Beethoven beats Mozart to the top spot as the most popular Classic FM composer of 2019

23 April 2019, 16:10 | Updated: 20 January 2020, 15:12

The Classic FM Hall of Fame 2019 has just come to an end – and now results reveal that Beethoven is more popular than any other classical composer

For four days over the Easter weekend, we celebrated the 24th annual Hall of Fame – the world’s largest poll of your classical music tastes.

Now, results show that Beethoven has been voted the most popular composer of all time.

There were 21 of his musical masterpieces in this year’s chart, which is an outstanding achievement and up two pieces from 2018.

It also makes Beethoven more popular than the likes of his rival Mozart, who dropped to second place with a total of 19 entries – four less than last year.

Following closely behind them was Tchaikovsky with 15 entries in the Top 300, while film composer John Williams and Bach both had 12 entries.

Four pieces penned by Beethoven also made it into the top 20, including his Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major (‘Emperor’), which was placed at no. 6, and his Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, which came in at No. 8.

Another four of his compositions reached their highest places ever – including his Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 (‘Pathetique’) and 14 (‘Moonlight’), and the Bagatelle No. 25 (Für Elise).

The results come ahead of the classical composer’s 250th anniversary next year, making it the perfect tribute to his fine work.

Classic FM presenter John Suchet, who has written six books about the German composer, said: “Beethoven’s music lifts the spirits. You can motivate yourself by listening to his Fifth Symphony, you can calm yourself by listening to his ‘Pastoral’ Symphony.

“His music is for all ages and every mood. It is entirely fitting that he should resume his rightful place as the best loved composer of them all as we prepare for his big anniversary year: 2020, the 250th anniversary of his birth.”

More than 110,000 votes were cast in this year’s Hall of Fame, with 300 classical masterpieces played on-air in the countdown to your No. 1 – Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’.