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1.Johann Sebastian Bach - simply the most important figure in the entire history of western music 2.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - needs no explanation 3.Ludwig Van Beethoven - unmatched emotional depth...his music, particularly the last sonatas and quartets, speak from an elevated plane of conciousness. (obvious top 3, now it gets harder to choose) 4.Gustav Mahler - took the grandest and most significant step forward in post-Beethoven Symphonic development. Has yet to be matched since. 5.Franz Schubert - his gift for melody and lyricism is unmatched...very prolific despite a pathetically short life. 6.Johannes Brahms - This gifted symphonist buoyed German music (and some might say western music in general) between Beethoven and Mahler. His violin concerto is one of the great masterpieces of the western repertoire. 7.Franz Joseph Haydn - The father of both the symphony and the string quartet, the great figure of german classicism, and the most popular composer of his day (or perhaps any day). His "Creation" is perhaps the quintessential classical masterpiece. Despite his great mountain of musical acheivements, history has a tendency to overlook his work in favor of his early contemproray, Mozart, and his late contemporary, Beethoven. But let us not forget just WHO taught Beethoven counterpoint. 8.Arnold Schoenberg - It is highly debatable, but he is in my opinion the most important composer of the 20th century. He developed the twelve-tone system of music composition. Depending on your taste, he either saved or ruined western music. 9.Richard Wagner - This bitter rival of Brahms, despite being a wretched person and a vile anti-semite, was an unquestionable genius of orchestration and music drama. He remains one of the most popular composers in the repetoire, and is perhaps behind only Mozart and Beethoven in terms of "drawing power." 10.Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky - The unquestioned king of "whiz-bang" musical pyrotechnics. Always a crowd pleaser, Tchaikovsky just had a knack for bringing listeners to the edge of their seats. That is not to say all his music is fluff like the ridiculous 1812 Overture...the great symphonies (4,5,6), the Violin Concerto, and the first Piano Concerto are all artistic gems as well as pulse pounding thrillers. His ballet music still dominates the genre to this day. Honorable Mentions (in no particular order): Antonin Dvorak, George Frederick Handel, Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Niccolo Paganini, Felix Mendelssohn, Edwin Elgar, Jean Sibelius.
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