Ok I realise that this is a negative question but I also think that it would be fabulously interesting to see what everyone thinks. Note 'over-rated', not 'worst'. The ones who you hear about constantly but either can't get into or just find insipid or trite! Please also note that I have not put living composers such as John Williams, Einaudi, etc. Don't take these into consideration, I am only referring to ones who have shaped our musical past.

Please excuse any glaring omissions I have made, it is very difficult with only 20 choices (2 of which aren't composers anyway) to cover everybody's opinions of who are the 'big fish' of the composing world. And don't be afraid of being controversial! I'll start the ball rolling by voting for . . . . . . . Bach

Boo, how could you??

I voted Brahms I'm afraid. Just can't get into it...

I'd also like to point out that this could be an educational experience for us all, getting to know a bit more about a composer whose full merits we haven't yet come to appreciate.

Oddy - What about the Hungarian dances? I know I'll get slated but I just can't understand why everyone raves about Bach.

Boo, what Bach are you basing your opinion on? Maybe you've just been hit with a load of chorales to harmonise which is enough to put anyone off.

What do you think to the Chaconne?

Oddy, I told you before to go and listen to the Brahms violin sonatas? Have you? and do you still not like Brahms.

I have voted for Vivaldi, but I thnk maybe as a composer of his time he was probably OK...just all seems too "samey" to me now.

And thank goodness for a musical poll and not scarey biscuits

Mahler, have listened and listened and I just can't like it. I once wrote in a uni essay recalling Mahler's sessions with Freud and suggested he should have paid more attention to Freud's theory with the preoccupation with size! Less can be more.....

Vivaldi, for much the same reason as janexxx. Although I was tempted to join Oddball with Brahms as well.

*cries*

I didn't used to like J.S.Bach's music either - AP can recall me playing my grade 8 Bach with a very very bored look on my face . Post-grade 8, I didn't touch the stuff for a few years.

Then, I decided that it was perhaps for the best that I included a prelude and fugue for my DipABRSM programme and bought the Well-Tempered Clavier. I chose one to work on (see the recordings site ) and pottered around with the rest of the book as music-reading practice. Pretty soon, I got into it quite heavily - from the point of view of playing and reading the music, it's incredibly exciting and full of detail.

Now, still, I like listening to Bach but I get far more of a thrill from being part of it and actually playing the music. There's also the whole excitement of how to embellish and ornament the printed score.

So don't write Bach off just yet. You've just done well in your grade 6, maybe have a look at the Sarabande from Partita 1:

http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/dlpage_ne...mposition_id=75

On the page it isn't too complex, so embellish . Have fun with it. For some starting points look at:

http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/Jour...L3/baroque.html

But, I digress. I voted Sibelius - I've never quite got into it. There's the odd good piece - Finlandia, for instance - but the rest seems to be cookie-cutter music with no particular depth of character.

Oh dear, I've gone for Vivaldi too, and again for much the same reasons as Jane. With Bach, there's enough variety in his works to prevent me from voting for him, and I've always liked Brahms!

I'm not having a good time of it - I like Vivaldi too .

The remedy is Rachel Podger's recording of La Stravaganza .

Oh dear I knew this would be terrible for some. If it's any consolation, I really like Brahms!

YAP, re: Bach, I have downloaded the Partita and the Sarabande looks ok, except for those demisemiquavers. My piano teacher doesn't really rate Bach either but has still requested that I learn a piece from the WTC, for the sake of my repertoire and technique. It's prelude No. 6 and is quite nice really.

This probably sounds awful, but the thought of ornamenting the score really doesn't fill me with excitement. Never mind, I have many years of piano playing still to come.

Oh no! I missed out Mendelssohn! Never mind, everybody loves Mendelssohn.

Brahms' clarinet music is really good to both listen to and play. That alone is enough to not vote for Brahms. I do like his piano works too (though there's not a lot of chance of me ever playing them...... )

If it's any consolation, barry-clari, given the choice I would have voted for the entire romantic period (with the possible exception of Mendelssohn and the Russian composers).

This is why I find it so fascinating. An friend of mine (who is 70) loves his Bach and Handel keyboard works but just doesn't have the time of day for Chopin, Grieg or Mendelssohn, which I just struggle to comprehend as I am almost the exact opposite!

May be a clarinet thing Andante - being a first choice clarinettist I have much more affinity with Classical/Romantic music than with Baroque (even though Bach and Handel in particular from the Baroque era are fine composers in my opinion). Having said that though. of course, I've blown the dust off my recorders recently. I could be (partially) converted, you know!.....

It's possibly a flute thing as well - very little written for flute during the 19th century apart from studies. Of course, the Boehm flute was being developed around this time.

Having said that, I steer clear of the romantic repertoire for piano too. Too much emphasis on chords for my little fingers, and, above all, I dislike pieces with obvious melodies and harmonies, and there's rather a lot of this in the romantic period. Give me some nice Baroque or Renaissance counterpoint anyday, or some lovely twentieth century unexpected harmonies.

Fascinating thread ! wonder why it's not been done before...

Like your friend, I love Bach, - but you (or he) can keep Handel!

I more or less avoid Chopin, (that may be a hand-size thing too, Andante, although I will struggle with Debussy which I find much more rewarding), but I do like Mendelssohn and Greig.

I voted Brahms because I can't get into him either - usually I enjoy playing ANYTHING, even if I wouldn't usually listen to it - but his clarinet sonatas bored me to tears.

I don't like Strauss either.

I LOVE Chopin, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Taverner... in fact most composers!

Oh yes, if Johann Strauss I had been there he'd definitely be for the chop! I'd spare the younger, though, because I really enjoyed Die Fledermaus when I went to see it.

Oh no they don't! You forced me to vote Chopin instead

But who's been voting Wagner

Nooooooo! Sibelius is fab.

Though his violin concerto is a bit weird... but it has possibly the best opening of any concerto, in my view!

None of these composers gets my vote. I don't know enough Schumann to judge. Can't think who I would vote for. Possibly Chabrier for writing that horrid Spanish piece...

Oops! Should have read the message before I voted! I went for "other", with Karl Jenkins as my choice.

I didn't mean you !

Ooh, think you're in the minority there Deb! Wagner was my second choice but I didn't vote for him for the simple reason that he's not as 'rated' as Bach! Have you ever heard Mendelssohn's Theme and Variations in B flat for piano?

Darn, I forgot Debussy too! But who would I have eliminated from the list? 20 options just isn't enough. I'm glad no-one has voted for Schubert, Tchaikovsky Schumann or Grieg yet, they would all be in my top 10 all-time composers.

Voted Mozart - pretty much everything mozarty sounds like arpeggio exercises, i mean, it's good, probably better than lots of composers, but, for being overrated, he certainly tops my list.

bhrams: three words to all those that don't appreciate him: Symphony Number One. Brilliant piece - I'm sick of playing it for a whole year, but brilliant nonetheless.

I have to admit I voted Bach, I just can't get into his music!! I LOVE chopin though...
I'm quite surprised people voted Vivaldi; the four seasons are such great pieces!!

Same here! I have tried some but I still haven't managed to be persuaded. Another one Im not so keen on is Scarlatti

I've gone for Mozart Forgive me Nat, but come on folks...let's get real, if he's too easy for beginners and too hard for experts, how do we get a "good performance"?! Plus Mozart seems to bore me for some reason at times

What IS the point of trying to play something if it seems that NO ONE can do the music justice?!

Like you YAP , I just can't understand Sibelius ...
Maybe he's brilliant but I just don't get it....

It's really hard to decide..they all have their merits...I voted for Chopin.....as a pianist.

Shostakovitch composed many Symphonies and string Quartets and concertos, not only film scores..

Some of his music is a bit weird yeah , but I Love him though...


---------------

Anyone like Shostakovich who has composed such a variety of different works won't get my vote for 'most over-rated composer'. He made a lot of effort to understand the capabilities of each musical instrument and as such, he was a wonderful orchestrator. Even though Wagner's music isn't really my cup of tea, his influence on other composers saved him from my vote.

What's wrong with John Williams????

AND he is a very talented guitarist too. That guy has real talent

I voted Vivaldi.

It's a shame some people have trouble with Sibelius, I think he's the greatest symphonist of the 20th century. The sound can be austere at times, I admit, however try the 5th Symphony first.

I quite like it! I think it'd be even better without the violin though

I haven't voted because a lot of the composers I don't know enough about criticise (I never liked Chopin, but I only briefly listened to a couple of his piano pieces so I can't say that I hate him based on that).

On my fantastic list are Tchaikovsky (I love his ballet music and the 1812 Overture just for starters), Stravinsky (The Firebird) and Mozart (Horn Concertos). I also like Sibelius (but not based on that much!), Grieg (Peer Gynt was great) and Wagner (a lot of his stuff was quite good, and he wanted to score everything for Horns - he can't be that overrated!). The rest I'm not educated enough to know about - to be honest, a lot of them are composers that more advanced pianists and violinists would be more familiar with (I've only just encountered my first piece of Bach at Grade 4).

John Williams is quite possibly my favourite composer ever, for the record. He's fantastic. If you want to get picky about film scores, though, all I can say is that if you formatted a series of his tunes (say, for Star Wars) into a symphony, nobody would complain about that!

Plus Mozart seems to bore me for some reason at times

Me too Chris ! I didn't actually vote for him, but I don't think he'd make it into my top few. One or two of his works I like enormously, but an awful lot I find I switch off.

(ed) yes I do like John Williams too.

This is too difficult...will vote another day There are some on there that I simply couldnt say a word against and some that I guess I will never learn to appreciate *cough* Wagner *cough* Though there are others too...

Ooh I forgot to add that I LOVE Telemann as well. Can't decide who my favourite is. It always used to be Chopin, but I can't play much of his piano music - too hard.

Actually - my favourites at the moment are the Burgmuller brothers, especially Norbert. Underrated!

Another vote for Bach - it was between him and Vivaldi. I'm not a fan of baroque music and, although I do enjoy the Brandenburgs and some of Bach's choral music, I find a lot of his pieces (sorry to say this!) downright boring, particualrly the keyboard works.

How can anyone consider Mozart, the supreme musical genius, to be over-rated, though?!

I agree, along with Bach and CHOPIN!!!
I find Brahms a bit overrated...

I have! I can't stand most of his music. I'm a fan of both Baroque and Romantic. I love J S Bach especially as he is so varied, and you can jazz it up too - love listening to Jacques Loussier playing Bach. Wish I could play like that. I agree about a lot of Mozart's music, but there are gems too, so I wouldn't put him in the over-rated category.

I think what is really interesting is how different we all are. What is it that makes you love or hate a particular composer? Is it early exposure, or lack thereof, to a certain type of music, is it already "wired in" from birth, do we love or hate some music because it has certain connotations. I know I hated the violin for years because my father played it so badly. It wasn't until I was persuaded along to a Yehudi Menuhin concert that I realised it could actually sound good, and the conversion to actively liking it took many years after that!

Just hope I'm still around to be listening to anything 400 years from now, but by then I might be deaf anyway, so does it really matter. Enjoy the meal

I don't like Wagner too!
*Runs away from Deborah*

Wagner's written some interesting operas in particular - he has also influenced other composers.

But.

Would I generally choose to listen to Wagner? Probably not.

I voted for Chopin, mainly because the music I've heard (can't name any) hasn't appealed to me.
I disagree with voting Brahms! He has some wonderful viloin concertos, (but I am biased) and Vivaldi is great to play!

(Only a violinist would say such a scandalous thing!)

It was Verdi who said that 'Wagner has some dazzling moments.....and pretty awful half-hours.'
Could it be true?

This is a really interesting topic. I've been reading it and alternately going ! Bach for me is one of the greatest geniuses (genii?!) ever, and while I once couldn't get into some of his music, now I can't get enough! I love love love Chopin, and although I can't understand some of Wagner's music, every now and again there's a moment that hits me hard. So I'm afraid I went for I love all of them, mainly because I'm a true sit-on-the-fence-er! It's fascinating how different, musical people can have completely different opinions on the same composers though. Can anyone verbalise, for example, exactly why they like and don't like Bach? We might get some answers...or that could be too simple! After all, it's hard to verbalise music.