Who is your favorite piano composer?

[jbmajor]

I like Chopin, but I also like some of Beethoven.  

[DarkWind]

Ravel.

[Tash]

chopin, khachaturian, bartok, bach

[r.schaefer]

Beethoven!!!

[klavierkonzerte]

 Grieg

[shasta]

Mendelssohn and Rachmaninoff

[liszmaninopin]

Well, in no particular order, as I love all of these composers:

Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Ravel, Chopin

Really, though, there are dozens more composers whose music I genuinely enjoy, but I can say that these four have never written anything that I don't like.

[in_love_with_liszt]

Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Alkan, Brahms....all rank as some of my most favorite to play and listen to, but I would have to say Liszt tops them all in my opinion.

[.COM]

In particular order, my favorite composers are:

Beethoven, Chopin, Lizst, Rachmanioff, Brahms, Mozart, Joplin, and any other composer that I might began to admire in the future.

[goalevan]

Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Joplin

[Balakirev]

It changes a lot. I like them all but not all their work.

Today it's Haydn

But I REALLY respect St-George, not only for his music but for what he  accomplished.

[joeltr888]

Bach, Chopin.

[benji]

Chopin, Liszt, and Scriabin

[jr11]

Currently Beethoven and Bach.

[Philip Daniel]

1) Bach & Mozart
2) Haydn & Chopin
3) Field & Clementi
4) Schumann, Beethoven, & G. Richter

[Shagdac]

Easy...

#1 Gottschalk

...then all the rest, particularily Schumann, Rach, Bach and Beethoven. Have never gotten much into the French composers.

[liszmaninopin]

Well, let's see:

I just counted mentionings of names, not taking into account their relative order:

First place:  Chopin with 9 mentions
Second place:  Beethoven with 7 mentions
Third place:  Rachmaninoff and Bach tied with 5 mentions

Honorable mention:  Mozart and Liszt with 3

Forgive me if I somehow miscounted!

[PL]

Beethoven, Liszt, Ravel.

[eugene_oneg]

Chopin
JS Bach
Wolfi Amadee Amazing Mozart
Ravel
Schumann
Adolf Henselt
Prokofiev
Medtner
KM von Weber
Ferdinand Ries
GF Haendel
Kaikoshru Sorabji
a mention for Brahms

other composers (not for piano)

H. Berlioz
JC Bach

Of all of Beethoven works I only like a couple of his piano sonatas and his string quartets.  I don't think much of his other works even his symphonies.

[minimozart007]

Ravel, Debussy, Mozart, and Bach

[Motrax]

Rach 'n' Bach are at the top of my list, and then following closely behind (and every nowandthen jumping ahead) are Schubert, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms.

Prokofiev, Barber, and Stravinsky come behind that - I love some of their works, and detest others.

A few composers who I'd like listening to more before making an opinion are Medtner, Beach, Ravel, and Debussy, to name a few.

[The Six]

Debussy is the greatest composer for piano.

[jason2711]

rachmaninov; his concertos are among my favourite for any composer
chopin
ravel
liszt
mention for poulenc, i really enjoy playing his music

[ravel]

debussy, ravel, prokofiev, rachmaninov, chopin, liszt, bartok,

[Troldhaugen]

There are so many composers from different periods that I like, but I'm just going to list  my all-time favourites.

Balakirev
Chopin
Debussy
Grieg
Rachmaninoff
Ravel

[Belgedin]

1) Bach
2) Scarlatti, Handel
3) Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg

[klavierkonzerte]

bach
beethoven
scarlatti, how come no one mentioned him?
chopin
grieg
liszt
thalberg
henselt
moscheles
hummel

[dlu]

(in no particular order)

Scarlatti
Hadyn
Sorabji
Beethoven
Schubert
Ligeti
Schumann
Hummel
Bach
Liszt (only for the transcriptions...)

ect.

DLu

[Belgedin]

scarlatti, how come no one mentioned him?

I believe I mentioned him Number two in my list.

I also like William Byrd and Schubert, but I forgot to list them.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

My vote goes to Beetoven for sonatas. Most definately Rachmaninoff for concertos. I also enjoy Godowsky.

[Asho]

In no particular order:

Rachmaninoff
Chopin
Beethoven
Liszt

[jcromp78]

As far as ability to compose for the piano I would have to say Chopin and Liszt. The most interesting to me is Alkan I just love most of his works especially the op 39 etudes and the three pieces from op 15. I really also am fascinated by 20th century American composers like Samuel Barber and Charles Ives, amazing stuff.

[musicsdarkangel]

1.  Rachmaninoff
2.  Liszt
3.  Chopin
4.  Ravel

[joachim]

Arvo Pärt. Please give "Für Alina" a listen. The purity and depth of Pärt's music is overwhelming.

My other favourites include Morton Feldman, Olivier Messiaen and Arnold Schönberg.
Also i really like Ravel, Chopin and Scarlatti among others.

[redbaron]

It would be a fight to the death between Chopin and Rachmaninov. Liszt also rates highly and I find Debussy's compositions to be irresistably pretty.

[gyzzzmo]

Chopin
Debussy
Liszt
Rachmaninov

[clhiospzitn]

For me, it's a tie between Chopin and Liszt (check out my user name).

I also love Rachmaninoff's and Debussy's works.  A fourth-place (but no less wonderful) piano composer for me would be either Beethoven or Brahms.

[plk4life]

My favorite Piano Composer is definitely Brahms.  I'm surprised he doesn't get more acclaim, I feel his works are awesome.

[betoon]

I love Schubert-songs,Beethoven -sonatas,Brahms-sonatas,Ravel-Couperin,Ligeti,Szymański,Chopin-concerto No.1,Schumann,Mozart-everything,sometimes Rachmaninov and Scriabin.I love also Prokofiew and Szostakowicz

[soliloquy]

Xenakis, Bussotti, Finnissy, Mosolov, Kurtag

[avguste]

Carter Pann
rachmaninoff
Bolcom
Daugherty
Raina Murnak

and many more

[chopinfan_22]

Chopin, for all his works. I also love Beethoven for his sonatas, and I have a great appreciation for Liszt and his way of challenging the virtuosity of the pianist.

[dan101]

Chopin and Beethoven are my favorite piano composers. Chopin makes piano passages fit a performer's hand like a glove. Beethoven's music has a dazzling, unrivalled combination of passion and reflection.

[gerry]

This is one of those ubiquitous cocktail party questions that pianists are often asked. Personally, I have a difficult time answering due to the fact that my opinions are constantly changing. It's like my body/mind tells me that I need to play a certain composer for a period of time, or, after rummaging though my stash of music, I rediscover a work I had forgotten and it feeds my spirit. I've gone through periods where I got great pleasure from the Spanish composers--Granados, Albeniz--only to find that after a few months I needed to play through many of Mozart Sonatas and Concertos. The same happens with Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmanninov, etc. Sometimes if I hear a previously unknown work or composer on the radio that resonates with my soul, I just have to pursue it and try playing it. It's almost as if the composer I'm focusing on at the time is my favorite at that time. In other words, my favorites are not etched in stone but constantly evolve and shift in concert with my life.

[arensky]

Only one? Chopin.

[pianochick93]

Mendelsohhn, Greig, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin.

If i had to pick one it'd be a close toss up between Mendelsohhn and Chopin. Rachmaninoff is excellent but I have trouble playing some of his pieces because of sheer lack of handspan...and ability to play fast chord sequences and other fast things. (23:5)

[menancyandsam]

It may be due to a short attention span or perhaps it's because I'm a beginner & I tend to gravitate to more simpler less complex music, but my favorite composer is Stephen Heller.  His Preludes & Etudes have such range of beauty that I never get tired of hearing his music. 

Before Heller I got hooked on Schumann's & Tchiakovsky's Album of the Young & then Grieg's Lyrical Pieces, & Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words.   These composer to be sure have great music in these collections & I love listening to them, but for me within the miniature genre, Heller out shines them all.

[ilikepie]

A tie between Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev.

[frigo]

Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, BEETHOVEN, Debussy...