Composer Gallery

    Here are quick and easy reference guides to the all-time great composers, a roster that we're always expanding. For each composer, you'll find vital statistics (birth, death, nationality), a short biographical sketch and a few fun facts, plus a basic guide to the music and a list of weblinks and resources, plus a few of the most famous tunes and one or two videos. Whether you're heading off to a concert, writing a research paper, looking for reliable, current information, or just want to explore some cool music and video, this is the first stop on your web search.
    Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
    Renaissance

    Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da

    • Late 16th-century, Italian composer of masses, motets, and madrigals. He was extremely prolific and is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the late Renaissance.

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    Composer Sergei Prokofiev
    20th-Century

    Prokofiev, Sergei

    Loved for his beautiful melodies, Prokofiev also demonstrated a sense of humor-often biting-that tempered his Romanticism. He is one of the most popular 20th-century composers.
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    Giacomo Puccini
    Romantic

    Puccini, Giacomo

    Last in the line of "Golden Age" Italian opera composers, responsible for some of the world's most beloved operas.
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    Henry Purcell
    Baroque

    Purcell, Henry

    • One of the most revered English Baroque composers, he merged French, Italian, and native elements in his music.

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