What do we like in our favourite composers' music?

[evitaevita]

For some, music reflects their philosophical views.
For other, music just expresses their feelings and emotions.
For some, music evokes touching memories from their childhood and their past.
And for some others, music is a scientific field which has to be developed and even perfected.
But, we all have periods or styles of music that we like and others that we hate!
We all have composers that we love! We all have composers that we don't really like...

All in all, what makes each of us love a composer's music? What makes him special? Is it his lightness? His passion? His ingenuity?
Tell what you think giving specific examples and explain it! Post your favourite pieces of music and anything else that you would like to share with other people who may feel just as you do!

[cpessimist]

JS Bach, for his super ingenious use of patterns and also the religious feelings I get from listening to his music.

Some of my favorite pieces of his are invention 1 for just being so damn awesome at using a simple little ditty (CDEFDEC) to make a minute and a half of interesting music (and also probably because it is one of the few pieces by him that I can play right now!).  Crucifixus from the mass in b minor for the incredible tension that is built in the piece and only resolved at the very end, this piece makes my heart feel like it's moving around in my body.  In dir ist Freude, the Bach/Busoni one.  Sadly, a lot of the stops on an organ really piss me off, especially the really nasally sounding ones (though I love the sound of a harpsichord/clavichord), so I generally prefer it on piano.  But what a booming piece.  It always makes me want to jump around like a jester when I hear this song, especially with the repeating line that starts off in the bass.  It's painfully exciting.  Haha, I don't know music theory very well, I hope people understand what I mean!  Also I'm working on invention 4 now.  Woo woooo!

Also, evita, what about you, what do you think?  And other people too...

[mhoffman89]

There are various factors that contribute to me liking a piece, a lot of the time i'm not too sure of them. Bach I like a lot, many of his works, I couldn't just pick out one. But my favourite piece in the world is the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. I'm the type of person that's rather lonesome, and Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov I can relate to on an emotional level. I write music on that same emotional level too. I prefer to be emotionally touched by music that is also complex.

[crownrib]

I like pieces more than composers.  Everyone seems to have written one amazingly expressive piece of music, but few have written a lot of work that makes me want to play it.

Bach is always good, because he is a staple with familiar patterns and sound.
Beethoven is amazingly expressive without being ridiculously insecure to the point that his loads works with complexity which muddles the expression.
Chopin has many amazing pieces, some being simple, some very fast and tricky.

I play music from across the last 300 years, and those 3 are my faves.

[lloyd_cdb]

I agree with others that said it's not about the piece, but the composer.  However, many composers end up being somewhat thematically similar in their compositions across the board.  Chopin brings out fairly simple melodic lines with complex texture that supports his pieces without overwhelming them.  Alkan often uses repetitive chords while attempting to simulate sounds of other instruments, etc.  What draws me to each of them is usually this thematic semi-consistency.   

Personally, I'm drawn to clarity in a melody regardless of the textures.  It's probably why I love all the major romantic composers, can't really pick a specific one.  I'm always back and forth on favorites, but the ones that come to mind from my descriptions are:

Schubert - op. 90-3
Chopin - op. 25-1
Henselt - Poeme d'amour op. 3 (while not specifically a theme and variations, it's a three part piece starting with a slow melody turning into a waltz feel with the same melody, and then descending repetitive arpeggios starting from the melodic notes.  One of my favorites)