Which 8 of these classical period composers are the most significant?

[bbernardini]

I have my music students write a short report about a composer from each of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. They pick the name out of a hat. Since my current class is smaller than others in the past, I only want to put the top 8 in so they don't have problems finding material about the composers. Here's the big list. What would YOU say are the top 8?

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Franz Joseph Haydn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Gioachino Rossini
Luigi Boccherini
C.P.E. Bach
J.C. Bach
John Gay
Muzio Clementi
Luigi Carlo Cherubini
Niccolo Paganini
Antonio Salieri
W.F. Bach
Friedrich Daniel Rudolph Kuhlau

[lil-petunia]

1. tough choices

beethoven
Mozart
Pagagnini
Rossini
Several bachs


REAL TOUGH choices.

time to put on my iPod.

[meegbear]

2. Hmmmm ...

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Franz Joseph Haydn
Gioachino Rossini
Luigi Boccherini
J.C. Bach
Luigi Carlo Cherubini
Niccolo Paganini
Antonio Salieri

While I can understand you want to ensure they can find material on them, you gotta make 'em do some work. Pull Mozart, too much info on him.

[pagerbear]

5. I like that idea. Cover Mozart and Beethoven in class

...and make them work on the others.

[phaseolus]

3. the first five, Paganini...

That's six. Pick one of the Bach kids, and maybe stick Gluck or Anton Reicha in there? I dunno

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Rossini, C.P.E. Bach, J.C. Bach, John Gay, and

Paganini would be my choices.

[Zuni]

6. I have 5

Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Rossinni and Paganini (at least for his personal life and myths about him as well as his virtuosity on the violin)
But there is no doubt that Beethoven, Mozart and Handel are the most remembred and listened to today of all those.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. I agree with covering Mozart and Beethoven in class, Haydn, too

They all made important contributions to the development of classical music. If you wanted the students to have eight choices, cut out the bottom three.

[redqueen]

8. Mine

Beethoven
Mozart
Rossini
Paganini
JC Bach
CPE Bach
Haydn
and to add a personal choice, I'd include Arcangelo Corelli