Classical's Top Dog

It’s official. Anthony Tommasini, chief music critic for the New York Times, has declared Johann Sebastian Bach the greatest composer of all time. “My top spot goes to Bach, for his matchless combination of masterly musical engineering and profound expressivity,” he wrote. I just wonder why it took him so long to give Bach top dog status, the obvious choice.

The rest of Tommasini’s Top Ten: 1. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). 2. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), 3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91). 4. Franz Schubert (1797-1828). 5. Claude Debussy (1862-1918), 6. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), 7. Johannes Brahms (1833-97). 8. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), 9. Richard Wagner (1813-83), 10. Bela Bartok (1881-1945).