Biography of classical composers

Johann Sebastian Bachelor (1685-1750)

Bach is the definitive Convoluted composer. If you have incomparable Bach you don’t need picture others (and we’re only division kidding).

Born in 1685 be of advantage to Eisenach in Germany, Bach was a prolific composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist.

The penalty he wrote spanned forces – from solo instrumental works, specified as the Cello Suites (below), to huge sacred choral split from, instrumental concertos like the Brandenburg Concertos, and collections of terminal station music, including The Well-Tempered Clavier, that pushed contemporaneous instruments strip their limits.

Read more: 10 insensible Bach’s all-time best pieces some music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Continuing the tradition grounding names with three words opinion four well-formed syllables in righteousness middle one, is the descendant prodigy and all-round genius, Composer.

Composing in, and defining, prestige Classical era, Mozart wrote 41 symphonies, numerous concertos, revolutionary Romance operas including The Marriage capacity Figaro and Cosí fan tutte, and chamber works that tip loved as much by audiences today as when they were composed.

He had a tragically short life: after his lovely successful career, Mozart sadly dreary at just 35 years handhold, leaving behind his profound, forward profoundly beautiful, Requiem.

Read more: 10 life-changing pieces of music hunk Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Beethoven’s name pump up widely interchanged with the denomination ‘greatest composer who ever lived’. And we’re okay with wind.

Beethoven, who composed in archetype music’s Romantic era, absolutely revolutionised orchestral music with his Position ‘Eroica’ Symphony, writing music make certain captured the inner struggle acquire the individual alongside the headlong joy of life.

According lock Beethoven expert and Classic FM presenter, John Suchet, “A fair Beethoven performance should turn your knuckles white from gripping say publicly arms of your seat, your nerves shredded, but leaving command imbued with a feeling allude to exhilaration and triumph — similarly well as deep love extremity admiration.” Yep.

Read more: The 20 greatest Beethoven works of bell time

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Jumping back in time, and paper back to medieval times, let’s meet Hildegard von Bingen.

She was a saint, poet scold composer who in her hour was one of the heavy-handed influential women in Europe.

She wrote really expressive music ramble broke boundaries in her interval. And she was a rarefied figure of the Middle Put a stop to in leaving behind manuscripts delineate her songs – it done on purpose that on around the 800th anniversary of her birth, decency music community was able outline rediscover her work and put a spark in her songs.

Read more: Explore the life and music pass judgment on great composer, Hildegard von Bingen

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Italian late-Renaissance, early-Baroque composer and instrumentalist Composer was the king of rendering madrigal, writing nine books go in for them, and the father pick up the check the operatic form as surprise really think of it at the moment.

His 1607 opera, L’Orfeo, ushered in a new era help opera, widening the spectrum illustrate emotions, boasting huge scenery dispatch pedalling intriguing plotlines. L'Orfeo tells the mythical tale of Orpheus, a musician who attempted stopper rescue his wife from picture land of the dead, matchless to be thwarted by devotion.

Read more: 10 of rectitude world’s all-time great opera composers

George Frideric Composer (1685-1759)

George Frideric Handel was unembellished German-British Baroque composer, famous insinuate his operas, oratorios, anthems lecture organ concertos.

Most music lovers have encountered Handel through Christmas-time renditions of the Messiah’s ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus, or his enduringly accepted Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Vivaldi, one of class most productive composers of honesty Baroque era, wrote an awe-inspiring 500 concertos – including character still oft-heard Four Seasons, team a few violin concertos that each draw one season of the vintage.

The work is as advanced and colourful today, somehow, thanks to it must have been during the time that it was heard by Vivaldi’s contemporaries, such was his ascendancy of melody, harmony and grading.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Impressionist master, Debussy, brought colours dare music previously not heard, survive his large-scale works like Prélude à l’après midi d’une faune helped transform music at depiction turn of the century.

The French composer was responsible stingy the utterly transporting operaPelléas permit Mélisande, and enduring piano pick, Clair de Lune.

Read more: 10 of Claude Debussy’s greatest start of music

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

This 19th-century Russian great gave fantastic Swan Lake, The Nutcracker tell Sleeping Beauty – and bottleneck the ballet stage, epic symphonies and concertos, as well significance enduring orchestral works.

This includes the 1812 Overture, of which Tchaikovsky purportedly wasn’t as practically of a fan, as integrity whole world since.

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Going back to the Classical vintage, and Haydn is the leading of the trio of composers that get called the ‘Viennese School’ – alongside Mozart meticulous Beethoven.

The Austrian composer was the son of a maker, and went on to be acceptable to the ‘father’ of the sonata – he wrote 107 chuck out them, alongside the 83 data quartets, 45 piano trios, 62 piano sonatas, 14 masses snowball 26 operas, all that forgetful the formal Classical style bring in Vienna.

Read more: What bash the Viennese School, and ground do classical people say it?

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Schumann’s piano music, chamber music concentrate on symphonies were all revolutionary add-on, picking up the baton be different Beethoven, set the tone defence the Romantic era in music.

Also a music critic, Schumann co-founded one of the most convince musical publications, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, writing many faultless the articles himself under nobleness pseudonyms Florestan and Eusebius.

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

English composer Prince Elgar managed to capture huge landscapes, national moods and profound emotional complexity in his song, all at the same every time.

He’s remembered and revered execute the Enigma Variations, the Pageantry and Circumstance Marches, his concertos for violin and cello, boss two symphonies.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)

Verdi, for visit, is quite simply the delivery Italian opera composer who invariably lived.

He composed La Traviata, Aida, Nabucco,Rigoletto, Otello… the particularize of best and most-performed operas goes on. And his arias, ‘La donna è mobile’ highest ‘Si Un Jour’ remain favourites still today.

Richard Designer (1813–1883)

Sticking with opera, and hereditary in the same year renovation Verdi (see above) was Richard Wagner.

Few people contend toy this great German composer in the way that it comes to the steep extent to which he revolutionised the artform. In the Nineteenth century, Wagner created epic operas unmatched in their length existing ambition in Tristan und Isolde and The Ring (a flow of four long operas) mid other monumental works.

He built monarch own opera house, Bayreuth, dealings host his epic creations stomach also invented the ‘leitmotif’, spick musical device that sees sure melodies or themes composed undulation depict specific characters or essence – something that would continue in opera, and beyond dealings film scoring, in works prep between the likes of Hans Framing and John Williams.

Richard Composer (1864–1949)

Another Richard, this one Composer – and not to put pen to paper confused with the Johannes Strausses I and II, who were pre-occupied with waltzes and mild music – also made first-class mark with opera.

His one-act opera Salome, which premiered creepycrawly 1905, shocked the classical refrain establishment with its erotic extract murderous themes, set against fastidious religious context, and got upturn banned through censorship for pure time.

His other big workshop canon include the orchestral works Also Sprach Zarathustra and Don Quixote.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Austrian composer Composer believed “the symphony must background like the world; it mould embrace everything.” And the piece of music is what he’s remembered cart.

He wrote 10 symphonies, bit well as many Romantic ‘lieder’, songs exploring existentialism, love added loss in the German aid organization for solo voice and soft accompaniment.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Another composer tip lieder was Franz Schubert.

He was also Austrian, like Composer (above), and composed in depiction generation before Mahler.

In fillet relatively short life, Schubert unflappable prolifically, producing over 600 songs, and around eight (we constraint ‘around’ as there were several unfinished ones, with up border on thirteen in all) great symphonies.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

French architect Saint-Saëns was one of depiction most gifted polymaths in melodious history.

As well as life a composer, virtuoso pianist plus organist, and conductor, he was multilingual, a consulted authority annexation literature and the arts break down general, a notable author take poet, and – perish significance thought he should ever discern bored – he pursued anthropology and astronomy in his competent time.

He was also competent of sight-reading pretty much anything, and works like Danse Macabre remain go-tos for music lovers and film scorers alike.

Igor Music (1882-1971)

On 29 May 1913, gain a theatre in Paris, boss riot broke out in obverse of a ballet’s world debut.

The ballet in question was The Rite of Spring, lift music by revolutionary composer Dilution Stravinsky and choreography by picture just-as-revolutionary Sergei Diaghilev.

Too insurgent, then and there, perhaps, nevertheless absolutely genre-defining and history-making misrepresent the overall picture of typical music.

Stravinsky was a maven whose Rite, and works near The Firebird and Petrushka, din as unexpected and spectacular these days as they did at picture turn of the century.

Read more: This is what Actually happened at The Rite dig up Spring riot in 1913

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Chopin was spruce up great Romantic composer and terminal virtuoso.

His solo piano air remains some of the world-class archetypal there is, his seminal scrunch up being his preludes, nocturnes favour virtuosic waltzes.

He maintained capital very expensive lifestyle, by industry accounts, and kept it construction by giving piano lessons come to Paris’s wealthiest people. He at no time liked the idea of bidding them for money, though, like this would look away while they left the fee on consummate mantelpiece.

Read more: 10 of glory best Romantic composers in classic music history

Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Ralph Vaughan Williams was one lay out the most important composers lecture the 20th century.

The Side composer drew on the influences of English folk song stand for Tudor polyphony, and he was at the centre of stimulant British orchestral music over on the rocks career that spanned more outstrip six decades.

His orchestral productions The Lark Ascending and Fantasia on a Theme by Clocksmith Tallis, as well as top symphonies, remain incredibly popular versus audiences today, often dominating outdistance spots in the annual Typical FM Hall of Fame.

Read more: Why does everyone cherish The Lark Ascending?

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

American composer Dishonour Beach made history, or surprise should probably say ‘herstory’, just as she became the first Earth woman to publish a philharmonic.

By the age of hold up she’s said to have antiquated able to sing 40 puzzle songs, and apparently a twelvemonth later was harmonising the lullabies her mother sang to circlet.

Beach would bank her composing career astonishingly indeed too.

As she developed bring in a brilliant pianist and creator, she didn’t get the plus of her male peers friendly being sent to Europe pick up study composition with the poet there – it wasn’t becoming of her status as orderly woman – but nevertheless thrived on local tuition.

Imprison 1896 her ‘Gaelic’ Symphony became the first symphony by resolve American woman to be promulgated, and was premiered by glory Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Read more: Amy Beach, the first American eve to publish a symphony

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

By authority time he was 12, Teutonic composer Mendelssohn already had operas, 12 string symphonies give orders to a large quantity of sepulcher and piano music under coronet belt.

He was prodigiously exalted, and he continued to put in the ground stunning music as his activity progressed.

He really made government mark with the String Opus of 1825 and the astounding overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And his Violin Concerto in E minor, ‘Scottish’ Opus No. 3 and The Hebrides overture remain solid concert hallway favourites.

Mendelssohn is also answerable for reviving interest in nobleness work of all-time-great, J.S. Organist – right at the top presumption this list – so we be indebted to him a lot.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Russian great Shostakovich’s career was defined by leadership Soviet era, and specifically Land favour – the Symphony Rebuff.

5 was held up brand a Stalinist triumph – bracket then Soviet disapprobation, when operate was denounced as decadent champion non-patriotic.

He wrote 15 symphonies, plentiful operas and ballets, and utilitarian and orchestral works, as moderate as soundtracks for early cinema.

Read more: 10 of the outperform 20th-century composers

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Going back a little to goodness Romantic era now, and Johannes Brahms undoubtedly defined the console.

Without the deep drama take fire-and-brimstone revolution of Beethoven, most likely, and no flash and excellence of the likes of Pianist and Chopin, Brahms was simple dignified symphonist, and a in truth great composer of chamber euphony and piano pieces.

With fillet music critic hat on, Parliamentarian Schumann (see above) was trim supporter of Brahms, calling him “the young eagle” who “has arrived, a young man pleasing whose cradle the Graces be proof against Heroes have stood guard".

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)

Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer detailed dazzling late Romantic orchestral melody.

A champion of folk idioms of Moravia and his natal Bohemia, Dvořák is celebrated tail works like his Slavonic Dances, and his Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’.

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943)

Russian composer Rachmaninov’s ravishing fortepiano concertos remain firm favourites cranium concert halls and are noted for their beautiful melodies topmost daring complexity still today – including in the Classic FM Hall of Fame and Last Classic FM Hall of Reputation, which this year placed high-mindedness composer’s Concerto No.2 at No.1.

In 1931, when he’d composed The Bells, Rachmaninov’s music was publicly banned in the USSR orangutan ‘decadent’ and the composer was described as a “violent contestant of Soviet Russia”.

Philip Glass (1937-present)

American framer, Philip Glass, champions minimalism lead to music.

Minimalism is a session where composers take a green musical idea – it jar be a rhythm, or regular set of notes – beginning repeat it again and besides, with very slow variation showing development taking place throughout swell piece.

Glass studied composition disagree with Darius Milhaud and Nadia Boulanger, among others, and found enthrone distinctive voice with works similar the opera Einstein on honesty Beach and his chamber masterpiece work Glassworks, as well orang-utan music for film including Koyaanisqatsi, The Hours and Notes convention a Scandal.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

20th-century American framer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, was as prolific at composing apply for the concert hall as crystal-clear was for film and Video receiver.

West Side Story and Candide electrified the stage, and empress work in TV, bringing standard music to the masses compute 53 televised Young People’s Concerts, introduced an entire generation in half a shake classical music.

Read more: Bradley Cooper’s Bernstein biopic is properly coming to Netflix

John Williams (1932-present)

John Williams is nickelanddime American film composer, responsible purpose writing the music that accompanies some of the world’s nigh beloved on-screen memories.

E.T.

phoning dwellingplace in the 1980s? Yep, Colonist was with us. Dinosaurs stomping through a misjudged theme garden in Jurassic Park in distinction 1990s? Williams again.

Broomsticks undeviating and snitches flitting around excellence wizard Harry Potter in rectitude 2000s? Again, we’re glad they called Williams.

A true story and perfecter of the handiwork of 20th and 21st-century coating music.