Classical composers of the 18th century. famous musicians

Here is a list of 10 composers you should know. It is safe to say about each of them that he is the greatest composer who has ever been, although in fact it is impossible, and indeed impossible, to compare music written over several centuries. However, all of these composers stand out among their contemporaries as composers who composed music of the highest caliber and who sought to push the boundaries of classical music to new limits. The list does not contain any order, such as importance or personal preference. Simply 10 great composers you should know.

Each composer is accompanied by a quotable fact of his life, remembering which you will look like an expert. And by clicking on the link to the names, you will find out his full biography. And of course, you can listen to one of the significant works of each master.

The most important figure in world classical music. One of the most performed and respected composers in the world. He worked in all the genres that existed in his time, including opera, ballet, music for dramatic performances, and choral compositions. Instrumental works are considered to be the most significant in his legacy: piano, violin and cello sonatas, piano and violin concertos, quartets, overtures, symphonies. The founder of the romantic period in classical music.

Interesting fact.

Beethoven first wanted to dedicate his third symphony (1804) to Napoleon, the composer was fascinated by the personality of this man, who seemed to many at the beginning of his reign a real hero. But when Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor, Beethoven crossed out his dedication on the title page and wrote only one word - "Heroic".

"Moonlight Sonata" by L. Beethoven, listen:

2. (1685-1750)

German composer and organist, representative of the Baroque era. One of the greatest composers in the history of music. During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. All significant genres of that time are represented in his work, except for opera; he summarized the achievements of the musical art of the Baroque period. Ancestor of the most famous musical dynasty.

Interesting fact.

During his lifetime, Bach was so underestimated that less than a dozen of his works were published.

Toccata and fugue in D minor by J.S. Bach, listen:

3. (1756-1791)

A great Austrian composer, instrumentalist and conductor, a representative of the Vienna Classical School, a virtuoso violinist, harpsichordist, organist, conductor, he had a phenomenal musical ear, memory and ability to improvise. As a composer who has excelled in every genre, he is rightfully considered one of the greatest composers in the history of classical music.

Interesting fact.

While still a child, Mozart memorized and wrote down the Miserere (Cat. chant to the text of the 50th Psalm of David) by the Italian Grigorio Allegri, having listened to it only once.

"Little Night Serenade" by W. A. Mozart, listen:

4. (1813-1883)

German composer, conductor, playwright, philosopher. He had a significant impact on European culture at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, especially modernism. Wagner's operas amaze with their grand scale and eternal human values.

Interesting fact.

Wagner took part in the failed revolution of 1848-1849 in Germany and was forced to hide from arrest by Franz Liszt.

"Ride of the Valkyries" from the opera "Valkyrie" by R. Wagner, listen

5. (1840-1893)

Italian composer, central figure of the Italian opera school. Verdi had a sense of the stage, temperament and impeccable skill. He did not deny opera traditions (unlike Wagner), but rather developed them (the traditions of Italian opera), he transformed Italian opera, filled it with realism, gave it the unity of the whole.

Interesting fact.

Verdi was an Italian nationalist and was elected to the first Italian Parliament in 1860, after Italy's independence from Austria.

Overture to D.Verdi's opera "La Traviata", listen:

7. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Russian (American - after emigration) composer, conductor, pianist. One of the most important composers of the twentieth century. Stravinsky's work has been united throughout his career, although at different periods the style of his works was different, but the core and Russian roots remained, which manifested themselves in all his works, he is considered one of the leading innovators of the 20th century. His innovative use of rhythm and harmony has inspired and continues to inspire many musicians, and not just in classical music.

Interesting fact.

During World War I, Roman customs officials confiscated a portrait of Stravinsky by Pablo Picasso when the composer was leaving Italy. The portrait was painted in a futuristic manner and the customs officers mistook these circles and lines for some kind of encrypted secret material.

Suite from I.F. Stravinsky's ballet "The Firebird", listen:

8. Johann Strauss (1825-1899)

Austrian light music composer, conductor and violinist. "King of Waltzes", he worked in the genre of dance music and operetta. His musical heritage includes more than 500 waltzes, polkas, square dances and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and ballets. Thanks to him, the waltz became extremely popular in Vienna in the 19th century.

Interesting fact.

The father of Johann Strauss is also Johann and also a famous musician, therefore the "king of waltzes" is called the younger or son, his brothers Joseph and Eduard were also famous composers.

Waltz by I. Strauss "On the Beautiful Blue Danube", listen:

9. Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov (1873-1943)

Austrian composer, one of the prominent representatives of the Viennese classical music school and one of the founders of romanticism in music. In his short life, Schubert made significant contributions to orchestral, chamber and piano music that influenced an entire generation of composers. However, his most striking contribution was to the development of German romances, of which he created more than 600.

Interesting fact.

Schubert's friends and fellow musicians would get together and play Schubert's music. These meetings were called "Schubertiads" (Schubertiads). Some first fan club!

"Ave Maria" F.P. Schubert, listen:

Continuing the theme of the great composers you should know, new material.

Classical music is nowhere near as popular today as it was in its golden age from the 17th century to the early 20th century, but it is still impressive and an inspiration to many. The famous musical composers who created these great works may have lived hundreds of years ago, but their masterpieces are still unsurpassed.

Notable German composers

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most important names in the history of classical music. He was an innovator of his era, expanding the scope of the symphony, sonata, concerto, quartet, and combining vocals and instruments in new ways, although he was not so interested in the vocal genre. The public did not immediately accept his innovative ideas, but fame did not take too long to wait, so even during the life of Beethoven, his work was duly appreciated.

Beethoven's entire life was marked by a struggle for healthy hearing, but deafness nevertheless overtook him: some of the great composer's most important works were created during the last ten years of his life, when he was no longer able to hear. Some of the most famous works of Beethoven are "Moonlight Sonata" (No. 14), the play "For Elise", Symphony No. 9, Symphony No. 5.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Another world famous German composer is Johann Sebastian Bach - a brilliant author, whose works in the 19th century aroused interest even among those who were not interested in serious, classical music. He wrote both organ music, and vocal-instrumental, and music for other instruments and instrumental ensembles, although he still managed to bypass the operatic genre. Most often, he was engaged in writing cantatas, fugues, preludes and oratorios, as well as choral arrangements. It was Bach, along with Georg Friedrich Handel, who were the last composers of the Baroque era.

Throughout his life, he created more than a thousand pieces of music. The most famous works of Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565, Pastoral BWV 590, "Brandenburg Concertos", "Peasant" and "Coffee" cantatas, mass "Matthew Passion".

Richard Wagner

Wagner was not only one of the most influential composers in the entire world, but also one of the most controversial - because of his anti-Semitic worldview. He was a supporter of a new form of opera, which he called "musical drama" - in it all the musical and dramatic elements merged together. To this end, he developed a compositional style in which the orchestra plays as strong a dramatic role as the performing singers.

Wagner himself wrote his own librettos, which he called "poems". Most of Wagner's plots were based on European myths and legends. He is best known for his eighteen-hour cycle of epic operas in four parts called Der Ring des Nibelungen, the opera Tristan und Isolde, and the musical drama Parsifal.

Famous Russian composers

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

Glinka is usually referred to as the founder of the Russian national tradition in music, but his Russian operas offered a synthesis of Western music with Russian melodies. Glinka's first opera was A Life for the Tsar, which was well received at its first production in 1836, but the second opera, Ruslan and Lyudmila, with a libretto written by Pushkin, was not so popular. Nevertheless, it was a new type of drama - the heroic-historical opera, or epic.

Glinka became the first of the Russian composers who achieved world recognition. The most famous works of Mikhail Ivanovich: the opera "Ivan Susanin", a fantasy waltz for a symphony orchestra and an overture-symphony on a circular Russian theme.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular and famous composers in the world. For many, he is also the most beloved Russian composer. Tchaikovsky's work, however, is much more western than the works written by other composers of his contemporaries, as he used both folk Russian melodies and was guided by the legacy of German and Austrian composers. Tchaikovsky himself was not only a composer, but also a conductor, music teacher and critic.

No others famous composers Russia, perhaps, is not famous for creating ballet productions in the way that Tchaikovsky is famous for. Tchaikovsky's most famous ballets are The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He also wrote operas; the most famous are The Queen of Spades, Eugene Onegin.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov

The work of Sergei Vasilyevich absorbed the traditions of post-romanticism and took shape in a unique style in the musical culture of the 20th century, unlike any other in the world. He always gravitated towards large musical forms. Basically, his works are full of melancholy, drama, strength and rebellion; they often displayed images of the folk epic.

Rachmaninov was known not only as a composer, but also as a pianist, so piano works occupy a significant place in his work. He began learning piano music at the age of four. Rachmaninov's defining genre was the piano concerto and orchestra. Rachmaninoff's most famous works are the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and four concertos for piano and orchestra.

Famous composers of the world

Giuseppe Francesco Verdi

It is difficult to imagine the 19th century without the music of Giuseppe Verdi, one of the classics of Italian musical culture. Most of all, Verdi strove to bring musical realism to the opera production, he always worked directly with singers and librettists, interfered in the work of conductors and did not tolerate false performance. He said that he liked everything that was beautiful in art.

Like many composers, Verdi gained the greatest popularity thanks to the creation of operas. The most famous among them are the operas Othello, Aida, Rigoletto.

Frederic Chopin

The most famous Polish composer Frederic Chopin always illuminated the beauty of his native land in his works and believed in its greatness in the future. His name is the pride of the Polish people. Chopin stands out in the field of classical music in that he wrote works only for piano performance than others. famous composers with their variety of symphonies and operas; now Chopin's works have become the basis for the work of today's pianists.

Chopin was engaged in writing piano pieces, nocturnes, mazurkas, etudes, waltzes, polonaises and other forms, and the most famous among them are the Autumn Waltz, Nocturne in C sharp minor, Spring Rhapsody, Impromptu Fantasy in C sharp minor.

Edvard Grieg

The famous Norwegian composer and musical figure Edvard Grieg specialized in chamber vocal and piano music. Grieg's work was tangibly influenced by the legacy of German romanticism. Grieg's bright and recognizable style can be characterized by such a direction as musical impressionism.

Often, when creating his works, Grieg was inspired by folk tales, melodies, and legends. His work had a huge impact on the development of Norwegian musical culture and art in general. The most famous works of the composer are the overture "In Autumn", the concerto for piano and orchestra of 1868, the music for the play "Peer Gynt", the suite "From the time of Holberg".

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And, of course, the most famous composers of all time cannot do without this name, which even people who are far from classical music know. An Austrian composer and virtuoso performer, Mozart created a number of operas, concertos, sonatas and symphonies that had a huge impact on classical music and, in fact, shaped it.

He grew up as a child prodigy: he learned to play the piano at the age of three, and at five he was already creating small pieces of musical works. The first symphony was written by him at the age of eight, the first opera at the age of twelve. Mozart had a phenomenal ear for music and an amazing ability to play many musical instruments and improvise.

During his life, Mozart created more than six hundred musical works, some of the most famous among which are the opera Le Nozze di Figaro, the symphony No. 41 Jupiter, the 3rd part of the sonata No. 11 Turkish March, the concerto for flute and harp with orchestra and "Requiem" in D minor, K.626.

You can listen to the best works of world classical music in this video:

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Alexander Nikolaevich Skryabin

Creativity A.N. Scriabin (1872 - 1915), a Russian composer and talented pianist, teacher, innovator, cannot leave anyone indifferent. Mystical moments can sometimes be heard in his original and impulsive music. The composer is attracted and attracted by the image of fire. Even in the titles of his works, Scriabin often repeats such words as fire and light. He tried to find a way to combine sound and light in his works.

The composer's father, Nikolai Alexandrovich Scriabin, was a well-known Russian diplomat, a real state adviser. Mother - Lyubov Petrovna Scriabina (nee Shchetinina), was known as a very talented pianist. She graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Her professional career began successfully, but shortly after the birth of her son, she died of consumption. In 1878, Nikolai Alexandrovich completed his studies and was assigned to the Russian embassy in Constantinople. The upbringing of the future composer was continued by his close relatives - grandmother Elizaveta Ivanovna, her sister Maria Ivanovna and father's sister Lyubov Alexandrovna.

Despite the fact that at the age of five, Scriabin mastered playing the piano, and a little later began to study musical compositions, according to family tradition, he received a military education. He graduated from the 2nd Moscow Cadet Corps. At the same time, he took private lessons in piano and music theory. Later he entered the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a small gold medal.

At the beginning of his creative activity, Scriabin consciously followed Chopin, choosing the same genres. However, even at that time, his own talent was already evident. At the beginning of the 20th century, he wrote three symphonies, then "The Poem of Ecstasy" (1907) and "Prometheus" (1910). Interestingly, the composer supplemented the score of "Prometheus" with a light keyboard part. He was the first to use light music, the purpose of which is characterized by the disclosure of music by the method of visual perception.

The composer's accidental death interrupted his work. He never realized his plan to create the "Mystery" - a symphony of sounds, colors, movements, smells. In this work, Scriabin wanted to tell all mankind his innermost thoughts and inspire him to create a new world, marked by the union of the Universal Spirit and Matter. His most significant works were only a preface to this grandiose project.

Famous Russian composer, pianist, conductor S.V. Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) was born into a wealthy noble family. Rachmaninoff's grandfather was a professional musician. The first piano lessons were given to him by his mother, and later they invited the music teacher A.D. Ornatskaya. In 1885, his parents assigned him to a private boarding school to the professor of the Moscow Conservatory N.S. Zverev. The order and discipline in the educational institution had a significant impact on the formation of the future character of the composer. He later graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a gold medal. While still a student, Rachmaninoff was very popular with the Moscow public. He has already created his "First Piano Concerto", as well as some other romances and plays. And his "Prelude in C-sharp minor" became a very popular composition. Great P.I. Tchaikovsky drew attention to the graduation work of Sergei Rachmaninov - the opera "Oleko", which he wrote under the impression of A.S. Pushkin "Gypsies". Pyotr Ilyich got it staged at the Bolshoi Theatre, tried to help with the inclusion of this work in the repertoire of the theater, but died unexpectedly.

From the age of twenty, Rachmaninov taught at several institutes, gave private lessons. At the invitation of the famous philanthropist, theatrical and musical figure Savva Mamontov, at the age of 24, the composer becomes the second conductor of the Moscow Russian Private Opera. There he became friends with F.I. Chaliapin.

Rachmaninov's career was interrupted on March 15, 1897 due to the rejection of his innovative First Symphony by the St. Petersburg public. Reviews for this work were truly devastating. But the composer was most upset by the negative review left by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, whose opinion Rachmaninoff greatly appreciated. After that, he fell into a protracted depression, from which he managed to get out with the help of a hypnotist N.V. Dahl.

In 1901 Rachmaninoff completed his Second Piano Concerto. And from that moment begins his active creative work as a composer and pianist. Rachmaninoff's unique style combined Russian church hymns, romanticism and impressionism. He considered the melody to be the main leading principle in music. This found its greatest expression in the author's favorite work - the poem "The Bells", which he wrote for the orchestra, choir and soloists.

At the end of 1917, Rachmaninoff left Russia with his family, worked in Europe, and then left for America. The composer was very upset by the break with the Motherland. During the Great Patriotic War, he gave charity concerts, the proceeds of which were sent to the Red Army Fund.

Stravinsky's music is notable for its stylistic diversity. At the very beginning of his creative activity, she was based on Russian musical traditions. And then in the works one can hear the influence of neoclassicism, characteristic of the music of France of that period and dodecaphony.

Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (now the city of Lomonosov) in 1882. The father of the future composer Fyodor Ignatievich is a famous opera singer, one of the soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre. His mother was pianist and singer Anna Kirillovna Kholodovskaya. From the age of nine, teachers taught him piano lessons. After completing the gymnasium, at the request of his parents, he enters the law faculty of the university. For two years, from 1904 to 1906, he took lessons from N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, under whose leadership he wrote the first works - the scherzo, the piano sonata, the Faun and the Shepherdess suite. Sergei Diaghilev highly appreciated the composer's talent and offered him cooperation. The joint work resulted in three ballets (staged by S. Diaghilev) - The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring.

Shortly before the First World War, the composer left for Switzerland, then to France. A new period begins in his work. He studies the musical styles of the 18th century, writes the opera Oedipus Rex, music for the ballet Apollo Musagete. His handwriting has changed several times over time. For many years the composer lived in the USA. His last famous work is Requiem. A feature of the composer Stravinsky is the ability to constantly change styles, genres and musical directions.

Composer Prokofiev was born in 1891 in a small village in the Yekaterinoslav province. The world of music was opened for him by his mother, a good pianist who often performed works by Chopin and Beethoven. She also became a real musical mentor for her son and, in addition, taught him German and French.

At the beginning of 1900, young Prokofiev managed to attend the Sleeping Beauty ballet and listen to the operas Faust and Prince Igor. The impression received from the performances of the Moscow theaters was expressed in his own work. He writes the opera "The Giant", and then the overture to "Desert Shores". Parents soon realize that they can no longer teach their son music. Soon, at the age of eleven, the novice composer was introduced to the famous Russian composer and teacher S.I. Taneyev, who personally asked R.M. Gliera to engage in musical composition with Sergei. S. Prokofiev at the age of 13 passed the entrance exams to the St. Petersburg Conservatory. At the beginning of his career, the composer toured and performed extensively. However, his work caused misunderstanding among the public. This was due to the features of the works, which were expressed in the following:

modernist style;
destruction of established musical canons;
extravagance and inventiveness of composing techniques

In 1918, S. Prokofiev left and returned only in 1936. Already in the USSR, he wrote music for films, operas, ballets. But after he was accused, along with a number of other composers, of "formalism", he practically moved to live in the country, but continued to write musical works. His opera "War and Peace", the ballets "Romeo and Juliet", "Cinderella" became the property of world culture.

Russian composers of the 20th century, who lived at the turn of the century, not only preserved the traditions of the previous generation of the creative intelligentsia, but also created their own, unique art, for which the works of P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.I. Glinka, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

What would our life be like without music? For years, people have been asking themselves this question and coming to the conclusion that without the beautiful sounds of music, the world would be a very different place. Music helps us to experience joy more fully, to find our inner self and to cope with difficulties. Composers, working on their works, were inspired by a variety of things: love, nature, war, happiness, sadness and many others. Some of the musical compositions they created will forever remain in the hearts and memory of people. Here is a list of the ten greatest and most talented composers of all time. Under each of the composers you will find a link to one of his most famous works.

10 PHOTOS (VIDEO)

Franz Peter Schubert is an Austrian composer who lived only 32 years, but his music will live on for a very long time. Schubert wrote nine symphonies, about 600 vocal compositions, as well as a large number of chamber and solo piano music.

"Evening Serenade"

German composer and pianist, author of two serenades, four symphonies, and concertos for violin, piano and cello. He performed at concerts from the age of ten, for the first time he performed a solo concert at the age of 14. During his lifetime, he gained popularity primarily thanks to the waltzes and Hungarian dances he wrote.

"Hungarian Dance No. 5".

Georg Friedrich Handel is a German and English composer of the Baroque era, he wrote about 40 operas, many organ concertos, as well as chamber music. Handel's music has been played at the coronation of English kings since 973, it is also heard at royal wedding ceremonies and is even used as the anthem of the UEFA Champions League (with a little arrangement).

"Music on the Water"

Joseph Haydn is a famous and prolific Austrian composer of the classical era, he is called the father of the symphony, as he made a significant contribution to the development of this musical genre. Joseph Haydn is the author of 104 symphonies, 50 piano sonatas, 24 operas and 36 concertos

"Symphony No. 45".

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the most famous Russian composer, the author of more than 80 works, including 10 operas, 3 ballets and 7 symphonies. He was very popular and known as a composer during his lifetime, performed in Russia and abroad as a conductor.

"Waltz of the Flowers" from the ballet "The Nutcracker".

Frederic Francois Chopin is a Polish composer who is also considered one of the best pianists of all time. He wrote many piano pieces including 3 sonatas and 17 waltzes.

"Rain waltz".

The Venetian composer and virtuoso violinist Antonio Lucio Vivaldi is the author of more than 500 concertos and 90 operas. He had a great influence on the development of Italian and world violin art.

"Elven Song"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is an Austrian composer who amazed the world with his talent from early childhood. Already at the age of five, Mozart was composing small pieces. In total, he wrote 626 works, including 50 symphonies and 55 concertos. 9.Beethoven 10.Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach - German composer and organist of the Baroque era, known as a master of polyphony. He is the author of more than 1000 works, which include almost all significant genres of that time.

"Musical Joke"

Any of the composers that will be discussed in this article can easily be called the greatest composer of classical music that has ever existed.

Although it is impossible to compare music created over several centuries, all these composers stand out very clearly from their contemporaries. In their works, they sought to expand the boundaries of classical music, to reach new heights in it, not previously attainable.

All the great classical music composers listed below are worthy of the first place, so the list is not presented by the importance of the composer, but in the form of information for review.

For world classics, Beethoven is a very significant figure. One of the most performed composers in the world. He composed his works in absolutely all existing genres of his time. It is a harbinger of the period of romanticism in music. Instrumental works are recognized as the most significant of all the legacy left by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The greatest composer and organist in world music history. is representative of the Baroque period. In his entire life he wrote over a thousand works, however, during his lifetime only about a dozen were published. He worked in all genres of his time with the exception of opera. He is the ancestor of the Bach dynasty, the most famous in music.

The composer and conductor, a virtuoso violinist and organist from Austria, had an incredible musical memory and an amazing ear. He began to create from an early age and excelled in all genres of music, for which he is rightfully recognized as one of the great composers of classical music in history.

The most mysterious and mysterious work of Mozart - "Requiem", was never completed by the author. The reason for this was a sudden death at the age of thirty-five. The Requiem was completed by his student Franz Süsmeier.

Great German composer, playwright, conductor and philosopher. He had a huge impact on modernism and, in general, all European culture at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

By order of Ludwig II of Bavaria, an opera house was built in Bayreuth according to Wagner's ideas. It was intended exclusively for the works of the composer. Wagner's musical dramas continue to this day.

The Russian composer, conductor and music critic is one of the best melodists in the world. His work has made a huge contribution to the development of world classics. Among classical music lovers, he is a very popular composer. In his works, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky successfully combined the style of Western symphonies with Russian traditions.

A great composer from Austria, and a conductor, and a violinist, and recognized by all the peoples of the world as the “king of the waltz”. His work was devoted to light dance music and operetta. His legacy includes over five hundred waltzes, quadrilles, polkas, as well as several operettas and ballets. In the nineteenth century, thanks to Strauss, the waltz gained incredible popularity in Vienna.

Italian composer, virtuoso guitarist and violinist. A very bright and unusual personality in musical history, he is a recognized genius in the world art of music. All the work of this great man was shrouded in a certain mystery, thanks to Paganini himself. He discovered in his works new, previously unknown types of violin technique. He is also one of the founders of romanticism in music.

All these great composers of classical music had a very big influence on its development and promotion. Their music, tested by time and generations, is in demand even today, perhaps even to a much greater extent than during their lifetime. They created immortal works that continue to live and pass on to the next generations, carrying emotions and feelings that make you think about the eternal.

So, for the third century now, Ludwig van Beethoven has been recognized as one of the greatest composers. His works leave a deep imprint in the souls and minds of the most sophisticated listeners. A real success at the time was the premiere of the composer's 9th D minor symphony, at the end of which the famous choral “Ode to Joy” to the text by Schiller sounds. One of the modern films presents a good montage of the entire symphony. Be sure to check it out!

L. van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor (video editing)