Classical Top Five

How is Haydn by default, not in the top 5?
History suggests Mozart and Beethoven studied with Haydn.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Haydn
He was called "papa" for a reason.

I would shoehorn Vivaldi in as well, since he was creating before all of them, the top 5 should be a top 6!

Bach can not be moved by strong  Christians , so far above all else
in service of our God.

IMO,  a sign that someone  tends to be not deeply into Classical Music is ignoring Brahms .
Putting him down is a sure sign.

I just had my left knee replaced last week so strong doses of narcotics, sleep, music, and reading. Gould's biography "Wondrous Strange" while listening to his Bach interpretations. There are times where I expected the next note to stop The Universe spinning and the doors to heaven to open. 

Well said !

Try as I might, I'll always admire JS Bach more than truly love the guy. Just like Brahms, his stuff often strikes my ears as more contrived than inspired.  Either didactic or cranked out for a paycheck. It doesn't help that as the King (or whoever it was) told Mozart in the play Amadeus, there are just "too many notes." It's not that I haven't tried to give him his due, either. My record and CD shelves aren't exactly devoid of the dude. I dutifully toil through his Well Tempered Klavier on my piano.