My last two choices of favourite composer are somewhat less predictable than the others. First Jean Sibelius.
Born in 1865, he is the only noteable composer to have come from Finland, and his interest in Finnish mythology and culture comes through in his music. He had been christened Johan Julius Christian but adopted the name Jean. His father, a doctor, died of cholera when Jean was only two years old. He was brought up by his grandmother who sent him to a Finnish speaking school, which was unusual. He composed chamber group pieces as young as 10, but these were not great works. He desperately wanted to become a concert violinist, but never fulfilled his dream. He lived until 1957, despite having a serious illness, which could possibly have been cancer of the throat.
Sibelius has written many powerful symphonies. His first symphony was the Kullervo, and his last work was writing incidental music for a production of The Tempest. One of his most famous works is the Karelia Suite.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Born in Germany in 1685, Bach was one of the finest composers of the Baroque period. The Bach family was well known in North Germany but Johann's success made them famous. He was a fantastic soprano as a boy and he took lead roles in church and school choirs.
He started composing from and early age, and some good music was produced when he was in his late teens.
He was a prolific composer for the organ. He had been brought up in association with the church and it was natural that he composed for the church organ. He wrote many cantatas for Sunday services, probably the best examples of this type of music ever.
He was in high demand and held many high profile posts.
He once took four months off from his first job to take organ lessons with Buxtehude, another composer for organ. It was not well received by his employers.
Bach was a great composer who wrote outstanding works. His Toccata and Fugue in D minor is one of the most famous of his pieces.