# How many classical composers were there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559 "2005-04-09T14:10:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/41 "2005-04-12T19:11:51Z")
As **scotandrsn** ’s post explained, the entire concept of a composer, as we know it, is relatively modern. Asking how many composers there were in the 17th or 18th Centuries is like asking how many painters or sculptors there were at the same time. Impossible to answer. A composer was just another adornment to any noble’s court. He was a servant in the household, and composed only what his master wanted to hear. If the master was throwing a party, for example, he might request that the composer provide a suitable fanfare to be played as the courtiers arrive, followed by an hour’s worth of dance music, a couple of salon songs, and finally background music for the feast. The music would be composed, rehearsed, played, then burned or filed away and most likely never heard again. Only pieces that were especially favored were singled out for preservation. Of course, not _everybody_ followed this model – there are always exceptions, such as in the Church or among the commoners. But I think this account serves as an accurate depiction of the way that “artistic” music was generally brought into being from the post-Renaissance era through the Enlightenment. The movie _Amadeus_ actually provides an excellent glimpse into this world. It portrays Mozart as a man unable to accept the constricted role of a mere court servant. Though he could be making a comfortable living through the patronage of nobility, his self-centered, rebellious, impulsive manner of behaving closes the doors of opportunity. As an outcast of the court, he soon finds himself unable to make a living and spirals downward into self-destruction. What makes Mozart’s death at such a young age particularly poignant is that the role of the composer in society _was_ changing. As the revolutionary era swept through Europe, many of the aspects of polite society once reserved for the aristocracy (including artistic music) were embraced by the emerging merchant class. Had he lived but a few years longer, Mozart might have been able to enjoy the public acclaim he so desired. But back on the subject of the court composer, there were other elements of the patronage system that contrived to keep the composer out of the limelight. One of these was the promotion of individual performers. It was not until the 19th century that an opera singer or instrumental virtuoso was expected to confine his or her performance to what was written on the page. Soloists were allowed to ad lib to their hearts’ desire, using the work of the composer and/or librettist as a mere vehicle for the display of their performing talents. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/42 "2005-04-12T20:46:34Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Telemann is still well-loved in Baroque circles and does get recorded regularly, but can you think of one tune of his? This hardly makes it a “hit,” but he does have one specific piece that I particularly love: the Recorder Suite in A Minor. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/43 "2005-04-12T20:54:07Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > This hardly makes it a “hit,” but he does have one specific piece that I particularly love: the Recorder Suite in A Minor. Amazing! As I opened this thread, guess what was playing on the radio? Yep - the Recorder Suite. You’re correct of course Biffy, this is probably his “hit” or at least, most played. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/44 "2005-04-12T21:38:00Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > Any Dopers have any Dukas in their collection other than **SA**? Yes, I’ve got the Symphony in C and _La Péri._ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/45 "2005-04-12T21:43:33Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I also have a book about the 50 greatest classical composers which leaves out **Rachmaninoff** because (it claims) nothing of his aside from one excellent piano concerto is ever played. When was that book written, in 1902? BLASPHEMY! ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559/46 "2005-04-12T23:17:21Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I also have a book about the 50 greatest classical composers which leaves out **Rachmaninoff** because (it claims) nothing of his aside from one excellent piano concerto is ever played. I wonder…would that be his first, second, or third excellent piano concerto? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-classical-composers-were-there/298559.md?page=2)