Not replying to Bernard Chasan directly:

>I take the conventional point of view that if it isn't Beethoven then
>it is Bach.  But I quite agree with Laurence that Schubert is way up
>there- top five material!!

Actually, I find the notion of The Greatest Composer Ever rather bogus.
When you get to a certain level, saying Bach is greater than Josquin
or Byrd or Beethoven better than Monteverdi is like asking what's the
"highest" star, whether Shakespeare beats Sophocles, or could Superman
beat up Captain Marvel.  I started all that brouhaha five years ago
simply to show the problems of deciding such a thing -- at least to show
that it had to be based on something other than The Composer I Like Best.
The Greatest Composer should be free of your likes and dislikes.  Bach's
music is nothing short of inconceivable to me, it affects me that much,
but I can't call it any better than Josquin's.

Steve Schwartz