Composers
The best Italian composers of all time
From Palestrina to Einaudi, Italian composers have given us wonderful music, in opera and beyond. Here is our pick of the top ten best Italian composers of all time =
Who is Ludwig Göransson? A guide to the Oscar-winning film composer
Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson has captured the attention of the film music world in recent years, but his composing career has been much more diverse than most...
Bernard Herrmann: the iconic film composer who formed a dream team with Alfred Hitchcock
Complex and irascible, Bernard Herrmann was plagued by career frustrations, but remains one of cinema’s most iconic musical voices
Monteverdi, Claudio
Meet Monteverdi, early opera pioneer and classical music's first great dramatist
Puccini: the Italian opera maestro who added Wagner to Verdi
Opera's craftsman of emotion
What's new?
Philip Glass: Minimalism and beyond
Meet Philip Glass: so much more than a Minimalist
Ravel, Maurice
We explore the life and work of this master craftsman of French music
Robert Schumann: tortured Romantic genius
Felix Mendelssohn: effortlessly gifted Romantic
The ultimate child prodigy
Leonard Bernstein: composer, conductor, educator, hero
Genius of theatre and concert hall
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Charles-Valentin Alkan: the hermit who composed devilishly difficult piano works
A performer who became a hermit, Charles-Valentin Alkan wrote the most demanding piano works in history, says Malcolm Hayes
Who was Louis Andriessen and was he one of the best Dutch composers ever?
When Louis Andriessen died at the age of 82 in 2021 the Netherlands lost one of its most important and idiosyncratic composers, writes Tom Stewart
Albinoni, Tomaso
Kate Bolton-Porciatti explores the life and works of prolific but surprisingly obscure Venetian composer Tomaso Albinoni
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Rebecca Clarke: viola virtuoso and chamber music adventurer
Equally accomplished as a performer and composer, Rebecca Clarke took many by surprise with her finest masterpiece, as Leah Broad explains
François Couperin: celebrated Baroque composer and harpsichord virtuoso
The 18th-century French composer François Couperin lavished as much colour and character on his work as any artist of his era, says Kate Bolton-Porciatti
Czerny, Carl
Chris de Souza explores the life and work of the great Austrian composer Carl Czerny, from being taught by Beethoven to teaching Liszt
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Antonín Dvořák: incomparable Czech melodist
Meet Antonín Dvořák, supreme folk and classical synthesist and perhaps the most melodic of the Late Romantics
Who is Henry Walford Davies?
Buckingham Palace has announced that music by the English composer Henry Walford Davies will be performed at the coronation, but who is he?
Who is Patrick Doyle?
Meet the Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, whose composing credits include a Harry Potter, Bridget Jones - and music for King Charles’s Coronation
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Enescu, George
Meet George Enescu, a multi-faceted composer and a Romanian national hero
Elgar, Edward
Meet Edward Elgar, the divided spirit of English music
Who is Danny Elfman, the composer behind The Simpsons?
There’s one iconic telly tune you’ll probably know by this American composer, whose music graces the BBC Proms for the first time this weekend; but there’s a lot more to Danny Elfman than The Simpsons…
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Feldman, Morton
An introduction to the 20th-century experimental American composer Morton Feldman
Who is Alexis Ffrench? Meet the composer and pianist who performed at the Coronation
Meet the composer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench, who is among the artists performing at the coronation concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle on 7 May
Finzi, Gerald
The life and times of an iconic British choral composer
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Charles Gounod: Was the composer of Faust devilishly good, or a one-hit wonder?
Feted in his own era, the French composer Charles Gounod deserves to be remembered for more than the small handful of his works that are familiar today, says Roger Nichols
Grieg: Norway's greatest composer
Meet Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, the voice of the fjords
Gesualdo: madrigalist and murderer
Meet Carlo Gesualdo: musician and murderer
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Jake Heggie: a life less ordinary
American composer Jake Heggie is best known for his operas, which tackle painful and difficult topics – and his path to success has been anything but ordinary, writes Kate Wakeling
Herbert Howells - the composer who channelled his grief into beautiful music
The atmospheric Carol Anthems were just the start of this British composer’s remarkable outpouring of choral music, writes Paul Spicer
Hindemith, Paul
Often dismissed today as a dry neo-classicist, the German composer Paul Hindemith was in fact one of the most visionary figures of his time, says John Allison. Here he explores his life and works
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Janáček, Leos
Leos Janáček: a man of fierce passions, and a gifted melder of musical styles
Who was Josquin des Prez?
Everything you need to know about the French composer and his revolutionary Renaissance music
Who was Jóhann Jóhannsson? A guide to the Icelandic composer
You might have heard of this Oscar-nominated Icelandic composer who died in 2018 aged only 48, but who exactly was he? What was his music like? How did he make his breakthrough? Here's everything you need to know about Jóhann Jóhannsson
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Korngold, Erich Wolfgang
Embracing youthful stardom, Nazi censorship and Hollywood success, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's story was truly remarkable, says Jessica Duchen
Komitas
Michael Church explores the enduring influence of Komitas, the composer and pioneering folk-collector whose career met a brutal end
Knussen, Oliver
Oliver Knussen is a great British talent, whose colourful scores had a huge impact on audiences and composers alike
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Franz Lehár: meet the composer behind one of the most popular operas ever, The Merry Widow
George Hall looks at the life and music of Franz Lehár, a composer who brought both huge popularity and a new respect to the world of operetta - and gave the world The Merry Widow
Edouard Lalo: meet the French composer who gave Romanticism a Spanish tang
Lalo’s best works for the opera stage and concert hall reveal a distinctive composer who by no means deserves his present neglect, says Roger Nichols
Lauridsen, Morten
Meet Morten Lauridsen, California-based Danish composer of O Magnum Mysterium, Lux Aeterna, and other choral staples
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Mozart: a brief biography of the incomparable melodist
Was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart the greatest composer who ever lived?
Pietro Mascagni: why the Italian composer should be remembered for more than Cavalleria rusticana
Famous for Cavalleria rusticana, Mascagni would probably be well known for his other operas too had the tide of political history not turned against him, says George Hall
Albéric Magnard: unveiling the passion and tragedy of France's forgotten composer
A combination of bad timing, unfortunate circumstance and his own bloody-mindedness condemned Magnard’s music to obscurity. It was, says Roger Nichols, an unjust fate
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George Onslow: has history judged the Anglo-French composer unfairly?
Admired by several notable contemporaries, the man once dubbed ‘the French Beethoven’ is surely ripe for reappraisal, says Misha Donat
Who is Tarik O'Regan?
Meet British-American composer Tarik O'Regan, whose CV includes writing music for King Charles's coronation
Orff, Carl
The lies, the politics… and Carmina Burana
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Niccolò Paganini: dazzling Italian virtuoso and violin technique pioneer
One of the most dazzling musical showmen of all time, the great Italian violinist and composer Paganini cast a spell over all those who heard his music, as Julian Haylock explains
Michael Praetorius: composer, organist, theorist, Renaissance man extraordinaire
Best known for a moment of festive perfection, the music of the German composer Michael Praetorius was, explains Paul Riley, shaped by the Lutheran era in which he lived
Parry, Hubert
Groundbreaking and influential, Hubert Parry was at the heart of the renaissance of British music in the early 20th century, says Jeremy Dibble
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Stravinsky: style-conscious visionary, 20th-century composing colossus
Learn all about Igor Stravinsky, the style-conscious visionary and perhaps the 20th century's most seminal composer
Sibelius: authentic voice of the far North
Meet the authentic voice of the far north, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius
Stockhausen: avant-garde visionary
Steph Power celebrates the German composer Stockhausen whose farsighted innovations forever changed our approaches to composing and listening
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Who is Tan Dun? Meet the composer of the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' score
Chinese-American composer Tan Dun has come from humble origins to achieve global success, yet his concerns remain the same – balance, humanity and the natural world, writes Claire Jackson
John Tavener
Meet John Tavener, composer of extraordinarily spiritual music of many faiths
Who is Shirley J. Thompson?
Meet Shirley J. Thompson, one of the composers who was specially commissioned to write music for the Coronation of King Charles III
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Antonio Vivaldi: so much more than The Four Seasons
The composer of The Four Seasons was also one of the Baroque era's busiest and most influential musicians. Meet Antonio Vivaldi
Vaughan Williams, Ralph
Terry Blain explores the life, times and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams - the grand old man of British music
Who was Pauline Viardot?
As fine a composer as she was a singer, Pauline Viardot was respected and adored by Europe’s greatest musicians, discovers Jessica Duchen
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Mieczysław Weinberg: how the scars of war and Soviet politics shaped his music and life
The powerful work of Mieczysław Weinberg, a composer who lived through war and imprisonment, is at last being celebrated, says Erik Levi
Wang, Jie
Meet Wang Jie, the Chinese-born composer of the chamber opera It Rained on Shakopee and more
William Walton: romantic modernist
From gritty, complex symphonies to hugely popular film scores, the music of Walton is notably tricky to pin down. And that, says Malcolm Hayes, is part of its enduring appeal
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