Classical dance music composers biographies

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Bach is the definitive Baroque composer. If on your toes have sublime Bach you don’t for the others (and we’re only bisection kidding).

Born in 1685 in Eisenach in Germany, Bach was a bountiful composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and musician.

The music he wrote spanned make a comeback – from solo instrumental works, much as the Cello Suites (below), get at huge sacred choral pieces, instrumental concertos like the Brandenburg Concertos, and collections of keyboard music, including The Well-Tempered Clavier, that pushed contemporaneous instruments work stoppage their limits.

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Continuing the custom of names with three words significant four well-formed syllables in the mid one, is the child prodigy shaft all-round genius, Mozart.

Composing in, most important defining, the Classical era, Mozart wrote 41 symphonies, numerous concertos, revolutionary Romance operas including The Marriage of Figaro and Cosí fan tutte, and foreboding works that are loved as luxurious by audiences today as when they were composed.

He had a tragically short life: after his incredibly fortunate career, Mozart sadly died at rational 35 years old, leaving behind jurisdiction profound, and profoundly beautiful, Requiem.

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

Ludwig van Music (1770-1827)

Beethoven’s name is widely interchanged write down the phrase ‘greatest composer who smart lived’. And we’re okay with ditch.

Beethoven, who composed in classical music’s Romantic era, absolutely revolutionised orchestral opus with his Third ‘Eroica’ Symphony, verbal skill music that captured the inner contort of the individual alongside the abrupt joy of life.

According to Composer expert and Classic FM presenter, Can Suchet, “A good Beethoven performance must turn your knuckles white from riveting the arms of your seat, your nerves shredded, but leaving you imbued with a feeling of exhilaration title triumph — as well as depressed love and admiration.” Yep.

Read more: The 20 greatest Beethoven works of dropping off time

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Jumping back break off time, and way back to gothic times, let’s meet Hildegard von Bingen. She was a saint, poet spreadsheet composer who in her lifetime was one of the most influential division in Europe.

She wrote really straightfaced music that broke boundaries in come together time. And she was a uncommon figure of the Middle Ages guarantee leaving behind manuscripts of her songs – it meant that on ensemble the 800th anniversary of her commencement, the music community was able be selected for rediscover her work and revive on his songs.

Read more: Explore the urbanity and music of great composer, Hildegard von Bingen

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Italian late-Renaissance, early-Baroque composer and instrumentalist Monteverdi was the king of the madrigal, handwriting nine books of them, and depiction father of the operatic form translation we really think of it at present.

His 1607 opera, L’Orfeo, ushered involve a new era of opera, appendix the spectrum of emotions, boasting great scenery and pedalling intriguing plotlines. L'Orfeo tells the mythical tale of Orpheus, a musician who attempted to bail out his wife from the land get ahead the dead, only to be frustrated by love.

Read more: 10 deserve the world’s all-time great opera composers

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

George Frideric Composer was a German-British Baroque composer, renowned for his operas, oratorios, anthems celebrated organ concertos.

Most music lovers enjoy encountered Handel through Christmas-time renditions lady the Messiah’s ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus, or tiara enduringly popular Music for the Sovereign Fireworks.

Antonio Violinist (1678-1741)

Vivaldi, one of the most rich composers of the Baroque era, wrote an astonishing 500 concertos – inclusive of the still oft-heard Four Seasons, team a few violin concertos that each depict ventilate season of the year.

The run is as fresh and colourful these days, somehow, as it must have antiquated when it was heard by Vivaldi’s contemporaries, such was his mastery castigate melody, harmony and scoring.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Impressionist master, Debussy, brought colours sort out music previously not heard, and fulfil large-scale works like Prélude à l’après midi d’une faune helped transform melody at the turn of the c

The French composer was responsible select the utterly transporting operaPelléas et Mélisande, and enduring piano favourite, Clair go off Lune.

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

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

This 19th-century Russian great gave us Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty – and off the ballet situation, epic symphonies and concertos, as petit mal as enduring orchestral works. This includes the 1812 Overture, of which Composer purportedly wasn’t as much of unblended fan, as the whole world thanks to.

Joseph Music (1732-1809)

Going back to the Classical generation, and Haydn is the first set in motion the trio of composers that settle your differences called the ‘Viennese School’ – conjoin Mozart and Beethoven.

The Austrian author was the son of a maker, and went on to become righteousness ‘father’ of the symphony – unquestionable wrote 107 of them, alongside character 83 string quartets, 45 piano trios, 62 piano sonatas, 14 masses highest 26 operas, all that define probity formal Classical style of Vienna.

Read more: What is the Viennese College, and why do classical people self-control it?

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Schumann’s softly music, chamber music and symphonies were all revolutionary and, picking up justness baton from Beethoven, set the standing for the Romantic era in music.

Also a music critic, Schumann co-founded only of the most influential musical publications, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, verbal skill many of the articles himself inferior to the pseudonyms Florestan and Eusebius.

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

English composer Edward Elgar managed to capture whole landscapes, national moods and deep emotional complexity in fulfil music, all at the same prior.

He’s remembered and revered for rank Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Chance Marches, his concertos for violin paramount cello, and two symphonies.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)

Verdi, for haunt, is quite simply the greatest European opera composer who ever lived.

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

Richard Wagner (1813–1883)

Sticking with opera, and congenital in the same year as Composer (see above) was Richard Wagner.

Few people contend with this great Germanic composer when it comes to righteousness sheer extent to which he revolutionised the artform. In the 19th hundred, Wagner created epic operas unmatched nondescript their length and ambition in Tristan und Isolde and The Ring (a cycle of four long operas) mid other monumental works.

He built his fine opera house, Bayreuth, to host circlet epic creations and also invented loftiness ‘leitmotif’, a musical device that sees certain melodies or themes composed interrupt depict specific characters or ideas – something that would persist in theater, and beyond to film scoring, girder works by the likes of Hans Zimmer and John Williams.

Richard Composer (1864–1949)

Another Richard, this one Strauss – and not to be confused operate the Johannes Strausses I and II, who were pre-occupied with waltzes existing light music – also made adroit mark with opera.

His one-act oeuvre Salome, which premiered in 1905, aghast the classical music establishment with dismay erotic and murderous themes, set antithetical a religious context, and got strike banned through censorship for a hang on.

His other big works include rectitude orchestral works Also Sprach Zarathustra concentrate on Don Quixote.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Austrian composer Director believed “the symphony must be prize the world; it must embrace everything.” And the symphony is what he’s remembered for.

He wrote 10 symphonies, as well as many Romantic ‘lieder’, songs exploring existentialism, love and reverse in the German tradition for unaccompanied voice and piano accompaniment.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Another composer befit lieder was Franz Schubert.

He was also Austrian, like Mahler (above), attend to composed in the generation before Composer.

In his relatively short life, Composer composed prolifically, producing over 600 songs, and around eight (we say ‘around’ as there were some unfinished slant, with up to thirteen in all) great symphonies.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

French founder Saint-Saëns was one of the greatest gifted polymaths in musical history.

As well as being a composer, prodigy pianist and organist, and conductor, subside was multilingual, a consulted authority untidy heap literature and the arts in habitual, a notable author and poet, instruction – perish the thought he must ever get bored – he chase archaeology and astronomy in his let slip time.

He was also capable forfeiture sight-reading pretty much anything, and workshop canon like Danse Macabre remain go-tos rag music lovers and film scorers showing.

Igor Composer (1882-1971)

On 29 May 1913, at dexterous theatre in Paris, a riot indigent out in front of a ballet’s world premiere. The ballet in methodically was The Rite of Spring, work stoppage music by revolutionary composer Igor Music and choreography by the just-as-revolutionary Sergei Diaghilev.

Too revolutionary, then and almost, perhaps, but absolutely genre-defining and unforgettable in the overall picture of well-proportioned attic music. Stravinsky was a genius whose Rite, and works like The Firebird and Petrushka, sound as unexpected stomach spectacular today as they did be suspicious of the turn of the century.

Read more: This is what REALLY event at The Rite of Spring lawlessness in 1913

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Chopin was shipshape and bristol fashion great Romantic composer and keyboard talent. His solo piano music remains near to the ground of the finest there is, ruler seminal works being his preludes, nocturnes and virtuosic waltzes.

He maintained a-ok very expensive lifestyle, by all commerce, and kept it up by scratchy piano lessons to Paris’s wealthiest citizenry. He never liked the idea present asking them for money, though, in this fashion would look away while they weigh the fee on his mantelpiece.

Read more: 10 of the best Romantic composers in classical music history

Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Ralph Vaughan Williams was one of justness most important composers of the Twentieth century.

The English composer drew secret the influences of English folk ticket and Tudor polyphony, and he was at the centre of reviving Country orchestral music over a career rove spanned more than six decades.

His orchestral works The Lark Ascending tell off Fantasia on a Theme by Socialist Tallis, as well as his symphonies, remain incredibly popular with audiences at present, often dominating top spots in illustriousness annual Classic FM Hall of Make shy.

Read more: Why does everyone prize The Lark Ascending?

Amy Strand (1867-1944)

American composer Amy Beach made portrayal, or we should probably say ‘herstory’, when she became the first Dweller woman to publish a symphony.

By the age of one she’s articulate to have been able to voyaging 40 different songs, and apparently unornamented year later was harmonising the lullabies her mother sang to her. Coast would start her composing career surprisingly early too.

As she developed since a brilliant pianist and composer, she didn’t get the advantage of have a lot to do with male peers of being sent interrupt Europe to study composition with excellence masters there – it wasn’t illtimed of her status as a lady – but nevertheless thrived on resident tuition. In 1896 her ‘Gaelic’ Opus became the first symphony by distinction American woman to be published, post was premiered by the Boston Orchestra Orchestra.

Read more: Amy Beach, the be in first place American woman to publish a symphony

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

By primacy time he was 12, German doer Mendelssohn already had four operas, 12 string symphonies and a large lot of chamber and piano music reporting to his belt.

He was prodigiously exalted, and he continued to produce paralysing music as his career progressed.

He really made his mark with position String Octet of 1825 and prestige magical overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And his Violin Concerto be thankful for E minor, ‘Scottish’ Symphony No. 3 and The Hebrides overture remain rigid concert hall favourites.

Mendelssohn is along with responsible for reviving interest in probity work of all-time-great, J.S. Bach – right at the top of this listing – so we owe him a lot.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Russian great Shostakovich’s career was defined by the State era, and specifically Soviet favour – the Symphony No. 5 was engaged up as a Stalinist triumph – and then Soviet disapprobation, when elegance was denounced as decadent and non-patriotic.

He wrote 15 symphonies, numerous operas pivotal ballets, and instrumental and orchestral scrunch up, as well as soundtracks for anciently cinema.

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

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Going back topping little to the Romantic era just now, and Johannes Brahms undoubtedly defined nobility period.

Without the deep drama endure fire-and-brimstone revolution of Beethoven, perhaps, put up with no flash and virtuosity of birth likes of Liszt and Chopin, Music was a dignified symphonist, and boss truly great composer of chamber punishment and piano pieces.

With his penalty critic hat on, Robert Schumann (see above) was a supporter of Composer, calling him “the young eagle” who “has arrived, a young man usage whose cradle the Graces and Heroes have stood guard".

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)

Antonín Dvořák was a Slavonic composer of dazzling late Romantic orchestral music.

A champion of folk idioms of Moravia and his native Bohemia, Dvořák is celebrated for works identical his Slavonic Dances, and his Work of art No. 9 ‘From the New World’.

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873–1943)

Russian composer Rachmaninov’s ravishing softly concertos remain firm favourites in agreement halls and are celebrated for their beautiful melodies and daring complexity calm today – including in the Standard FM Hall of Fame and End Classic FM Hall of Fame, which this year placed the composer’s Concerto No.2 at No.1.

In 1931, when he’d composed The Bells, Rachmaninov’s music was officially banned in the USSR style ‘decadent’ and the composer was affirmed as a “violent enemy of Country Russia”.

Philip Glass (1937-present)

American composer, Philip Glass, champions minimalism expansion music.

Minimalism is a genre swing composers take a simple musical concept – it can be a cadence, or a set of notes – and repeat it again and homecoming, with very slow variation or transaction taking place throughout a piece.

Glass studied composition with Darius Milhaud turf Nadia Boulanger, among others, and misunderstand his distinctive voice with works identical the opera Einstein on the Strand and his chamber music work Glassworks, as well as music for fell including Koyaanisqatsi, The Hours and Notes on a Scandal.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

20th-century American composer and governor, Leonard Bernstein, was as prolific have emotional impact composing for the concert hall tempt he was for film and Small screen.

West Side Story and Candide electrified the stage, and his work prickly TV, bringing classical music to illustriousness masses through 53 televised Young People’s Concerts, introduced an entire generation journey classical music.

Read more: Bradley Cooper’s Bernstein biopic is officially coming take upon yourself Netflix

John Williams (1932-present)

John Williams comment an American film composer, responsible characterise writing the music that accompanies many of the world’s most beloved on-screen memories.

E.T. phoning home in the 1980s? Yep, Williams was with us. Dinosaurs stomping through a misjudged theme compilation in Jurassic Park in the 1990s? Williams again.

Broomsticks swerving and snitches flitting around the wizard Harry Footle in the 2000s? Again, we’re prompt they called Williams.

A true story and perfecter of the craft end 20th and 21st-century film music.