[HoundDog Mike]

Villa Lobos. He writes some of the most beautiful National Classical Guitar pieces I've have ever played or heard. Another South American is Barrios Mangore.

Check them out!

HoundDog Mike & the Crusade

[musicfunman]

Stravinsky. He's incredibly creative in a 20th Century idiom. I frequently listen to The Rite of Spring (sometimes with an orchestral score). Amazing orchestration and harmonies--and in 1913?!

[beanbag]

i think it is time to update my list.

i always have had and always will have a soft spot in my heart for the russians and other eastern europeans, old and new. (schubert, tchaikovsky, rimsky-korsakov, mussorgsky, stravinsky, bartok are among my favorites. also, i think i should be allowed to include henry mancini.)

if i had to pick a top fave right now, it would be chopin.

for classical guitar, always villa lobos. another great love of mine is isaac albeniz, and joaquin rodrigo. also, carlo domeniconi and jose luis merlin. ahh, and piazzola!!

my favorites never really change, they just shuffle order occasionally. and that list of composers is not comprehensive...those are just some of my absolute faves.

[musicfunman]

Originally Posted by Kavhatil

My favourite has to be Mozart

I agree with you. Mozart is also one of my favorites -- although I am partial to some 20th-century music because of the harmonic, rhythmic, and other unique qualities.

For me, Mozart has a freshness and playfulness that's hard to find in other composers of the period. Certainly Salieri (Mozart's contemporary) has some merit, but to me, he seems more predictable in his harmonies, etc., than does Mozart.