Which composers are known specifically for their gift to write great, memorable melodies?

Any list of great melody writers would have to have the following composers names on it: Caldara Dvořák Mozart Prokofiev Franz Schmidt Schubert (arguably the greatest tunesmith of all time) Tchaikovsky Those who, to my ears didn't have the same lyrical ease: Beethoven although I know some would disagree) Berlioz Brahms Britten Schumann Shostakovich Wagner

In my opinion, Schubert was the first that came to mind when you mentioned great, memorable melodies.

In my opinion, Schubert was the first that came to mind when you mentioned great, memorable melodies.

I don't always look for the great and grand in music but rather for the gentle melodies that come from the heart. Also, it's unwise to attempt a "best composer" list since everyone has their preferences so it's rather pointless. I'll just retire to my corner and take along Dvorak's Cypresses and Bagatelles, some Debussy, Schubert, Chausson, Faure, etc etc etc ... Sample: Duo for violin and piano by Schubert (1st movement) http://youtu.be/z-RQSzhC5G0 ;- )

Brahms and Grieg come to mind. Strauss & Verdi too. And Sibelius. This is a rather unpopular opinion, but have never been captured by any of Tchaikovsky's melodies--- especially in the first piano concerto ... I remember the plodding through the Kuhlau sonatinas, and I didn't find them very satisfying. Prokofiev can be downright irritating sometimes, too.

Who is there left for me to nominate? I'm purposely since all of the 'standard' greats have already been, those some would consider of a lesser stature. Jean Sibelius? - the March from his "Karelia": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIois3Gaegk Alexander Borodin? - 3rd movement from "String Quartet #-2": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSdMKJqnnW4 Charles T. Griffes? - "The White Peacock": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfl0N1tzoG0 Christopher Willibald von Gluck? - "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from his "Orfeo ed Euridicie": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTZgMQ7TVes FORGIVE ME - nothing more beautiful ever written: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Gc0StkBBk Alberich

<<<Eighteenth Century>>> I am currently reading Classical Form by William Earl Caplin. In this book, the author analyzes melodies from the instrumental works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. If your question is for purposes of writing a term paper, you will not have time to read the entire book. However, it would be good for you to read the overview in the first chapter, in which he categorizes the melodies by these three composers, and defines those categories. I can't understand why you listed Clementi as one of the worst. His six sonatinas in op. 36 seem to me much more melodious than those by his contemporaries Kuhlau and Dussek. <<<Nineteenth Century>>> Every once in a while, someone writes to this forum, asking for the most over-rated and the most under-rated composer in history. I answer "Tchaikovsky" to both questions. He is most over-rated by the concert-going public and most under-rated by the conservatory elite. Tchaikovsky was good at composing melodies, which is what the concert-going public likes, but not very good at fragmenting, sequencing, and modulating, which is what the conservatory elite likes. As an example of his melody-writing skill, it is sometimes pointed out that the very beautiful theme from the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth is straight eighth notes, but still very beautiful. Sometimes, someone asks this forum "What is the most beautiful melody you know of?" To which I reply, the well-known theme from Swan Lake. <<<Twentieth Century>>> According to Grove's Dictionary of Music, Twentieth Century composers have been "indifferent to (or incapable of?)" the art of melody writing. However, the same article cites Hindemith as an exception. Hindemith has written a book entitled The Craft of Musical Composition, in which he claims that every good melody ever written has been a variation on a one-octave ascending scale. He calls this theory "melodic progression." This book, also, might be too much to read in one semester. But at least, try to get an overview.

<<<Eighteenth Century>>> I am currently reading Classical Form by William Earl Caplin. In this book, the author analyzes melodies from the instrumental works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. If your question is for purposes of writing a term paper, you will not have time to read the entire book. However, it would be good for you to read the overview in the first chapter, in which he categorizes the melodies by these three composers, and defines those categories. I can't understand why you listed Clementi as one of the worst. His six sonatinas in op. 36 seem to me much more melodious than those by his contemporaries Kuhlau and Dussek. <<<Nineteenth Century>>> Every once in a while, someone writes to this forum, asking for the most over-rated and the most under-rated composer in history. I answer "Tchaikovsky" to both questions. He is most over-rated by the concert-going public and most under-rated by the conservatory elite. Tchaikovsky was good at composing melodies, which is what the concert-going public likes, but not very good at fragmenting, sequencing, and modulating, which is what the conservatory elite likes. As an example of his melody-writing skill, it is sometimes pointed out that the very beautiful theme from the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth is straight eighth notes, but still very beautiful. Sometimes, someone asks this forum "What is the most beautiful melody you know of?" To which I reply, the well-known theme from Swan Lake. <<<Twentieth Century>>> According to Grove's Dictionary of Music, Twentieth Century composers have been "indifferent to (or incapable of?)" the art of melody writing. However, the same article cites Hindemith as an exception. Hindemith has written a book entitled The Craft of Musical Composition, in which he claims that every good melody ever written has been a variation on a one-octave ascending scale. He calls this theory "melodic progression." This book, also, might be too much to read in one semester. But at least, try to get an overview.

Brahms and Grieg come to mind. Strauss & Verdi too. And Sibelius. This is a rather unpopular opinion, but have never been captured by any of Tchaikovsky's melodies--- especially in the first piano concerto ... I remember the plodding through the Kuhlau sonatinas, and I didn't find them very satisfying. Prokofiev can be downright irritating sometimes, too.