Well one classical guy that (I think) we might overlook too often is Boccherini. Too many good CDs to recommend. Another is CPE Bach. And another is Cherubini, with so many great masses. Mozart and Haydn deserve their fame, but these guys should be mentioned more often.

Moving into the somewhat obscure, Clementi.

And some things I haven't explored but want to: Thomas Linley the Younger, "the English Mozart." And Dussek, who I discovered because someone in War & Peace plays his sonatas.

 

Adding my hearty 'yeas' to Science's mention of Boccherini, CPE Bach, and Cherubini. I would add Jean Baptiste Vanhal 1739-1813 - I have four volumes of his symphonies, several in his 'Sturm und Drang' style, and I enjoy them immensely. Additionally, his catalogue of works include:

100 quartets, at least 73 symphonies, 95 sacred works, and a large number of instrumental and vocal works. The symphonies, in particular, have been committed increasingly often to compact disc in recent times, and the best of them are comparable with many of Haydn's. Many of Vanhal's symphonies are in minor keys and are considered highly influential to the "Sturm und Drang" movement of his time. wikipedia entry

 

I simply adore classical era music. I doubt there's a work I've heard from this era that I don't enjoy. Some relatively unknown composers that I love are Franz Krommer (great clarinet works), Joseph Kraus ("the Swedish Mozart"), Anton Vranitzky (some lovely symphonies), Domenico Cimarosa (opera composer who wrote some gorgeous overtures).

Here I'd like to champion Christian Cannabich who wrote over 70 symphonies and was the director of the famous Mannheim Orchestra. Here is his 63rd symphony:

I have the two Naxos recording of his late symphonies:

 

I simply adore classical era music. I doubt there's a work I've heard from this era that I don't enjoy.

Really? Try this: (Salieri piano concerto)

 

CPE Bach is the king. Boccherini is my second favorite. Haydn and Mozart write more professionally but I don't find their works as interesting. If I want a thrill, CPE Bach and Boccherini are my composers.

 

Michael Haydn, all too often overshadowed by Joseph.

Mozart must have surely, surely, surely, surely studied this piece by Michael Haydn. Listen and decide for yourself.

 

Yes. This is indeed a beautiful work. I picked up the disc a couple of years back and was quite impressed with how good Joseph's brother could be. This is one of the reasons I couldn't understand the repeated -3 votes for Michael Haydn on the "Greatest Composers" thread... and one of the reasons I started these threads: to present the works of composers beyond the so-called "core repertoire" who are far more than just a footnote.

 

Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760-1812), piano concerto.

I have the CD.

 

Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760-1812), piano concerto.

Lovely work. I also love his concerto for two pianos (Interesting spelling of his name in this video).

 

I guess I'm more into galante than the later stuff. Mozart and Haydn sound like the more mature Classical/Early Romantic with their later works. I think CPE Bach and Boccherini were more galante or were the best in galante imo. Locatelli and Carl Stamitz were sort of in the middle between periods as well. And Franz Xaver Pokorny has a great Flute Concerto originally thought was from Boccherini. So yeah the Classical Era doesn't just sound like Mozart and Haydn.

 

Franz Xaver Pokorny

That is a good mention. I've liked everything I've heard by him. I'll look for the flute concerto.

 

I love Classical Era music, but between Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven I find it an almost overwhelming task to take it all in. I am particularly into Haydn ATM. I love his first cello concerto, masses and string quartets. I am not fully into his symphonies yet (I got all 104 of them for a great price) but will be listening to a large portion of them over the next few months.

Beethoven I have listened to a great deal and he is a firm favourite. I can't fault Mozart, but I haven't got into his full oeuvre yet. The Requiem, his Great Mass, clarinet concerto, some symphonies and a selection of piano concerti as well as The Magic Flute. I intend to get more of his operas next.

Loving the recommendations in this thread so far, BTW.

I have a couple of discs of Cherubini and Clementi, but none of Boccherini's or the later Bachs ATM.

 

"Classical" era music is overall my favourite style of music, marginally ahead of baroque, and then followed by the early/mid romantic period. I have virtually everything written by all the best-known classical era composers (Haydn, Mozart, Beethove, Schubert). It was among these composers that I first concentrated attention for several years.

After a while, mainly prompted by material I had heard on the radio, I began to acquire a collection of several other classical composers' works. It has now built up to quite a sizeable collection of some 20 other composers. The biggest colections are for Sammartini, Michael Haydn, Myslivecek, Stamitz, Kuhlau, Cherubini, Cimarosa, Hummel, Boccherini, Vanhal, Dittersdorf.

 

Right now I'm listening to Boccherini's Stabat Mater on Spotify. It is an exquisite piece... scored originally for string quintet and soloist it is a lovely intimate take on what is commonly a choral work for much larger forces.

 

ANTON REICHA - father of the wind quintet and lifelong friend of Beethoven. Wrote lots of music but most famous for his 24 wind quintets.

 

Early Schubert and late Mozart is just astounding...

Here's a handy infographic about the timeline of Classical era composers. It ends with Schubert.

 

I'm not crazy about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart outside a few pieces and genres, and I'm not crazy about the classical period in general, but there are a few composers I have enjoyed from that period. I LOVE the work of Franz Joseph Haydn, so much personality and energy. I also rather enjoy what I've heard by Antonio Salieri and Leopold Mozart, and there's obscure gems like Francesco Zappa (I believe the only recording of any of his music that exists are arrangements that Frank Zappa created on his Synclavier). Also, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert aren't classical Sorry to break it to anybody who thinks they are, but they're Romantics. Beethoven does bridge the line between Classical and Romantic, but he really is a Romantic, and Felix Mendelssohn sounds more classical than either of them.

 

Also, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert aren't classical Sorry to break it to anybody who thinks they are, but they're Romantics. Beethoven does bridge the line between Classical and Romantic, but he really is a Romantic, and Felix Mendelssohn sounds more classical than either of them.

Schubert is a transitional composer between the Classical and Romantic era. His early works (with the exception of his Lieder, which is the one of the earliest products of Romantic era of music) are Classical especially his first 5 symphonies and the Trout Quintet. It is only with his composing of the Unfinished symphony in 1822 that his Romantic side become more pronounced. But here's the catch: the Octet in F written in 1824 is classical in nature, while the last three quartets written between 1824-1825 is undeniably Romantic. The Great C major symphony was described by musicologists as the last great Classical symphony and one of the first Romantic symphony that influenced Schumann, Brahms, Mahler and Bruckner.

So, we can safely conclude that: Schubert is the last of the great Classical composers and the first (together with LvB) great Early Romantics.

 

Schubert is not classical. Neither is Beethoven or most of Mozart's late output.

 

Wikipedia begs to disagree..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Classical_era_composers

Lists of classical music
composers by era
Medieval (476-1400)
Renaissance (1400-1600)
Baroque (1600-1760)
Classical era (1730-1820)
Romantic era (1815-1910)
20th century (1900-2000)
21st century (since 2000)

This is a list of composers of the Classical music era, roughly from 1730 to 1820. Prominent composers of the Classical era include Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Stamitz, Joseph Haydn, Johann Christian Bach, Antonio Salieri, Muzio Clementi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Luigi Boccherini. Prominent composers of both the Classical and early Romantic eras include Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.

 

Mozart is most certainly Classical... Indeed he is the epitome of the Classical era. Beethoven is a transitional figure. He bridges the Classical era into Romanticism. His earlier works are clearly "Classical" while later works point the way toward Romanticism... but retain a "Classical" attention to clarity of form or structure. One need only compare the clarity of structure in Beethoven to the High-Romanticism of Wagner, Berlioz, or Mahler. Schubert is also a transitional figure... arguably further leaning toward Romanticism.

The reality is that there are no clear cut-off dates for artistic styles. One cannot cite the date upon which the Renaissance began or ended.

 

Mozart had 2 or 3 distinct periods. I would say there is a considerable difference in Mozart's last 4 Symphonies. Sounds like Romantacism to me. His early Symphonies sound like Rococo. His middle Symphonies are the typical Symphonies of the Classical Era. Once I started hearing the anger or expressions of Mozart's come out, I'm thinking that is the beginning of the Romantic Era. Symphony 38 comes to mind. Not sure if that is the first Symphony to sound like that.

 

I think it is. My wife doesn't like Mozart music - thinks he's just a light and fluffy choccie box composer. Never heard no 38 though and I popped it in the car CD once and she asked which Beethoven sy is that.

 

I didn't say Mozart wasn't Classical. I said the late Mozart sounds more Romantic. The key word is late. When he starts sounding like Beethoven gives me the clue that it sounds Romantic.

 

Yes I know what you said, which is why I asked you: "In what ways did late Mozart break with the classical mould? Take any example you like and say why it's "romantic", not "classical".

 

Soler is great, Salieri is great, CPE Bach is AWESOME, Giuliani is cool.

 

And Mozart is the BEST! Sorry, just had to say that. ut:

 

Most Mozart doesn't seem to have that certain dramatic power that CPE Bach has. Works like Don Giovanni almost get there, but isn't quite at the level of CPE's symphonies. Mozart was a brilliant contrapuntalist and very good operatic, vocal and choral composer, but a lot of his instrumental works are extremely overrated.

 

Mozart was a brilliant contrapuntalist and very good operatic, vocal and choral composer, but a lot of his instrumental works are extremely overrated.

What's over-rated about his last 3 Symphonies, last 7 Piano Concertos, Clarinet Concerto, various Serenades (eg Nos 10, 13), Sinfonia Concertante, "Haydn" String Quartets, String and Wind Quintets?

I assume you have actually heard all of these works. In that case do tell us where you think Mozart slipped up in his writing of say the Jupiter Symphony, or perhaps his Piano Concerto No 20. Why exactly do think they're over-rated?

 

Most of Beethoven's music is very moody. Since when did moodiness become a part of the fluffy Classical Era? Beethoven breaks the tradition of easy listening that is the Classical Era. I don't see him as a Classical Era Composer. The same with late Mozart stuff like Symphonies 38-41

 

It became part of the classical era in Sturm und Drang.

 

But there are all those cool modulation in tonality far apart the original one (which are less present (albeit present, particularly in the late works) in Haydn's and Mozart's opus).

edit : Since we're at it, is there any composer who wrote great piano sonatas apart from Haydn and Mozart ?
I heard come cool one by Clementi and Dussek, but they're definitely not at the same level as the Mozart/Haydn/Beethoven sonatas. Dussek sounded a bit heavy (but I just listened to a few of his works). I'm seeking for daring and audacious music. Thanks

 

Most of Beethoven's music is very moody. Since when did moodiness become a part of the fluffy Classical Era? Beethoven breaks the tradition of easy listening that is the Classical Era. I don't see him as a Classical Era Composer.

So composing in a minor key is all we need to move from Classicism to Romanticism?

 

Uh pounding the piano and playing loud are usually signs of Romanticism. Yes theoretically Beethoven is Classical but from a listening standpoint, Beethoven has more in common with the sound of Mendelssohn and many others of the early Romantic than how the sound of most of the Classical era. But if form is the only way to characterize Beethoven, I guess he is Classical. Quite different from any other Classical composers sound though. Maybe we can call it the Beethovenian Era. A fusion of Classical form with common dynamics and length of Romantic pieces.

 

I'm sure there is mix Romanticism in all eras. Maybe Bach wasn't too popular as he was ahead of his time.

 

Very interesting, this "Classical Era" thread has turned into a discussion of Beethoven (^and jazz and rock obviously).

To get this thread back on track I thought I might mention a woman composer called Anna Amalia (a princess of somewhere or other). Here is something I found on YouTube:

Quite listenable.

 

Mozart is a Romantic:

and H.I.F. Biber was a Modernist ahead of Schoenberg:

(wait for the second mvt.)

:lol:

 

I've performed Battalia with some other string players. Second movement is so much fun. Reminds me of Charles Ives.

 

It's almost as if some people don't want Beethoven to be considered a 'Classical' composer; like it's an insult.