]

Originally posted by spaceray:
My first classical music record was hot off the press in 1970 Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor,I must confess that at that time I found Beethoven a bit intimidating.I don't agree that you should just start at the top and work your way down the list of great composers.

My favored composer of choise for beginners has always been Haydn.

There's something about his music that makes it easely accessable without being necessarely 'low grade'.

Best of all, once a person gets accastumed to Haydn music, it makes exploring Mozart and Beethoven all the more fun.

[Gurn Blanston]

And just to present a different perspective on listening, I started out by discovering a genre that I really liked (Violin Concertos to be exact) and simply acquired every one I could find no matter the age or composer. Then I moved on to violin sonatas then string quartets. In this process I managed to hear every style of classical music imaginable from Bach to Bruch to Berg, Vivaldi to Walton. So even though I eventually settled on Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven to collect their complete works, it was not because I hadn't heard a whole lot else and I could make an informed choice. I think that for a beginner, picking one composer or era and listening to no one else is a bad choice, it becomes self-limiting. Who knows, there may be something else out there that you find years from now that makes you wish you had done differently. This may not be the right thing for everyone, but it sure was for me!


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[This message has been edited by Gurn Blanston (edited November 20, 2003).]