"Esteemed baroque composers"?? Which baroque composers spring to mind? Put JS Bach to one side. Who does that leave? Probably not many of these: Fux, Caldara, Handel, Kayser, Hasse, both Grauns, Telemann, Zelenka, Benda.
I read this list again recently and was surprised at myself for never before having bothered to find out more and, more importantly, look at and listen to some of their music. There is so much good quality baroque music on the internet now that it's not a difficult task. Youtube has plenty of performances, as do various streaming services. For free facsimiles of original manuscripts and prints (and often performable editions, more or less modern) we are truly gifted by the existence of IMSLP - Google it.
I've started following through - so far this has resulted in me recently ordering modern editions of two sets of works by Hasse for friends and me to play. Caldara's list of compositions is, like Hasse's, pretty big and the first few I've sampled on Youtube are impressive. Telemann I already rate very highly and Handel is well known too. I know the other names and a little of their music (except Kayser - never seen the name before) but there's a lot more out there to discover.
(By the way - the list of composers above was recorded by CPE Bach as those his father (JSB) had in his last years held in high esteem. Except for the first four he knew them personally. Of course, this list doesn't include those that JSB esteemed from early on and there's plenty of history, and good music, there to dig into as well.
(Update added two weeks later after the Hasse works were delivered and I've had a chance to play them through once (a trio sonata and some flute sonatas) : all were rewarding to read through once and probably will stand up well to repeated playing. Verdict: JSB got this one right.)
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