∞

Don't have just one favorite.  At the moment it might be Debussy, since I just now listened to La Mer.
At various points in my life these have been my favorites:
 
Shostakovich- deep, dramatic, expressing the tragedies and triumphs of Russia
Stravinsky- The Right of Spring, say no more
Tchaikovsky- great symphonic works, immortal melodies
Bartok- Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste is out of this world!
Mahler- expanded the boundaries of symphonic structure, favorite is Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" Choral part is breathtaking.
Berlioz- Symphonie Fantastique 
Bach- Brandenburg Concertos
Beethoven- Symphony No. 9
Haydn-  over 100 symphonies
Handel- The Messiah and his Water Music
Mozart- Symphonies, operas, choral and chamber works
Ravel- Bolero, and his tremendous orchestrations of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on a Bald Mountain
Rimsky-Korsakov- Scheherazade 
 

I'm just going to pile on and agree fully with the previous two posts. And add a couple more... Gorecki, because of the 3d symphony, and others besides but that one, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, is amongst the most profound and beautiful expressions of human emotion, well, ever... And Arvo Pärt, because last year I was at a performance of his strange and remarkable 4th Symphony and realized that sitting beside me was... Arvo Pärt. That was unexpected.

And Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus. Because obviously.

Billy Strayhorn

Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays, beautiful music and just the best musicians.

oh yeah, i forgot about all my jazz influences, miles davis, dizzy gilespie, ray charles, mainly cause i dont play much jazz anymore.....ive fallin heavily into blues rock and **** rock these days....but yeah, good to hear other peoples influences, and yeah, how can i forget frank zappa, and brien wilson......yeah, im influenced by everything really......there is so much out there, even local musians who will possibly never really ever get recognised or heard by the masses........and i do have one of those, inspired me to learn guitar in high school, the guy just oozed soul on his guitar......i heard him again at a party recently, 25 years later, he still has something that i just cant reach.......and most people will never hear him play cause he is a family man with no desire to record or even perform.

I find it extremely amuzing that funk f u n k was censored inm y last post
 

Arcangelo Corelli.... He was a true pioneer on the violin and in the development of the concerto, and even influenced Bach. His Concerto Grosso No. 8 Opus 6 in G minor can still bring tears to my eyes. Here's a great version of it.
http://youtu.be/i1fR1gat2qs

You don't know how badly I want to create a thread:
 
SPLAT users, what's your favorite composter? and why?
 
I won't though. Because I'm a mature adult?
 

bitman
You don't know how badly I want to create a thread:
 
SPLAT users, what's your favorite composter? and why?
 
I won't though. Because I'm a mature adult?
 

Go on, just do it....my father asked for icecream and green jelly on his death bed......your never too old to be childish!!!.......its all about not takin yourself too seriously.........in a hundred years we;ll all be dead!!!