I prefer Monteverdi to Gesualdo. As striking and amazing as the chromaticism can be, after a while it just sounds kind of gimmicky, whereas Monteverdi was a consummate master whose skill I’d put up with any of the major composers.
I can understand your point. Monteverdi is great.
I have listened to some of the madrigals of Gesualdo and some of them sound kind of ridiculous. But the sacred music is just amazing. Have you heard it? For instance this cd:
amazon.com/Gesualdo-Complete … o+gesualdo
Listen to this (different recording):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_MmCv08PVE
And this:
Plus he was the only double-murderer in the history of Classical music 
Keepin’ it real 
hahahah da pre-Bach “m*zic” 
Hahaha DAYUM da Gesualdo!!!
Is dat where da tampon muncher got it from? (I’m too scared to watch that vid)
hahaha so humble… ( your first sentence ). I agree with you 100%. Also I will have to look into gesualdo and monteverdi, have a thing for vocal music.
Thx mofoz, so much music , so little time 
Very catchy tune, and heinously awesome dissonance @4:28
Amazing performance, too.
That’s was cool.
I love L’Orfeo. Grim you should listen to this: youtube.com/watch?v=i739fBAqM0g An aria from L’Orfeo.
If talking about average quality of composition, I figure Ravel would be on par with Bach.
lol it’s so hard to do this shitttttt, I have a feeling I’d change my mind in 3 days… also completely depends on what body of work we’re talking about (piano, orchestral, etc)
Top: Bach, Scriabin, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Stravinsky
Next: Bruckner, Ravel, Debussy, Dutilleux (yeah yeah), Szymanowski, Chopin, Janacek, Byrd, etc.etc.etc.
Meh: Mahler, Liszt (albeit some masterworks)
Low fuckin’ tier: Alkan, Shostakovich 
I had a that discussion but Bach loses the field with Opera (unless you consider Matthew Passion…) so I would have thought Beethoven 2nd? (assuming you consider Fidelio a masterpiece)
We considered all the cantatas and Passions that Bach wrote (although Oratorio was a category) qualified him, but you’re right–opera was his one glaring omission. If you’re going strictly with Opera, Handel actually was in the running for the 2nd spot, along with Beethoven. Schumann, Mendelssohn and Debussy were also ranked very high using this method.
hahah respect your lower tier however I would NEVER put prokofiev above Debussy and Ravel, not even Chopin
man diz thread iz still going?
I iz dizappoint.
da pianostreet spirit
Interesting point. I’ve been listening to Le tombeau de Couperin lately. Daim the music moves me 