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.
Romantic
Saint-Saëns, Camille
The leading French composer of his generation, he was considered the “French Beethoven” in his lifetime, and was often compared to Mozart.
More »
More »
Modern
Satie, Erik
A stinging gadfly in the dead white male club, Satie rejected most ideas of “great” music he inherited, and struck out on his own to discover a modern, un-Romantic style.
More »
More »
Classical
Schubert, Franz
- Seminal composer of the early Romantic era. His original harmonies and his affinity for homely genres like the art-song (lieder) and short piano pieces were hugely influential.
More »
Romantic
Schumann, Robert
- Early standard-bearer for German musical Romanticism in mid-19th century, and a powerful influence on Romantic musicians.
More »
20th Century
Shostakovich, Dmitri
Russian 20th-century composer especially famous for his symphonies.
More »
More »
Late Romantic/Early 20th Century
Sibelius, Jean
Finnish symphonist considered a national hero in his homeland. His music spans an enormous emotional range, and many of his innovations remain influential on contemporary composers.
More »
More »
Romantic
Smetana, Bedřich
Composer of The Moldau and The Bartered Bride, Smetana was an ardent nationalist whose music is still championed in the Czech Republic.
More »
More »
Romantic
Strauss II, Johann
- Known as “The Waltz King,” Strauss wrote many of the world’s most famous waltzes (“The Blue Danube,” “The Emperor”), as well as the operetta “Die Fledermaus” (The bat).
More »
20th century
Strauss, Richard
- Initially famous as a composer of symphonic poems (notably “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” which contains the theme made famous in “2001: Space Odyssey”), he later concentrated on writing operas. Strauss is an important link between Romanticism and 20th-century modernism.
More »
20th century
Stravinsky, Igor
- One of the most influential composers of the early 20th-century modernists, and also one of the most popular.
More »