Were Beethoven, Brahms, Hayden And The Like, Analogous To Today's Rock Stars, In Their Own Time?

Franz Liszt reportedly was.

Interesting question OP.

But no they weren’t, I don’t think. Sometimes analogies are not possible from one era to another. Historical context matters. There was no mass culture in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The elite audiences of Bach Beethoven and Haydn tended not to be drug-fueled mass audiences packed into stadiums.

Any musicologists out there?

In those times, there did not exist fanatics for artists. So, no.

Not entirely the case. There were several virtuosos in the 19th century that had fanatical followings across Europe and even in the Americas.

I like Chopin because after he'd perform he'd go back to his regular job as a cook's assistant.

Downloads back then were slow as molasses and if you managed to come across vinyl (no easy feat), good luck finding a turntable. Radio was insipid.

The rock stars of that era were the performers, the virtuoso singers and instrumentalists. Many of them led wild lives. The violinist Niccolo Paganini was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil for his talent.

Ken Russell's Lisztomania shows Liszt (Roger Daltry) pounding on the piano while hundreds of girls scream like The Beatles were playing.

Many of the earlier composers were employed by wealthy sponsors. The general public never heard their music. To answer OP's question, they were not like today's pop stars. Even in the 19th century, while some composers were widely known, only a small percentage knew who they were. (Chopin was a cook's assistant? Don't think so. Please site your reference R5.)

[quote]Chopin was a cook's assistant? Don't think so. Please site your reference

You totally missed that one. Think again, and CITE your reference.