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John Cage, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Morton Feldman, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Duke Ellington, Samuel Barber, Billy Strayhorn, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, John Phillip Sousa, Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Charles Mingus...
The two most important and greatest composers in American history were Charles Ives and John Cage.
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∙ 13y ago
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∙ 13y agoOne thing that is extremely unfair when comparing the very Greatest composers is the differing "general styles" of the eras they compose within, no individual exists outside of a time. For instance, 1760's music is not as well appreciated today as that of the 1740's, 1780's or 1800's! Going further, how do you compare Mahler to those writing with far more limited instrumental technology - an expert could make a very strong case for William Byrd, as another could for Beethoven, Mozart or Stravinsky.
Maybe we should just pick some "eras" of Classical Music we personally enjoy the most, (1880's, 1920's, early 1700's?...) and then look for the examplars of that time and maybe we will then find our own "Greatest"...
There are strong cases for many of the most famous composers, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, but for us Mozarteans, I will present a brief case:
His primary claim lies within the sheer breadth of quality work he produced, particularly as he entered his very short period of maturity.
Mozart's music ranges from complex chamber music (try Divertimeno K563, the Clarinet Quintet, the string Quintets) through his rapid development of the piano concerto in the mid 1780's to the wonders of Idomeneo, Figaro or the Magic Flute. Mozart can be as diverse as he is talented - listen to the Armed Knights singing Lutherian chant to string counterpoint in the Magic Flute compared to the catchy songs given to the Bird Catcher within the same work. Marvel at a new form of fugal drama in the last movement of Symphony no. 41, the chromatic wind parts Mozart adds to Handel's Messiah or be carried away by the romantic harmony of Ave Verum. Such a diverse span of music, so incredibly well written, is a domain only inhabited by the very, very few.
Those who do not know Mozart that well tend to quote "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic" as an example to make him appear as a "lighter" composer. Yes, he did write occasional pieces to earn money (professional composers need to) and composed them extremely well, but these are just a small part of his output. In his time he was often criticised as being "over complex". Einstein was probably a very good patent clerk, but we don't remember this as his most profound work...
Try removing the minor dances/songs from the list of works Mozart wrote from his 30th Birthday, the output is a string of universally aclaimed masterpieces, more than most famous composers got near to in a life time - all within 5 short years.
It would be interesting to hear the case for Bach or another supreme master, so maybe we should create a list of "Greatest composer cases".
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∙ 15y agoPerhaps the most famous American composer is George Gershwin ("Rhapsody in Blue", "Porgy & Bess", "An American in Paris"), who during an all-too brief career (1918 to 1937) wrote dozens of song standards that are still popular today, and several pieces of symphonic music that, while somewhat derivative, are nonetheless very good representations of "American" music - lively, joyous, vibrant, standards that you still hear. Other good American composers are people like Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein in the 'classical' world, and stylists like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Caesar, and others in the "popular" mode. Three other ones are Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, and of course, Louis Armstrong! All from the Great Migration Era.
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∙ 13y agoOne thing that is extremely unfair when comparing the very Greatest composers is the differing "general styles" of the eras they compose within, no individual exists outside of a time. For instance, 1760's music is not as well appreciated today as that of the 1740's, 1780's or 1800's! Going further, how do you compare Mahler to those writing with far more limited instrumental technology - an expert could make a very strong case for William Byrd, as another could for Beethoven, Mozart or Stravinsky.
Maybe we should just pick some "eras" of classical music we personally enjoy the most, (1880's, 1920's, early 1700's?...) and then look for the examplars of that time and maybe we will then find our own "Greatest"...
There are strong cases for many of the most famous composers, Bach, Beethoven, Handel, but for us Mozarteans, I will present a brief case:
His primary claim lies within the sheer breadth of quality work he produced, particularly as he entered his very short period of maturity.
Mozart's music ranges from complex chamber music (try Divertimeno K563, the Clarinet Quintet, the string Quintets) through his rapid development of the piano concerto in the mid 1780's to the wonders of Idomeneo, Figaro or the Magic Flute. Mozart can be as diverse as he is talented - listen to the Armed Knights singing Lutherian chant to string counterpoint in the Magic Flute compared to the catchy songs given to the Bird Catcher within the same work. Marvel at a new form of fugal drama in the last movement of Symphony no. 41, the chromatic wind parts Mozart adds to Handel's Messiah or be carried away by the romantic harmony of Ave Verum. Such a diverse span of music, so incredibly well written, is a domain only inhabited by the very, very few.
Those who do not know Mozart that well tend to quote "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic" as an example to make him appear as a "lighter" composer. Yes, he did write occasional pieces to earn money (professional composers need to) and composed them extremely well, but these are just a small part of his output. In his time he was often criticised as being "over complex". Einstein was probably a very good patent clerk, but we don't remember this as his most profound work...
Try removing the minor dances/songs from the list of works Mozart wrote from his 30th Birthday, the output is a string of universally aclaimed masterpieces, more than most famous composers got near to in a life time - all within 5 short years.
It would be interesting to hear the case for Bach or another supreme master, so maybe we should create a list of "Greatest composer cases".
Just start with Mozart at the top.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe Answer is a TIE Between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)!.. In the End you can reduce ALL Composers to a choice between these two but you can't separate them! They Soar away at the Top of the ClassicFM Hall of Fame (c). Mozart Consistently has the Most Entries and HAS Held the No.1 Spot, but Beethoven Completely wins for Total Entries in the Top Ten over the Years!.. I Have spent Many Years listening to Classical Music and am certain this is a good answer. Perhaps ONE Composer who may come "Close" is the Russian, Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (1840-1893) but his work is only "Microscopic" in Comparison. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was Father to Mozart but only associate of Beethoven. ANY work from Either Composer has that "Tunesmanship" that is just Stunning! Enjoy!
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∙ 15y agoCharles Ives, Samuel Barber, John Jacob Niles, John Williams, George Gershwin
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∙ 11y agoCharles Edward Ives was the first great American Composer of the 20th century, and one of the most original spirits of his time.
-The Enjoyment of Music 11th Edition, Page 442
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∙ 13y agoGeorge Gershwin, John Phillip Sousa, and Aaron Copeland.
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∙ 11y agoIves.
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Who is known as the last great madrigal composer and the first great opera composer?
Claudio Monteverdi
A great twentieth-century composer who was also a leading scholar of the folk music of his native land was?
Béla Bartók
What American classical music composer hailed the Who is Tommy as a great artistic achievement?
Arthur Fiedler
Which composer is considered the first great exponent of musical Romanticism in France?
Berlioz
Is bach a painter?
No, but a great composer.
Who was the first great composer?
Nobody knows who the first great composer really was. This is because their music has not survived into the modern day.
Who is known as the last great madrigal composer and the first great opera composer?
Claudio Monteverdi
Who is a great french clavecinist and rococo composer of the mid-eighteen century?
Rameau
A great twentieth-century composer who was also a leading scholar of the folk music of his native land was?
Béla Bartók
What was the first great American nude painting?
A classical cupid is believed to be the first omnipresent nude American art. It was really shocking for the eighteenth-century Americans.It was painted by a native American artist so it did not receive the general approval until the mid-nineteenth century.
What American classical music composer hailed the Who is Tommy as a great artistic achievement?
Arthur Fiedler
Which composer is considered the first great exponent of musical Romanticism in France?
Berlioz
Which events did NOT happen in the 20th century A The War of 1812 B The Spanish-American War C The Great Depression D invention of the first Kodak camera E invention of the cotton gin?
Which events did NOT happen in the 20th century No. A The War of 1812 = 1812, 19th century No. B The Spanish-American War = 1898, 19th century YES. C The Great Depression = 1930s, 20th century No. D invention of the first Kodak camera = first sold 1888, 19th century No. E invention of the cotton gin = patient, 1793, 18th century
Is bach a painter?
No, but a great composer.
Why was Henry Clay called the great composer?
It wasn't the "Great Composer" He was called the great "Compromiser"The reason why Henry Clay was called "The Great Compromiser" was because he worked out the Missouri Compromise.
Why is Antonio Salieri not remembered as a great composer in history?
Antonio Salieri is not remembered as a great composer in history because of killing Mozart lies and rumors.
What was the first revolution war in the Civil War?
The American Revolutionary war was first, taking place in the 18th Century, as American colonists became independent from Great Britain. They subsequently formed a new country, the USA. The American Civil war took place in the 19th Century, as the descendants of those American colonists split into two countries, the USA and the CSA. After four years of war the CSA lost, and the USA became one country again.
