Classical Top Five

J.S. Bach is number 1.

2 and 3 are Beethoven and Schubert or Schubert and Beethoven.  Listen to Schubert's Lieder and piano sonatas then explain to me how he is not deserving of this ranking.

4 and 5 are Brahms and Haydn or Haydn and Brahms.

You can fill out a top10 with Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Schutz, and Mahler in whatever order suits you.  

I'd develop a separate list of post romantics.   Call me crazy, but Benjamin Britten might be at the top of that list for me.  Exquisitely crafted music.

I love my Benjamin Britten. He was also a heck of a fine conductor. His recordings of Mozart's Symphonies 25 & 29 on London Decca are constantly on my 'table. String tone to die for, as well.

All of the "Fifths" are great but the music I heard atop Mt. Olympus was created by Alan Hovhaness.

Doesn't matter. It's not important who wrote what, what is important is that it was written.

Mahler, and dare I say.....

Rachmaninoff, if he didn’t have to stop composing and conducting in order to make a living as the greatest all-time pianist.
And, of course, Schubert and Haydn have to be mentioned.