I would pick Benjamin Britten, Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc, Ludwig van Beethoven and maybe Erik Satie.

What about Liszt With the Hungarian Rhapsody

I cannot believe no one mentioned the St. Matthew Passion

This and perhaps some of mozart`s operas (Don Giovanni, Magic Flute) I believe are some of the more elegant pieces composed.. but hey... isn`t this going to be all opinion anyway.

No one has mentioned Cage yet... and he was pretty good at what he did (whatever that was).

1.Vivaldi
2.Bach
3.Handel
4.Mozart
5.And I`m saving one so I have room to grow/change.

For music historians and serious music students, Bach is essentially the truth of linear writing, of polyphony, and of stylistic incorporation. Perhaps no other composer has been able to capture the element of observed or tacit harmonies in linear writing like Bach was able to accomplish in his pieces for solo instruments. Indeed many composers, including masters as early on as Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, studied Bach’s manuscripts to develop stronger compositional craft. Composers studied his polyphonic writings, particularly his fugues, intently as if to decipher the true meaning of what it is to combine two or more voices simultaneously. Bach, unlike any of his contemporaries merged the stylistic elements of his surroundings, namely French, Italian, some Spanish, and of course German tendencies. Further, other than Bach, no composer has ever accomplished a true historiographic musical monument; one could essentially discover musical styles and ingredients from over two-hundred years prior to its writing, within the B Minor Mass. To mark the point of Bach’s towering importance ever more, to gain more appreciation for the beauty of his musical genius, one need only look to the words of fellow masters. To quote Brahms, "Study Bach: there you will find everything."

there is so much good composers...liszt, debussy, rachmaninoff, beethoven, brahms, but the biggest, greatest, most beutiful is C H O P I N

I agree, chopin is excellent. My fav composers are as follows (in order of preference):

1. Beethoven
2. Chopin
3. Mozart

To those on this thread who patiently tried to show me the error of my Bach - disrespecting ways, and recommended Bach`s Mass in B minor:

I have recently bought Mass in B minor by Taverner Consort & Players on Virgin Veritas (Radio 3`s recommended recording in "building a library"), from amazon.co.uk. I have to admit I thought the Domine Deus was so beautifully simple that I have listened to it again and again, and transferred it onto a composite tape of favourites which I will listen to it on my naff car stereo. My little girl particularly likes Crucifixus, et resurrexit. Although I still don`t enjoy some of his work, I have to admit my earlier tirade on this thread was a bit barmy - sorry folks!

Come on, Mozart should be on the top 5 list, as well as the not-as-classical-music composer Philip Glass.. He is amazing check out a range of his music. I also might suggest Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and not sure.. There are too many amazing composers. I also think the Copland Clarinet Concerto is one of the top classical pieces. Borodin`s Polevestian Dances, Tchaikovsky is high in my oppinion too, especially his 1812 overture..

Gustav Holst is great in my opinion.I love the St Paul`s Suite,and the Planets.

Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven and... I have yet to decide the last 2 but the first 3 are some of the best composers ever.

F.J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Bach, L. Mozart and maybe Handel