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List of Famous Composers From the Modern Eras
The Baroque Era
Period of western music from the start of the 17th century to the mid 18th century. Its name means "oddly shaped pearl" to emphasize the difference between the difference between the Baroque era and the Renaissance era. Compared to Renaissance music, Baroque had one general mood, more strings, and many different types of forms.
- Heinrich Bach
- Georg Christoph Bach
- Johann Christoph Bach
- Johann Nicolaus Bach
- Johann Michael Bach
- Johann Christoph Bach (not the same guy as the other Johann Christoph Bach)
- Johann Bernhard Bach
- Johann Ludwig Bach
- Johann Lorenz Bach
- Johann Bernhard Bach (the younger)
- Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (has some nice concertos)
- Johann Sebastion Bach (the most famous Bach)
- George Frideric Handel (made some really relaxing stuff)
- Antonio Vivaldi (awesome violin works)
- Claudio Monteverdi
- Domenico Scarlatti (father of sonatas)
- Arcangelo Corelli
- Georg Philipp Telemann
- Alessandro Scarlatti (father of the other Scarlatti)
- Jean-Philippe Rameau
- Jean-Baptiste Lully (the dude had a guitar)
- Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
- Francois Couperin (I'm only going to put two Couperins because I don't want to put the entire family tree like I did with the Bachs)
- Louis Couperin
- Leopard Mozart (father of the other Mozart)
- Johann Pachelbel
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier
- Girolamo Frescobaldi
- Heinrich Schutz
- Tomaso Albinoni (underrated)
- Giacomo Carissimi
- Giovanni Battista Sammartini
- Giuseppe Tartini (apparently saw the devil)
- Giovanni Bononcini
The Classical Era
Not to be confused with the general "classical music" term which encompasses the entire genre of music before the digital age, the Classical era for music lasted from the end of the Baroque era to the early 19th century. Typically, many of the famous "classical music" composers and styles originated from this era. Compared to the Previous eras, the Classical style was more lighter and lack the stiff structured complexity of the Baroque era.
- Joseph Haydn (the little prankster)
- Johann Christian Fischer (the only gut who cared about oboes)
- Johann Christan Bach (they're Bach!)
- Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach
- Wilwelm Friedrich Ernst Bach
- Johann Michael Bach
- Luigi Boccherini (another underrated composer)
- Carl Stamitz
- Joachim Albertini (only relevant for one work)
- Antonio Salieri (kinda overshadowed by Mozart)
- Muzio Clementi
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (the most famous composer of all time)
- Joseph Martin Kraus
- Johann Nepomuk Hummel (most people after this will transitioning into the Romantic era)
- Ludwig van Beethoven (the second most famous composer of all time)
- Mauro Giuliani
- Niccolo Paganini (Franz Liszt of violins)
- Carl Maria von Weber (the second most influence into romanticism after Beethoven)
- Carl Czerny (every piano player's friend)
- Gioachino Rossini
- Franz Shubert (even more underrated composers)
The Romantic Era
The early to late 19th century saw the rise of the Romantic Period. Romantic focused on the freedom to express people's emotions and romantic music was no different. Romantic composers weren't bound by any strict forms. Their works were usually harmonious, lyrical melodies with great use of dynamics. Their orchestras saw the increasing popularity of brass instruments. I don't like to be biased but I think this was the best of all Eras in music, literature, and art.
- Ludwig van Beethoven (deaf dude again because nobody can agree whether he's a classical or romantic composer)
- Vincenzo Bellini
- Hector Belioz
- Johann Strauss I (not as well known as the other Strauss)
- Fanny Mendelssohn (most of her works were published under Felix Mendelssohn)
- Feliz Mendelssohn (great reviver of dead music)
- Frederic Chopin (the most famous pianist)
- Robert Schumann (he's alright)
- Clara Schumann (she's alright)
- Franz Liszt (doesn't realize not everybody has big hands)
- Richard Wagner (Nazi's main theme)
- Giuseppe Verdi (the most famous opera composer)
- Jacques Offenbach
- Johann Strauss II (the more important Strauss)
- Johannes Brahms (you heard this guy's works)
- Camille Saint-Saens (when your non-serious works become your most well-known works)
- Max Bruch
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (you definitely heard this guy's works)
- Edvard Greig
- Edward Elgar
- Giacomo Puccini
- Gustav Mahler
- Claude Debussy (most famous impressionist)
- Jean Sibelius
- Erik Satie
- Sergei Rachmaninoff (I swear he purposely makes his pieces difficult)
- Maurice Ravel (Romanticism is starting to die off now)
The Modern/Neoclassical Era
Again, not to be confused with general use of 'modern' as in present-day, but the artistic movement during the 20th century to the present day. One of the reasons why many people don't really know of moderism when it comes to classical music is that modernism was a revival of the previous styles of music, and innovating them into more friendlier versions to the people at the time. For this reason, music from this period is sometimes referred to as Neoclassical music. There was no new groundbreaking techniques, and they were essentially mimicing composers from the previous eras. Arguably, the time of great masters of compositions was coming to a close.
- Josef Hofmann
- James Joyce (one of the more "relevant" composers)
- Igor Stravinsky (really the only one you need to know)
- Sergei Prokofiev (one of the better ones)
- Arnold Schoenberg
- George Gershwin
- Duke Ellington
- Dmitri Shostakovich (rivals Strauss II for the creator of the most famous waltz)
- John Cage
- Benjamin Britten
- Leonard Bernstein (major figure who spread classical music to the masses)
- Pierre Boulez
- Philip Glass