World Composers

18th century German baroque composer; "father of modern music"; "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," the St. John Passion; the St. Matthew Passion, and the Mass in B minor; 6 Brandenburg Concertos, Well-Tempered Clavier, and Goldberg Variations

20th century Hungarian composer known for his violin compositions such ass Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, as well as Concerto for Orchestra

18th-19th century German composer afflicted with deafness and known for Missa Solemnis, Moonlight Sonata, the Leonora Overtures, 17 string quartets, 9 symphonies, and only opera Fidelio.

19th century Italian known for operas La Sonnambula and Norma.

19th century Frenchman known for Symphony Fantastique, Les Troyens, and The Damnation of Faust.

19th century Frenchman known for Carmen and L'Heure Espagnole.

19th century Russian; In the Steppes of Central Asia and the unfinished Prince Igor.

20th century Frenchman; used techniques for serial music in Pli selon pli and was the director of the N.Y. Philharmonic from 1971-77

19th century German; A German Requiem, 4 symphonies, 4 sets of Hungarian dances; "Variations on a theme by Haydn," "Lullaby," and many lieder (songs).

20th century German with whom Kurt Weill collaborated on The Threepenny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany.

20th century Brit known for Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, the Death in Venice, and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

19th century Austrian whose Symphony No. 9 in D Minor is considered "unfinished".

19th-20th century Italian tenor who appeared at the Metropolitan Opera from 1903 to 1920 and known for Verdi and Puccini roles.

Spanish cellist who went into exile to protest Franco's takeover and eventually established a music festival in Puerto Rico, his mother's birthplace.

19th century Polish-born French composer known for romantic piano pieces, etudes, mazurkas, and a romantic liaison with George Sand.

17th-18th century Frenchman who published 4 books of harpsichord suites and composed organ music.

19th-20th century French impressionist known for tone poem Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; La Mer, Nocturnes, Nuages, Fetes, and Sirenes, Pelleas et Melisande, and Suite Bergamesque, and Clair de Lune

19th century Italian known for Lucrezia Borgia and Lucia di Lammermoor.

19-20th century Frenchman; The Sorcerer's Apprentice

19th century Czech known for Symphony No. 9 in E Mino, or From the New World.

19th-20th century Brit known for his Coronation Ode to King Edward VII, Enigma Variations, and Pomp and Circumstance.

19th century Belgian-Frenchman and organist known for famous Symphony in D Minor.

Irish flautist nicknamed the "Pied Piper of Music;" Music for My Little Friends as wells as Legends and Winter's Crossing.

19th century English playwright and poet who worked with Arthur Sullivan on The Mikado, The Yeomen of the Guard, H.M.S. Pinafore, and the Pirates of Penzance.

18th century German known for Alceste, Iphigenie en Tauride, and Orfeo ed Euridice.

19th century Frenchman known for Faust, Romeo and Juliet, and the "Funeral March on a Marionette," which was published as a pianoforte solo.

19th century Norwegian known for Peer Gynt Suite, Concerto in A Minor, and others based on Norwegian folk melodies.

18th century German known for Water Music, Fireworks Music, and oratorio Messiah with "Hallelujiah Chorus."

18th-19th century Austrian called "The Father of String Quartet" and "Father of the Symphony," known for "London Symphonies."

19th-20th century Brit known for The Planets

19th-20th century German known for Hansel and Gretel.

20th century Russian known for "Sabre Dance" in 1942 ballet Gayane.

19th-20th century Austro-Hungarian known for The Merry Widow.

19th-20th century Italian known for I Pagliacci.

19th-century Hungarian known for 20 Hungarian Rhapsodies and for developing leitmotif used by Richard Wagner.

20th century Brit known for Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera.

20th century Paris-born cellist known for Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet.
//And later Air and Simple Gifts.

19th-20th century Austrian known for Eighth Symphony, also called Symphony of a Thousand.

19th-20th century Italian known for Cavalleria rusticana

19th-20th century Australian soprano who derived her stage name from Melbourne.

19th century German who wrote Octet in E Flat (age 16) and the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as The Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) op. 26.

17th century Italian whose 1607 Orfeo (Orpheus) is considered the 1st modern opera.

18th century Austrian known for The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte, The Magic Flute, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Symphony #41 in C Major.

19th century Russian known for Boris Godunov and Pictures at an Exhibition.

19th century German-born French composer known for Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphee aux Enfers) abd Tales of Hoffmann.

19th century German known for Carmina Burana, a secular oratorio

17th century German known for influence on J.S. Bach and composer of Canon and Gigue in D Minor

19th-20th century Pole who donated money to Polish WWI victims and represented Poland at Versailles; wrote Minuet in G for piano.

19th century Italian who played the violin so fast it was thought he was in league with the devil.

20th century Italian tenor who appeared at the Metropolitan Opera and who has performed works by Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini, and Verdi.

20th century Israeli who overcame polio to become one of the greatest contemporary violinists.

20th century Frenchman known for Dialogues des Carmelites, Les Biches, and 3 piano pieces "mouvements perpetuels".

20th century Russian known for Peter and the Wolf, The Love of Three Oranges, and Romeo and Juliet.

19th-20th century Italian known for Turandot, La Tosca, La Boheme, and Madame Butterfly.

17th century Englishman known as "the British Orpheus" and known for Dido and Aeneas.

20th century Russian known for concertos, Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, and 3 symphonies.

20th century Frenchman known for Bolero, Daphnis et Chloe, and Piano Concerto in D for Left Hand Alone.

20th century Italian known for romantic symphony poems: The Pines of Rome, The Fountains of Rome, and Roman Festivals.

19th-20th century Russian known for "The Flight of the Bumblebee," Scheherazade, and Capricco Espagnole.

19th century Italian known for The Barber of Seville, Othello, and William Tell.

19th-20th century French composer of The Carnival of the Animals, Samson and Delilah, and Danse Macabre.

19th-20th century French composer who titled his first 5 piano pieces Opus 62.

19th-20th century Italian who helped establish the conventions of the opera seria.

18th century Italian known for 500 harpsichord sonatas.

19th-20th century Austrian known for the 12-tone technique of serial music and Chamber Symphony No. 1 and unfinished opera Moses and Aaron.

19th century Austrian known as the leading composer of lieder (German art songs), unfinished Symphony No. 8 in D Minor, and Symphony No. 9 in C Major (The Great C Major).

19th century German romantic known for piano compositions, beautiful songs, and 4 symphonies.

19th-20th century Russian known for Poem of Ecstasy and Prometheus, The Poem of Fire.

Indian musician and sitarist who influenced Philip Glass.

20th century Soviet known for writing his Seventh Symphony during the siege of Leningrad.

19th-20th century Finn known for Finlandia

20th century American soprano born Belle Silverstein who became director of the N.Y. City Opera in 1979.

19th century Czech known for The Battered Bride.

19th century Austrian Waltz King: 400 waltzes, On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Tales from the Vienna Woods, composed music for Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerberon.

19th century German known for operas to librettos by Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Electra, Der Rosenkavelier, Ariadne aux Naxos, and Thus Spake Zarathustra and Death and Transfiguration.

20th century Russian known for The Rake's Progress, The Rite of Spring, The Firebird, and Petrushka.

19th century Brit who worked with William Gilbert.

20th century Australian soprano who was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1978.

20th century Japanese violinist who taught children using his "method" emphasizing repetition, listening skills, and parental encouragement.

19th century Russian known for Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and 1812 Overture.

19th-20th century Italian conductor known as "the maestro" who conducted at the Met, the N.Y. Philharmonic, and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

19th-20th century Brit called the best since Elgar, known for Fantasia on a Theme by Thomis Tallis and his 9th Symphony, which he wrote at age 85.

19th century Italian known for Aida, Rigoletto, Don Calo, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Othello, Falstaff, and Macbeth.

20th century Brazilian known for 9 Bachianas Brasileiras, blending Brazilian folk tunes w/ J.S. Bach.

17th-18th century Italian "Red Priest" known for 4 violin concertos called The Four Seasons.

19th century German composer known for The Flying Dutchman and Tannhauser, as well as the Nibelung Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfied, and Die Gotterdammerung.

18th-19th century German known for Oberon and Invitation to the Dance, a popular instrumental work.