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.
    Sergei Rachmaninov
    Romantic

    Rachmaninov, Sergei

    Late, great, Russian Romantic composer. Equally famous as a pianist; many of his best compositions are for that instrument.
    More »
    Jean-Philippe Rameau
    Baroque

    Rameau, Jean-Philippe

    The most important 18th-century French composer, known especially for his operas and other theater works. He also was an influential music theorist.
    More »
    Maurice Ravel
    Modern

    Ravel, Maurice

    • In early 20th-century France, Ravel was one of the great orchestrators in music. He used his original harmonic sensibility to create lush, tuneful, and engaging works.

    More »
    Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
    Romantic

    Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai

    Composer of Scheherazade and several great operas, Rimsky-Korsakov was also a great teacher, one of the most important influences in 19th-century Russian music.
    More »
    Gioachino Rossini
    Classical

    Rossini, Gioachino

    • Known as “The Swan of Pesaro,” Rossini was the most popular composer of the first half of the 19th century. Rossini’s highly ornate musical style revolutionized the art form, inaugurating the “Golden Century” of Italian opera.

    More »