Which Classical Composer had the greatest legacy?

[cybrxkhan]

Mozart is definitely overrated. He does have his distinct style; generally, for example, i find that his piano works usually sound like operas or something like that, if you know what i mean. But still, the guy did write his first opera at 10 or something.

 

[Gilder]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

 

[Mirc]

^ Is Youtube working for you? It isn't working for me for 2 days... I can search, see profiles, comments, etc., but videos aren't working.

 

[Gilder]

Works fine for me.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I was speaking of present day fame. Any kid, no matter what music he listens to , knows Mozart. I think you'd find several who have never heard of Vivaldi.

Now, I'm sure, among connaisseurs it's probably different, but from the layman's view, that's how it is, IMHO.

That's because every kid has had a sub who put Amadeus on during class at least once.

 

[Fifty]

I think the chief reason everyone loves Mozart is just because everybody likes the story about the romantic prodigy who had beautiful music just flow as if by magic to his mind. Crap like that.

You could take a random 1/4th of Bach's work and it would probably be better than all of Mozart's.

 

[North King]

Hands down, Beethoven. He revolutionized music, nearly singlehandedly. Mozart... he was a good composer, but he didn't really change much in the way of music -- moreover, I'll be honest and say that his music is best used as background noise. Stuff to listen to while your brain is on other things. It doesn't draw you in.

Beethoven completely changed the style of Western music; he ushered in the era of the Romantics. Of course, I have a bias here, because I prefer Romantic music...

 

[Irish Caesar]

Well...

Mozart has a Simpsons episode
Bach has a Civ wonder
Beethoven is Schroeder's hero (of Peanuts fame)

So although Beethoven never had a bubble-gum card, I think I'll have to vote for him anyway. If only for Fur Elise being played in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

 

[Trajan12]

Click. CLICK. You know you want to...

Just thought everyone might enjoy that. Shows a few of the composers who are being emulated nowadays.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Mozart was a good composer, there is no doubt about that. But I think if you compare him and Bach, Mozart is probably going to look up in awe because Bach would be 10000 times his height. Bach is the granddaddy of all Classical music, as far as I can see. All classical composers during his life, and after his life, studied him and were influenced by him.

 

[Che Guava]

Mozart was a good composer, there is no doubt about that. But I think if you compare him and Bach, Mozart is probably going to look up in awe because Bach would be 10000 times his height. Bach is the granddaddy of all Classical music, as far as I can see. All classical composers during his life, and after his life, studied him and were influenced by him.

So maybe Mozart just needs more time.

Ir maybe it's not a fair contest because Bach came first

 

[cybrxkhan]

^we don't see composers after Mozart studying his music insanely, do we?

 

[Che Guava]

^we don't see composers after Mozart studying his music insanely, do we?

Some, but its true: probably not as many as Bach.

All right, you win...Next time Gadget, next time....!

 

[Taliesin]

I would say Beethoven edges out Bach for "most influential", because as North King said, he single-handedly revolutionised the symphony and made the Romantic era possible. I think it's tempting to overestimate Bach's influence, because we know most of what he wrote and recognise his immense genius; but after his death Bach was mostly forgotten. It took Mendelssohn's discovery of Bach's music and his efforts to revive it before Bach was acknowledged as El Supremo. The suites for unaccompanied cello weren't performed all at once until the late nineteenth century, for example.

 

[LightFang]

It is definitely Pachelbel. He was the original One Hit Wonder.

'Nuff said.

His chords are everywhere!

 

[Yoda Power]

Tchaichovsky or Wagner in my oppinon.

Those are my favourties though.

 

[Taliesin]

It is definitely Pachelbel. He was the original One Hit Wonder.

'Nuff said.

His chords are everywhere!

The Magic Flute is basically two and a half hours of variations on the Canon. I've played the thing myself about a hundred times at weddings-- nearly every wedding party I've played for has wanted it for the processional-- but thankfully I wasn't the cellist. Even so, one grows mighty sick of it.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is to blame for Pachelbel's ubiquity, actually, because nobody had heard of the Canon until somebody found a manuscript somewhere and decided it would be a good idea to revive it at a TSO concert (in the early 1960s, I think).

 

[cybrxkhan]

I think it's tempting to overestimate Bach's influence, because we know most of what he wrote and recognise his immense genius; but after his death Bach was mostly forgotten. It took Mendelssohn's discovery of Bach's music and his efforts to revive it before Bach was acknowledged as El Supremo. The suites for unaccompanied cello weren't performed all at once until the late nineteenth century, for example.

althuogh Mozart studied him. theres a story that says mozart at age 7 or 8 or something went to a church with tons of Bach music, and spent an entire week just reading all the music sheets.

 

[Mbest95]

Beethoven --- Da Da Da Dum!! 5th

 

[Felix Luce]

I love Bach much better than Mozart, but still....

I mean, look at Philip Glass. He has definitely brought on something new and enjoyable, but it's more of the same with his music.

So yeah.