@Lisztian Well,no Chopin is not overrated. He is rated just fine. People like Chopin not because of an innovative work in the music field but because we simply like his beautiful and romantic piano songs. All of his etudes are very good even though they are only for-practice pieces. He composed a lot of etudes, impromptus, ballades, scherzos, polonaises, nocturnes, waltzes, marzukas, preludes. And they are very good and difficult. Also he is known as the poet of the piano.
@Lisztian Well I am not trying to hold a contest between Chopin and Lizst you know.... I'm just saying Chopin is not overrated. I mean you can feel his emotion that he was feeling when he was composing the song. The best example for this is Op.10 No.12 'revolutionary' etude. He composed that song with enrage because then, Russia took over Poland, which was Chopin's homecountry. So he wrote revolutionary etude then, with furious anger and when you listen to it, you can feel his anger going through you.
Puntastic word play. I was flabbergasted in the extreme that Beethoven was not NO.1 on this Liszt, it's more than I can Handel. Whoever wrote this should be Beethoven the head!
Geert Matthys 20th century was not electric noise🤣🤣 20th century was the most diverse music period of all time. You had duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Elvis, queen, etc etc. the 21st century music (right now) is mostly electric
Liszt fuken wrote compositions that stretched the whole piano and pushed the classical music to it's limit and he's not on the list. Lmao this Watchmojo
+Allzumenschliches44 Thanks, I was just about to enter the same thing when you replied. +michelon1231 Schubert was Viennese, and more important than Schumann or Telemann. Austria also has Richard Strauss and Mahler. This is a phrase I have commonly heard, and it must have been coined by Austrians ;). I'd advise you not to tell a present day German or Austrian that their differences don't matter, but I agree, and I said above that in the greater sense they are the same peoples. Analyzing the two peoples from the examples provided, I'd have to say now that their musical contribution has been roughly equal.
***** Austria, being highly catholic and closer to the alps, had more influence from Italy. Musically you can see this pretty well in Mozart. Of course historically you could see Austria as something like another german region but too much time has passed since Bismarck excluded Austria with its special cultural sphere from the then united Germany under Prussia's dominance. Most today's Austrians would proudly say that Mozart, Haydn and Schubert were austrian and not germans.
+michelon1231 I just faced the same type of issues in tracking my family history. I've always known my maternal grandmother to be German, but recently found out the province her family came from in Germany (Prussia) was Posen. I think maybe the Austrians don't want people assuming they are German, as in from Germany, because they speak German, much the same as Canadians want their identity as Canadians to be known, even if they are nearly indistinguishable from people in the US to most people. In the US, we don't have the history of Europe and the ever changing borders to identify ourselves against, although we like to identify ourselves by our culture of origin (for me, it is mostly Franco-Germanic). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that most Europeans like to identify themselves by the current country that they are from. I think we can all agree that whether you combine or separate Austrian and German peoples, together they are responsible for most of the significant output of Classical Music.
Beethoven is easily the greatest composer of all time no question. While others are enjoyable to listen to, Beethoven pieces are the most emotional and hit the hardest. Let us not forget he was totally deaf by 44 and was having hearing difficulties prior to that and yet, he created timeless masterpieces! how crazy is that?
The world famous expert of classical music, Anthony Tommasini, who is the chief critic of the New York Times, created a Top 10 list of the most influential and complex composers of all time: 01) Johann Sebastian Bach 🇩🇪 02) Ludwig van Beethoven 🇩🇪 03) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 🇦🇹 04) Franz Schubert 🇦🇹 05) Achille-Claude Debussy 🇫🇷 06) Igor Stravinsky 🇷🇺 07) Johannes Brahms 🇩🇪 08) Guiseppe Verdi 🇮🇹 09) Richard Wagner 🇩🇪 10) Béla Bartók 🇭🇺
@@largebill1245 Mozart was quite capable of composing complex pieces when he set his mind to it, see his fugues or his Requiem as examples. Even his simpler pieces contain a surprising amount of subtlety and nuance. In any case, the list also factors in influence, and Mozart’s influence on later composers is undeniably massive. There are incredibly complex composers who likely didn’t make the list due to lack of influence.
Here a little funny trivia: Ludwig Van Beethoven would often travel to Austria. Once he tried to pass through my hometown Wiener Neustadt, however the people believed at first that he was some homeless person and refused to let him in and later even arrested him, believing he was a beggar. We later named the alley (which still exists to this very day) where he was arrested after him. =)
that is funny trivia? How sad, that Beethoven was treated so badly. But I have been treated as badly, too.. the so I guess it happens to all great men.
Thank you. Musical geniuses are gifted beyond wonder in music, but not so much in life. Many are taken care of by others, who remind them to bathe, eat, and pay their bills, among other things.
+Stravinsky91 That's because this list is only 'most well known' (most popular, essentially), not 'greatest', since 'greatest' has to be more thoughtfully determined using specific definable criteria. It's definitely a funny list.
I am incredibly biased against baroque and classical era music due to how long ive been playing it and how predictable and quite frankly boring i find it, so I would have to disagree. I personally think rachmaninoff is the greatest composer of all time, followed closely by tchaikosvkys
You could argue Beethoven had an even greater and more lasting impact to the world of piano sonatas...but his symphonies were pretty damn revolutionary so I can't really argue too much
Pls. Bach just wrote 5 Masses but he wrote more then 200 Cantatas. Mozart composed mutch more Masses. Just because Bach composed the B Minor Mass, maybe the greatest piece of all time, he isnt the master of Mass. He ist more the Master of Organ-, Keybord-, or Choralmusic. But not even the Master of Masses. In nearly every genre he created whitch are all hightleveled in their genre. Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas, Organ Toccatas and Fugues, The Well-Thempered Clavier, Cantatas (for example: 106, 63), B Minor Messe, Motets like Jesu meine Freude, chorals, oratorios. But at least he uses mostly the Technic of counterpoint. The counterpointel workes might be the esence of his Work. Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering are the highest of composing tecnice. So better cal Bach the Master of Counterpoint.
Oh. I add for you. Haydn=Master of String Quartet Schubert=Master of Lied Tchaikovsky=Master of ballet Handel=Master of Oratorio Chopin=Master of Pieces for piano Do you agree?
My favourite is Mozart because he write sonatas, concertos of flute, piano, harp, oboe... any mass, divertimentos, a lot of Operas like DON GIOVANNI, symphonies, ouvertures, serenades, string quartets, Requiems... Is the Best And he only live 35 years!!!
Liszt was one of the greatest of all artists, performers and technicians of all time. He contributed so much to the works of music i it's extremely annoying that he is not on this list. Why is Liszt not on the list?
You want to know what I find annoying? Wagner is on the list,someone who was partly taught by Liszt,but Bramhs,Liszt's rival,whose music I personally hate is in the list,that annoys me.
Liszt was an incredibly skilled pianist, but a pretty mediocre composer. His works seemed more to show off the interpret's skill than demonstrate actual auditive quality.
Excuse me where is Haydn, the granddaddy of the classical period, father of the symphony, string quartet and sonata form, teacher of Mozart and Beethoven and basically led the whole classical period from a palace?
Once you understand the Bach piece, after listening it for a long time, you would have no doubt he is the best.composer of all time, and I would say the smartest and creative artist of humankind.
It's truly crazy because Pachelbel wrote so much music it's not even funny. It's always Canon In D. Great work, but nobody ever cares to delve deeper into such a genius of a composer.
+Fred Dearson Mahler,Schumann,Bruckner,Sibelius,Scriabin,Richard Strauss,Palestrina,Tallis. (Rossini has written the simpliest opera's ever written and Pachelbel does not deserve it because he only written music for organ.Also Gershwin is 20th century.)
@@andrekaravia4216 Paganini Liszt and Rachmaninoff are interchangeable. But there should be at least one of them. Rachmaninov is my fav, but objectively List had the most influence on the history of music.
It doesn't matter to me if Liszt is in some top 10 list. I love his music and consistently play it. Why does a composer need to be among the "best" to be worthy of listening? I simply don't care what anyone else thinks, if I enjoy certain music, I'll play it.
thats false 1.beethoven 2.mozart 3.chopin 4.liszt u know something i think the best pianist composer is chopin becuase he compose the most pianistic and fantastic compositions he has to be number one ; but beethoven is the 1st and mozart 2nd then chopin after chopin (franz adam liszt ❤)
Ludwig van Beethoven absolutely, though I’d say your hearing loss and eventual deafness had you prod your best works, god had certainly helped you there
+Grant Boone - LISZT IS THE LISZT !!! NO ONE THREW THEIR SPEAR FARTHER INTO THE UNKNOWN THAN LISZT, UNFORTUNATELY HIS ORCHESTRAL WORK DIDN'T MATCH ALL HE ACCOMPLISHED ON PIANO, BUT EVEN STILL, IF YOU KNOW ALL OF HIS WORK, (AS I DO) YOU WOULD KNOW HE COVERED MORE GROUND AND SPACE THAN ANY OTHER....... THEIR #1 IS BACH, AND I AGREE THAT BACH BUILT THE COOLEST MOST BITCHIN' TRICKED OUT VEHICLE OF ALL TIME, TO TAKE HIS LISTENERS ON A VERY NICE RIDE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE TIMES HE LIVED IN, HE ONLY STAYED IN HIS OWN LANE.......
+Gytax0 That's why no one should e allowed to compare musicians and artists for that matter... For me Chopin is the best out of everyone else BY FAR. But it is all subjective.
It is surprising to talk about classical music without mentioning JOSEPH HAYDN: he's the father of symphony, string quartet and chamber music! He is one of the most influential figures in classical music!! He is not well known by the public but when talking about CLASSICAL music it is mandatory to mention him in the top 5 (even though i don't agree to classify the geniuses by order since there is no objective classification; every classification depends simply on the musical taste of every person.
+WondrousMoose He really shouldn't be, considering that the variety of compositional genres he contributed to is extremely narrow, and even given his high standing in opera, he isn't even necessarily considered the top opera composer (my nod goes to Verdi, personally). If opera was far and away the most popular genre in classical music, than he should be considered as a 'top ten'' composer possibly, however. it really isn't as popular as orchestral music, chamber music, or even piano music (with or without accompaniment, overall, so his inclusion is very disproportional to the great range of contributions of those who composed well in many different genres, and a lot of them also contributed with operas as well..
+Chad Allan But as mentioned in the video he is know by almost everybody thus his name on the list, and altough operas may not the be most popular among the others surely the average public (me included) know it better than even chamber music or piano concerts.
+Chad Allan Wagner had a MASSIF influence on musicians of all genre, however. In fact, music in the 50 or so years following him was often either described as wagnerien, or anti-wagnerien, a big conflict between the two camps in France.
Wagner invented leitmotif, the most important movie music element. Ever. He also pushed musical drama, look at Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.
Top 3 composers of all time: A quantum superposition where Bach, Beethoven and Mozart are in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the same time. (Name of the composers in alphabetical order so no preferences)
Bach Vivaldi Haydn Beethoven Mozart Liszt Chopin Tschaikowsky Rachmaninoff Debussy No particular order. These composers have to be the Top 10 if you want to include every era.
One of my teachers once said "Mozart is the face of classical music, but Beethoven is the sound of classical music". Most people, when asked to name a classical composer, will say Mozart, but when asked for a tune will hum or whistle Beethoven. Not much of a Mozart fan myself, but he deserves to be in the top three. I'd put Beethoven in number 1: Bach "formalised" music and perfected most styles and techniques of his time, but brought not much new to music; Mozart's livelihood depended on his music being popular, yet he contributed significantly to technique; Beethoven created new sounds and structures throughout his career, and was instrumental in the evolution of the modern piano's sound, power and depth because the pianos of his time couldn't deliver what he sought. He was one of the first to express himself through his compositions rather than producing tunes that would be popular with the masses - and became massively popular for it.
Honestly speaking, Bach brought as much as anyone to music. You may want to read a tad more on the art of Fugue. The beauty of some of Bach's pieces concerned the use of overlaying chords to create a completely new sound and composition. Beethoven didn't really bring in new structures, more that he created complex orchestrations far beyond what most others conceived. Each composer committed something that caused them to be known centuries after their death. You'd be surprised how many Bach preludes you have heard before, but never attributed to the actual person. What makes it harder is that so much of his music sounds nothing alike.
Andrew Neumann I'm not down-talking Bach. I thoroughly enjoy Bach and the simple beauty of his surprisingly complex work - much easier to listen to than to play. He perfected the fugue, but he didn't create it; he perfected counterpoint, but he did not create it. By contrast, I wish I could have been there to see the looks on people's faces when Beethoven performed his first self-published piano sonata, Op 2 No 1 in F minor: there's the bright and light Allegro, starting off very classically, then suddenly a fortissimo beyond the ability of the harpsichord; this is followed by the typical Adagio "middle movement", and "ending" on a forbidden baroque-style Minuetto & Trio (Post-baroque 101: "thou shalt not play polyphonic music"). And then, after the three movements are over, the (somewhat disgusted) audience politely raise their hands in preparation for applause when it happens: What is this, a FOURTH movement? Prestissimo? Blasphemy! Anarchy! Everybody knows that sonatas are lesser works that concerti, and therefore have only three movements. Bach turned a fixer-upper into the highest form of art. Beethoven dared to "boldly go wherever the hell I want to".
justcarcrazy It doesnt matter how much Beethoven fans try to bring Mozart down. Mozart wrote the most memorable tunes. Mozart is the Master of Melody. Mozart was the face and the sound of classical music because it was Mozart who PERFECTED Classicism paving the way for Beethoven and other romantic composers. Mozart is The God of Concertos,he wrote the Greatest Piano Concerto, Piano Concerto 24 in C Minor and he has more best piano concertos than any other composer;Mozart wrote the Greatest Clarinet Concerto,The Greatest Flute/Horn.Bassoon/ concertos, in few words Mozart wrote the GREATEST WIND MUSIC and no other composer has rivalled this. Mozart wrote some of the greatest operas with Don Giovani considered as the best opera ever written. Mozart wrote concertos for ALL THE Musical Instruments, unlike Beethoven. Mozart is the Most Versatile composer ever existed and he wrote almost 1,000 pieces before turning 36 Imagine if Beethoven had died at age of 35. What would be left from him? Every reply will be IGNORED
Beethoven's music is much more melodically heavy, so his work is much more recognizable among a common listener. However, if you ask me, Mozart's music is much more complex and layered, providing what I'd argue is the best music.
I love Beethoven and I think he should be number one because he wrote so many iconic symphonies and sonatas but all the others are still masters of all of music very much respect ✊
@@anubisgod23 But I don’t think that we should compare both. No one is better than the other. Bach was an end of an era and Beethoven was the exact opposite of that
I agree with the placement of Bach at #1, although many do not. Bach accomplished the most musically. He did so much when so little had been done before him. He adapted the musical system as we know it today through experimentation with chromaticism. This combined with the quality music he produced, is why I consider him the greatest composer of all time.
I agree that he is the greatest, but he's not for everyone. He produces either idolatry or revulsion in his listeners; there is no in-between. I know no other composer who produces such visceral reactions in his listeners.
Personally, I think Chopin should've been #1 but that's just because I've been obsessively listening to his piano pieces for the last few weeks and are now completely in love with everything he's composed. I'm upset he died so young, I want more
@@Q-Bits8 He said he knew it was not practical and just his personal wish . But with no doubt one can say , chopin s music is some of the most expressive music even if he only wrote for piano
@@ishanpareek2188 You've clearly never heard Sorabji or Liszt. Sorabji composed solely for himself, so you can hear the emotions clearly throughout his compositions. Liszt is severely underrated. His Mephisto Waltzes rival the Chopin ballades, and he composed incredibly expressive work that leaves the listener feeling emotions that couldn't be described in words. IMO Chopin is severely overrated.
My favorite is Chopin, he introduced me to this kind of music I really love his style, specially his nocturne and ballads Pd. my favorite is his 2nd nocturne
I don't understand why Joseph Haydn isn't in the list. He was most important composer in the first development of modern symphony. I think Haydn was the father of classical era music.
We must give thanks to the great Italian composers who have discovered from '' A '' to '' z '' of every part of classical music Without the discovery of the notes to the treble clef, I don't know if we all had all this great love in classical music...GRAZIE ITALIANI
My personal Liszt would probably be. But objectively Bach is probably the best, I just enjoy listening to Beethoven slightly more than Bach. 10:Clara Schumann 9:Prokofiev 8:Scarlatti 7:Mendelssohn 6:Tchaikovsky 5:Schostakovich 4:Brahms 3:Mozart 2:JS Bach 1:Beethoven
I am sad with that Liszt is not on the list. Although most people say that his music is mostly showing off, I think people need to listen to more of Liszt's works, because a lot people only know for example La Campanella, Feux Follets, Hungarian rhapsody no. 2 or no. 6.... There are a lot other great works of him. Personal opinion :P
+Kurt S yah, you might have right, but there are some little changes, so we can say that he was just inspired by Paganini to make his version of "La Campanella"
So your only defense for attacking one of the greatest composers who ever lived...is being a grammar Nazi? Beethoven wrote some of the most influential music of all time, he was crucial in the transition between the classic and romantic eras of music. His pieces are still considered to be some of the greatest of all time. Not to mention that he did all of this while going deaf. I truly doubt that you've actually heard very many of Beethoven's works beyond what is commonly played.
For someone who works with music for long time like me, the answer is just only one. Johann Sebastian Bach He is by far the greatest composer of all time. All of his phrases, his ornaments. Listening the Goldberg variations, which is the same melody in a different way for 90 minutes, and you never get tired. His Brandenburg concerto's which are just absolutely magestic, his fuges, preludes, his organ pieces. Surely Mozart was absolutely fantastic in its melodies, and Beethoven did an excellent orchestra, but if you really appreciate every part of the pieces, there is nobody greater than Bach. Beethoven goes second and Mozart goes third in my opinion.
For me Bach and Beethoven are interchangeable at no. 1. I am amazed that you mentioned only the excellent orchestra by Beethoven. His piano sonatas and string quartets (with his symphonies, I agree with you) are the pillars on which modern music originated and is based. Nobody dared writing piano sonatas after him anymore, with very few (mostly irrelevant) exceptions. The same happened to Masses: what can a human being write after his Missa Solemnis? Therefore, Bach and Beethoven, or Beethoven and Bach are number one. Mozart? Yes he was a very great composer: bronze medalist.
This is top ten composers in no particular order. I’m happy with the selection. Honourable mentions could go to, Claudio Monteverdi Felix Mendelssohn Hector Berlioz Franz Liszt Anton Bruckner Gustav Mahler ( he was more 20th than Romantic period)
BACH: He is the one with the most notes, he is also very mathematical in his music and incredible. BEETHOVEN: It has the most terrifying and mysterious music, of course, great. TCHAIKOVSKY: In my opinion, when it comes to beauty, tchaikovsky is unrivaled, the number of works and the variety are more beautiful than others, he is my favorite ...
bach was not the only one mathematical in music, debussy, chopin, and satie to name a few also used techniques such as the golden ratio (phi, 1.618), and the fibonacci scale
+Liam Johnson I agree. I also noticed Mendlessohn and Debussy were missing as well and they are two of my favorite composers. :) Saint Saens is another favorite of mine as well!
+Russell Elsdon Which is a pity, as all of my favorite composers are early 20th century. Stravinsky, first, then in no particular order Prokofiev, Ravel, Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Copeland, Sibelius, Mussorgsky, Bartok, Shastakovich...
Erm... So? That's like saying that you cannot listen to other music and not be inspired to make your own, Bach may have been instrumental but writing most of your pieces, as Beethoven did, deaf is just another level! For me anyways !
You actually know nothing did you just say Beethoven stopped composing aged 31, his 5th symphony was composed when he was dead! Influence doesn't mean anything! Beethoven remembered every note in his head deaf and composed masterpieces that takes skill, talent and just amazing brain power!
My favorite composers: 1. Tchaikovsky 2. Bach 3. Beethoven 4. Vivaldi 5. Paganini (It was hard not putting Liszt, Chopin, Shostakovich, Verdi, Schubert, Brahms or Mozart)
I love the Germanic composers…Bach,Mozart, and love, love Beethoven and Wagner….I love Mozart’s operas. I can loop this guys all day with some Italian operas by Puccini,etc. Love Handel for tranquility.
Superb list... thank you. "All art is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When this light shines through the mind of a musician, it manifests itself in beautiful harmonies." ~ Baha'i Writings
For me, the best are (not in order) : -Mozart -Beethoven -Chopin -Bach I am aware that Bach defined the classical music and without him none of these composers would have achieved what they achieved but that does not mean he is better than the other ones. One and all wrote incredibly good pieces that cannot be compared because each one of them have their own style. That is why they cannot be ranked and can only be referred as "The great 4"
I dont agree. Bach (no classic but baroque) was the greatest. Beethoven said "He should have not the name Bach (Creek in English), but Meer (in English Sea).
I like beethoven and Mozart because they were contemporaries about the same age,well Mozart was born first and than beethoven,but I like both and also I like the other composers too,because I like music and I think all of them did a great job!
awesome420ication Even so, John Williams wouldn't be in the top 10 if you included the 20th Century composers, when you still have the likes of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovic, Stravinsky, Holst, Debussy, Bartok, Gershwin, Copland, Schoenberg, and Bernstein... not to say he's a great thematic composer, but John Williams has never really pushed the envelope. Note these may not be in everyone's top 10 for 20th century composers but guaranteed, they will be seen as miles ahead for John Williams.
Hmm... I'd say the placement of Bach vs. Beethoven is all about whether influence or quality is more important. While Bach was certainly the most influential composer, Beethoven's pieces were of a far superior quality (not to mention that, unlike Bach's, they actually had emotion).
I couldn't agree more. Beethoven really led into a new era of music with emotion and passion that are melodious and arguably better in quality, but Bach was by far more influential by perfecting discrepancies in music like getting rid of quarter tones (thank goodness) and standardizing written music as we see today. It's a tough call to make and really does depend on what you consider as more important as you said
I'm not sure what angle the "no-emotion" idea comes from concerning Bach's music. I guess that would be in the ears of the Beholder as would the appeals to 'quality'. Also, while Beethoven was I think the greatest composer of the Classical and Romantic eras, Bach is thought to have so fully raised the baroque style to such heights completeness that most music historians mark the end of the Baroque era with his death. And don't forget, in addition to retiring the quarter-tone, he also was the one who caused the acceptance of the tempered scale.
johnsonfromwisconsin Although I never specifically said "no emotion", what I meant was that Bach's pieces had a rather mechanical approach to it. Doesn't mean that it's bad in my opinion because I love playing and listening to Bach, it's just that it doesn't hold the same passion that is conveyed through as pieces from much later composers. And yes, Bach pretty much had the entire Baroque era upon his shoulders and I would agree with music historians who say that his death marked the end of the Baroque. I think that without Bach, the way we see Western music (meaning European, American, and music influenced by those) wouldn't be the same and modern music would be quite different. Anyway, point being is that Bach and Beethoven are both important and great in their own ways because there are so many things about them and their work that are magnificent and influential. Although they're not my favorite composers, I do agree with everything you've said thus far that it would be difficult to determine which should be the top classical composer of all. But in all honesty, it doesn't really matter which is number one because what really matters is that we appreciate their music now and they have made great impact in musical history that we should all be thankful for.
Evan Wheat I agree with you in general, but I wouldn't say Beethoven was by far superior. He might have been superior, but the musical time period is so different that it is hard to put those two in comparison and be objective.
Erik Satie and Antonio Vivaldi are my favorites. In the professional world of music, your body of work must be impressive, but in the eyes of a humble and casual fan of great music, just 1 or 2 songs that resonate are enough to get me hooked. Satie's Gimnopedies and Vivaldi's Four Seasons are so good I dont wait for my favourite part, I love the whole songs.
