Hey everyone!
Here's a question for everybody:

Think of your favorite baroque, classical, or romantic era composer. Then think about a favorite song composed by them. Who would the composer be and what song is your favorite of theirs?

My favorite composer would have to be Felix Mendolossohn (I think that's how you spell his last name) and my favorite song would be Jägerlied from his "Songs Without Words".

playpiano

Hmm...Baroque I'm not a big fan of, so I won't say I have a favourite composer from there. Classical I like, but don't really have a favourite composer.

Romantic is an entirely different matter. I love romantic music. Chopin is amazing, he's certainly a favourite composer of mine. Favourite piece...Raindrop Prelude.
I also love Grieg and Mendelssohn.

Post-Romantic I love Debussy and Ravel. Debussy-wise his Tocatta and Sarabande from Pour le Piano are excellent, and of course Clair De Lune is beautiful.
I love Ravel's Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte. It's so sad, yet it's major. I can't play it yet, but I'm getting there.

It's good to find another classical nut. Welcome to FT!

I have 2 favorites. My first is by Bach. I love baroque music and the Orchestral Suites are my favorite.
I also love Beethoven's 9th, especially the choral part. I'm not normally a big fan of choral music but I find this piece to be incredible moving, especially when played at full volume.

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A minor, the Allegro
I think just a listen will tell you why. No need for words, except maybe"sublime"

That is a very cool song. Mozart is way awesome.

I love classical music. Many years ago I taught myself how to play the piano so I could play Debussy's "Claire De Lune." I have never grown tired of it.

ren, thank you, I really enjoyed listening to your link. Sublime is the perfect description. I have bookmarked it.

Years ago, I was in the habit of putting on Moe Koffman's rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons at full volume every Sunday. Great Sunday brunch music!

Yes, Four Seasons is excellent. I especially love Winter.

Several favourites from each category, but the one piece of music which touches me more than any is the Intermezzo from Mascagni's 'Cavalleria Rusticana' - quite lovely.

Four Seasons has always been a favorite of mine. I like Autumn best, which is funny because Autumn is my favorite time of year.

I also enjoy Chopin very much.

Oh, Rachmaninoff's 19th variation of Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. (I think that's it)

My favourite composer is most definitely Handel, because (in Beethoven's words) he can "produce such great effects with such simple means."

I couldn't possibly rank one piece of his above all others. I'm just glad that this year the BBC is celebrating the 250th anniversary of his birth by broadcasting all his operas (about forty of them). It's probably in those operas that you find the simplest means used to create the most sublimely beautiful sounds.

I'd have to go with Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, followed closely by his 2nd Piano Concerto.

Even though Handel and Bach are my two favourite composers, being consistenly excellent, there are two tracks by other composers that I would consider favourites.

This is from Domenico Scarlatti's excellent Su Le Sponde del Tebro, and just moves one, sung by the wonderful Judith Blegen.

http://home.gb.napster.com/GB/en/ns/play/tracks/21321537

This is my favourite version of a track called "Buccinate in Neomenia" from Symphoniae Sacrae II, a work of 1615 by Giovanni Gabrieli, also excellent, seems to be a halfway point between mediaeval and baroque.

http://home.gb.napster.com/GB/en/ns/play/tracks/23699301