Byron Yan wrote:

>I am new here.  If I raise a question like: who is a better
>composer-Mozart or Beethoven?  Will it a little bit too provocative?

No. We like being provoked.

On the other hand, you shouldn't expect to get a serious answer that's as
simple as your question and gives you the kind of answer you want.

People take these things different ways.  I, for example, immediately start
thinking "what does he mean by better?" Which one wrote more memorable
tunes? Probably Mozart.  Which one wrote more musically productive themes?
Possibly Beethoven.  Which one mastered more musical forms? Both did well
on this count, but Mozart has to win.  Which one was more technically
accomplished? Difficult, because although there wasn't that much time
between them, music had moved a long way - not least because of Mozart's
own contributions.  So how can you compare them fairly? The long-term
survival test? Both do extremely well.  Plumbing the depths of the human
soul? Perhaps Beethoven is the more obvious answer, but the more I get to
know Mozart the more I realise just how far he went in that direction.
And so on.

Anyhow, welcome to the list, Byron. And how about answering your own
question? Which one do you think is better, and why?

Ian Crisp
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