Favorite Composer?

[openup4christ]

beethoven is great the best! heard all of his 9th symphony it was the most beautiful thing i have ever heard. God has blessed us with him (And of course Andrea Bocelli)

 

[DavidB]

Chopin is my favorite, although a lot of the other composers are good too.

 

[Alenci]

Johann Sebastian Bach!!!

 

[hey]

Where's Chopin?
He's my favourite!
His music's so beautiful!

 

[DUV]

Bach is my fave2.

I enjoy listening to Jesu Joy of Man's Desire and Allegro.

Bach rocks!

DUV

 

[Bohemian]

Definitely Bach, though I'm suprised Mozart wasn't listed.

 

[Enigma'07]

Mussorsky is cool, but I enjoy playing Beetovan.

 

[MetalBlade]

Of course Bach, his harpischord solos rule. Followed by Richard Wagner and then Chopin

 

[openup4christ]

bach plzzz every one LOVEs bach hes good but beethoven and handle r better, and i must give props to mozart.

 

[UberLutheran]

But there's a whole bunch of composers whose works I really love, starting around 1150 all the way up to the 21st century.

And even in composers whose works I generally don't care for, there are pieces I really admire and enjoy listening to:
- Chaikovskii: the G Major Piano Sonata and The Nutcracker;
- John Cage, Sonatas and Interludes for Piano;
- Richard Wagner, Tristan und Isolde and the Prelude to the Second Act of Götterdammerung;
- Richard Strauss, Four Last Songs.

 

[Mahlerfan]

Um... it would have to be Mahler lol. The Resurrection symphony being my most favourite piece of music.

 

[Invictus]

Of those listed in the poll I like Beethoven and Handel. Beethoven's 9th symphony and Handel's Messiah are among my favourite classical pieces.

I also enjoy listening to Rachmaninoff and anything by Shostakovich.

 

[openup4christ]

Of those listed in the poll I like Beethoven and Handel. Beethoven's 9th symphony and Handel's Messiah are among my favourite classical pieces.

I also enjoy listening to Rachmaninoff and anything by Shostakovich.

u read my mind

 

[bookworm92]

No Vivaldi?!?!?!??!! Treachary! Well, I guess Handel, though I could never let go of my Bach cds!

 

[Cal]

I am seeking to add to this list in order to enhance my praising of God through music and this seems like such a sophisticated group, I was hoping some of you may be able to help me.

In English


Bach’s Passion of St Matthew

Bach’s Passion of St. John

Brahms Requiem

Handel’s Chandos Anthems (complete)---Psalms and other scripture

Handel’s Te Deum for the Victory of Dettingen ---the Psalms in English

Handel: Judas Maccabaeus

Handel: Israel in Egypt

Handel: Joshua

Handel: Solomon

Handel: Theodora

Handel: Saul

Handel: Belshazzar

Handel: Deborah

Handel: Nabal

Handel: Samson

Handel: Joseph and his Brethren

Handel: Esther

Haydn’s Creation

Mendelssohn’s Elijah

The Complete Sacred Music of Henry Purcell

Tallis Complete English Anthems

Walton: Belshazzar's Feast; Coronation Te Deum; Gloria

Early American Choral Music, Vol. 1 and 2

Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress

Boyce: David's Lamentation

John Rutter: Te Deum and other church music

America Sings, Volume I: The Founding Years

The Psalms of David—12 Disc CD set---St. Paul’s

Willem de Fesch: Joseph

William Boyce: Solomon, A Serenata---Song of Songs

William Byrd: The Great Service: Anthems



My Only Comfort: Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach by Stapert. This is a book with a Reformational interpretation of the biblical-theological themes that lie at the core of Bach’s work. It compares the similarity of Bach’s Lutheran theology with the Calvinistic Heidelberg Catechism. If you read this book it will help you understand Bach in German until the Lord is pleased to translate the rest of his works into English.



In German—Unfortunately



Bach 200 Cantata’s 60 CD’s---Lutheran Hymns composed by reformers

Bach: Motet No3; Motet No1

Bach: Mass in B Minor

Schultz: The Christmas Story, Cantiones Sacrae, Psalm 100

Dietrich Buxtehude: 6 Cantatas—All Lutheran Hymns, mostly composed by Martin Luther



I have found a remnant of reformed Contemporary Christian CD's:



Steve Camp---Desiring God

David – Ordinary Man---Various artists including Camp

Celtic Cry---Voice of the Martyrs

 

[Něco hrubého oprýskaného 1]

Ein deutsches Requiem is more of a reflection on death than an offering to God. The text was taken from Luther's Bible (conveniently in German), but was interpreted according to Brahms' own needs (possibly to memorialize the death of his mentor: Robert Schumann).

Anyone can write a "mass" regardless of religious affiliation. It's a way to pay homage to the older forms.

Do you limit yourself entirely to music with Christian texts? Does the music itself mean anything?

Anyway...most of the Masses written back in the Church Polyphony days have the same exact text. Usually not in English, but it's a small amount of Latin to deal with. Jeremy Summerly offers a very accurate and beautiful account of much of this music. He records primarily for Naxos. Guillaume de Machaut is one of the Greats. If you're only interested in Protestant texts...I don't know...

Oh, and Vaughan Williams was basically an agnostic as well...

 

[Cal]

Ein deutsches Requiem is more of a reflection on death than an offering to God. The text was taken from Luther's Bible (conveniently in German), but was interpreted according to Brahms' own needs (possibly to memorialize the death of his mentor: Robert Schumann).

Oh, and Vaughan Williams was basically an agnostic as well...

But John Bunyan was a godly Christian who referenced the bible a lot in Pilgrims Progress and Brahms uses the Word of God in his Requiem, this makes the related music heavenly in spite of the composers religious affiliation.

Are you saying only the religious can write religious music?

If so, I don't know.

 

[Něco hrubého oprýskaného 1]

You mentioned a predilection for Reformed music in English.

For me, whether or not a piece of music is "heavenly" has little to do with the text if it has any. It's just that most Christians seem to like splitting hairs over this kind of thing. Personally, I have no agenda...I do go through phases, though.

If you don't mind German (or the OT)...you might enjoy the triskaidekaphobic Moses and Aron by Arnold Schoenberg. He was Lutheran for 35 years! I recommend Scherchen or Solti.

Remember: It's not modern, just badly played.

 

[Cal]

You mentioned a predilection for Reformed music in English.

For me, whether or not a piece of music is "heavenly" has little to do with the text if it has any. It's just that most Christians seem to like splitting hairs over this kind of thing. Personally, I have no agenda...I do go through phases, though.

If you don't mind German (or the OT)...you might enjoy the triskaidekaphobic Moses and Aron by Arnold Schoenberg. He was Lutheran for 35 years! I recommend Scherchen or Solti.

Remember: It's not modern, just badly played.

Cool....but I sure wish I could find more english. It just helps me praise God more when I understand the words in english.

 

[BWV 1080]

Arvo Part and John Tavener are two great contemporary composers of sacred music. An excellent CD featuring both composers is "out of the night" conducted by Andrew Parrot. Amazon has audio clips