Classical Top Five

Mahler, and dare I say.....

Rachmaninoff, if he didn’t have to stop composing and conducting in order to make a living as the greatest all-time pianist.
And, of course, Schubert and Haydn have to be mentioned.

Jpwarren58,

My sympathies on your knee replacement. I had one done six months ago.
No picnic and a lot of pain.
Hang in!
Listen to a lot of Gould’s Bach.

Arguments as to who is the greatest composer are, of course, subjective.
The composer who is the most meaningful to you is the “greatest.”
For me it’s Beethoven, then Mozart, then Bach.
Of course in the sheer volume of first rate compositions, Bach is probably the most prolific. But, to me, Beethoven, also by dint of volume, but also in the variety and scope of his masterpieces is the most meaningful.
I don’t believe anyone reached higher in inspiration than Mozart, but his short existence on this earth limited him.

Apropos of the above comment, most musicians I know feel that way about Mozart.
There’s just magic.
An epithet I once made up:
”Mozart tickles the soul”