10 famous musicians. Great Composers of the World

Classical composers are known all over the world. Each name of a musical genius is a unique individuality in the history of culture.

What is classical music

Classical music is enchanting melodies created by talented authors who are rightly called classical composers. Their works are unique and will always be in demand by performers and listeners. Classical, on the one hand, is usually called strict, deeply meaningful music that is not related to the following genres: rock, jazz, folk, pop, chanson, etc. On the other hand, in the historical development of music there is a period of the late XIII - early XX centuries, called classicism.

Classical themes are distinguished by sublime intonation, sophistication, variety of shades and harmony. They have a positive effect on the emotional worldview of adults and children.

Stages of development of classical music. Their brief description and main representatives

In the history of the development of classical music, the following stages can be distinguished:

• Renaissance or Renaissance - early 14th - last quarter of the 16th century. In Spain and England, the Renaissance period lasted until the beginning of the 17th century.
• Baroque - replaced the Renaissance and lasted until the beginning of the 18th century. The center of the style was Spain.
• Classicism is the period of development of European culture from the beginning of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century.
• Romanticism is a direction opposite to classicism. Lasted until the mid-19th century.
• Classics of the 20th century - modern era.

Brief description and main representatives of cultural periods

1. Renaissance - a long period of development of all areas of culture. - Thomas Tallis, Giovanni da Palestina, T. L. de Victoria composed and left immortal creations for posterity.

2. Baroque - in this era new musical forms appear: polyphony, opera. It was during this period that Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi created their famous works. Bach's fugues are built in accordance with the requirements of classicism: obligatory adherence to the canons.

3. Classicism. Viennese classic composers who created their immortal creations in the era of classicism: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. The sonata form appears and the composition of the orchestra increases. and Haydn differ from the ponderous works of Bach in the simple construction and elegance of the melodies. It was still a classic, a striving for perfection. Beethoven's works are the border between romantic and classical styles. In the music of L. van Beethoven there is more sensuality and ardor than rational canon. Such important genres as symphony, sonata, suite, and opera emerged. Beethoven gave rise to the Romantic period.

4. Romanticism. Musical works are characterized by color and drama. Various song genres are being formed, for example, ballads. Piano works by Liszt and Chopin received recognition. The traditions of romanticism were inherited by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Schubert.

5. Classics of the 20th century - characterized by the authors’ desire for innovation in melodies; the terms aleatorics, atonalism arose. Works by Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Glass are classified in the classical format.

Russian classical composers

Tchaikovsky P.I. - Russian composer, music critic, public figure, teacher, conductor. His compositions are the most performed. They are sincere, easily perceived, reflect the poetic originality of the Russian soul, picturesque pictures of Russian nature. The composer created 6 ballets, 10 operas, more than a hundred romances, 6 symphonies. The world-famous ballet “Swan Lake”, the opera “Eugene Onegin”, “Children’s Album”.

Rachmaninov S.V. - the works of the outstanding composer are emotional and cheerful, and some are dramatic in content. Their genres are varied: from small plays to concerts and operas. The author’s generally recognized works: the operas “The Miserly Knight”, “Aleko” based on Pushkin’s poem “The Gypsies”, “Francesca da Rimini” based on a plot borrowed from Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, the poem “The Bells”; suite “Symphonic Dances”; piano concerts; vocalise for voice with piano accompaniment.

Borodin A.P. was a composer, teacher, chemist, and doctor. The most significant creation is the opera “Prince Igor” based on the historical work “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, which the author wrote for almost 18 years. During his lifetime, Borodin did not have time to finish it; after his death, the opera was completed by A. Glazunov and N. Rimsky-Korsakov. The great composer is the founder of classical quartets and symphonies in Russia. The “Bogatyr” Symphony is considered the crown of world and Russian national-heroic symphony. The instrumental chamber quartets, the First and Second Quartets, were recognized as outstanding. One of the first to introduce heroic figures from ancient Russian literature into romances.

Great musicians

Mussorgsky M.P., about whom one can say, is a great realist composer, a brave innovator who touches on acute social problems, a magnificent pianist and an excellent vocalist. The most significant musical works are the opera “Boris Godunov” based on the dramatic work of A.S. Pushkin and “Khovanshchina” - folk musical drama, the main character of these operas is the rebel people from different social strata; creative cycle “Pictures at an Exhibition”, inspired by the works of Hartmann.

Glinka M.I. - famous Russian composer, founder of the classical movement in Russian musical culture. He completed the procedure for creating a school of Russian composers, based on the value of folk and professional music. The master’s works are imbued with love for the Fatherland and reflect the ideological orientation of the people of that historical era. The world-famous folk drama “Ivan Susanin” and the opera-fairy tale “Ruslan and Lyudmila” have become new trends in Russian opera. The symphonic works “Kamarinskaya” and “Spanish Overture” by Glinka are the foundations of Russian symphonism.

Rimsky-Korsakov N.A. is a talented Russian composer, naval officer, teacher, publicist. Two trends can be traced in his work: historical (“The Tsar’s Bride”, “Pskov Woman”) and fairy-tale (“Sadko”, “Snow Maiden”, suite “Scheherazade”). A distinctive feature of the composer's works: originality based on classical values, homophony in the harmonic structure of early works. His compositions have the author's signature: original orchestral solutions with unusually constructed vocal scores, which are the main ones.

Russian classical composers tried to reflect in their works the cognitive thinking and folklore characteristic of the nation.

European culture

Famous classical composers Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven lived in the capital of musical culture of that time - Vienna. The geniuses are united by masterful performance, excellent compositional solutions, and the use of different musical styles: from folk tunes to polyphonic developments of musical themes. Great classics are characterized by comprehensive creative mental activity, competence, and clarity in the construction of musical forms. In their works, intellect and emotions, tragic and comic components, ease and prudence are organically linked together.

Beethoven and Haydn gravitated towards instrumental compositions, Mozart masterfully succeeded in both operatic and orchestral compositions. Beethoven was an unsurpassed creator of heroic works, Haydn appreciated and successfully used humor and folk genre types in his work, Mozart was a universal composer.

Mozart is the creator of the sonata instrumental form. Beethoven improved it and brought it to unsurpassed heights. The period became a period of quartet heyday. Haydn, followed by Beethoven and Mozart, made a significant contribution to the development of this genre.

Italian masters

Giuseppe Verdi - an outstanding musician of the 19th century, developed traditional Italian opera. He had impeccable skill. The culmination of his composing activities were the operatic works “Il Trovatore”, “La Traviata”, “Othello”, “Aida”.

Niccolo Paganini - born in Nice, one of the most musically gifted personalities of the 18th and 19th centuries. He was a master of the violin. He composed caprices, sonatas, quartets for violin, guitar, viola and cello. He wrote concertos for violin and orchestra.

Gioachino Rossini - worked in the 19th century. Author of sacred and chamber music, composed 39 operas. Outstanding works are “The Barber of Seville”, “Othello”, “Cinderella”, “The Thieving Magpie”, “Semiramis”.

Antonio Vivaldi is one of the greatest representatives of violin art of the 18th century. He gained fame thanks to his most famous work - 4 violin concertos "The Seasons". He lived an amazingly fruitful creative life, composing 90 operas.

Famous Italian classical composers left an eternal musical legacy. Their cantatas, sonatas, serenades, symphonies, operas will bring pleasure to more than one generation.

Peculiarities of a child’s perception of music

Listening to good music has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional development of a child, according to child psychologists. Good music introduces people to art and shapes aesthetic taste, teachers say.

Many famous creations were created by classical composers for children, taking into account their psychology, perception and specifics of age, i.e. for listening, while others composed various plays for little performers that were easily perceived by ear and technically accessible to them.

“Children's Album” by P.I. Tchaikovsky. for little pianists. This album is a dedication to my nephew who loved music and was a very gifted child. The collection contains more than 20 plays, some of them based on folklore material: Neapolitan motifs, Russian dance, Tyrolean and French melodies. Collection “Children's Songs” by P.I. Tchaikovsky. designed for auditory perception by children. Songs of an optimistic mood about spring, birds, a blooming garden (“My Garden”), about compassion for Christ and God (“Christ had a garden as a child”).

Children's classics

Many classical composers worked for children, the list of whose works is very diverse.

Prokofiev S.S. “Peter and the Wolf” is a symphonic fairy tale for children. Thanks to this fairy tale, children get acquainted with the musical instruments of a symphony orchestra. The text of the fairy tale was written by Prokofiev himself.

Schumann R. “Children's Scenes” are short musical stories with a simple plot, written for adult performers, memories of childhood.

Debussy's piano cycle "Children's Corner".

Ravel M. “Mother Goose” based on the fairy tales of C. Perrault.

Bartok B. “First steps at the piano.”

Cycles for children Gavrilova S. “For the little ones”; "Heroes of Fairy Tales"; "Guys about animals."

Shostakovich D. “Album of piano pieces for children.”

Bakh I.S. "The music book of Anna Magdalena Bach." While teaching his children music, he created special pieces and exercises for them to develop technical skills.

Haydn J. is the progenitor of the classical symphony. He created a special symphony called “Children’s”. The instruments used: a clay nightingale, a rattle, a cuckoo - give it an unusual sound, childish and playful.

Saint-Saëns K. came up with a fantasy for orchestra and 2 pianos called “Carnival of Animals”, in which he masterfully conveyed the cackling of chickens, the roar of a lion, the complacency of an elephant and its manner of movement, and the touchingly graceful swan through musical means.

When composing compositions for children and youth, great classical composers took care of the interesting storylines of the work, the accessibility of the proposed material, taking into account the age of the performer or listener.

The Russian school of composition, the continuation of whose traditions were the Soviet and today's Russian schools, began in the 19th century with composers who combined European musical art with Russian folk melodies, linking together the European form and the Russian spirit.

A lot can be said about each of these famous people; all of them have difficult and sometimes tragic fates, but in this review we tried to give only a brief description of the life and work of the composers.

1. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

(1804-1857)

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka during the composition of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. 1887, artist Ilya Efimovich Repin

“To create beauty, you yourself must be pure in soul.”

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is the founder of Russian classical music and the first Russian classical composer to achieve world fame. His works, based on the centuries-old traditions of Russian folk music, were a new word in the musical art of our country.

Born in the Smolensk province, he received his education in St. Petersburg. The formation of the worldview and the main idea of ​​​​Mikhail Glinka’s work was facilitated by direct communication with such personalities as A.S. Pushkin, V.A. Zhukovsky, A.S. Griboyedov, A.A. Delvig. The creative impetus for his work was added by a many-year trip to Europe in the early 1830s and meetings with the leading composers of the time - V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, F. Mendelssohn and later with G. Berlioz, J. Meyerbeer.

Success came to M.I. Glinka in 1836, after the production of the opera “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”), which was enthusiastically received by everyone; for the first time in world music, Russian choral art and European symphonic and opera practice were organically combined, and a hero like Susanin also appeared, whose image summarizes the best features of the national character.

V.F. Odoevsky described the opera as “a new element in Art, and a new period begins in its history - the period of Russian music.”

The second opera is the epic “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1842), work on which was carried out against the backdrop of Pushkin’s death and in the difficult living conditions of the composer, due to the deeply innovative nature of the work, was received ambiguously by the audience and the authorities, and brought difficult times for M.I. Glinka experiences. After that, he traveled a lot, alternately living in Russia and abroad, without stopping composing. His legacy includes romances, symphonic and chamber works. In the 1990s, Mikhail Glinka's "Patriotic Song" was the official anthem of the Russian Federation.

Quote about M.I. Glinka:“The entire Russian symphonic school, like an entire oak tree in an acorn, is contained in the symphonic fantasy “Kamarinskaya”. P.I.Tchaikovsky

Interesting fact: Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was not in good health, despite this he was very easy-going and knew geography very well; perhaps, if he had not become a composer, he would have become a traveler. He knew six foreign languages, including Persian.

2. Alexander Porfirievich Borodin

(1833-1887)

Alexander Porfirievich Borodin, one of the leading Russian composers of the second half of the 19th century, in addition to his talent as a composer, was a chemist, doctor, teacher, critic and had literary talent.

Born in St. Petersburg, from childhood everyone around him noted his unusual activity, passion and abilities in various fields, primarily in music and chemistry.

A.P. Borodin is a Russian composer-nugget; he did not have professional musician teachers; all his achievements in music were due to independent work on mastering the technique of composition.

The formation of A.P. Borodin was influenced by the work of M.I. Glinka (as indeed all Russian composers of the 19th century), and the impetus for intensive study of composition in the early 1860s was given by two events - firstly, his acquaintance and marriage with the talented pianist E.S. Protopopova, and secondly, a meeting with M.A. Balakirev and joining the creative community of Russian composers, known as the “Mighty Handful”.

In the late 1870s and 1880s, A.P. Borodin traveled and toured a lot in Europe and America, met with leading composers of his time, his fame grew, he became one of the most famous and popular Russian composers in Europe at the end of the 19th century. th century.

The central place in the work of A.P. Borodin is occupied by the opera “Prince Igor” (1869-1890), which is an example of a national heroic epic in music and which he himself did not have time to complete (it was completed by his friends A.A. Glazunov and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov). In “Prince Igor”, against the backdrop of majestic pictures of historical events, the main idea of ​​the composer’s entire work is reflected - courage, calm greatness, spiritual nobility of the best Russian people and the mighty strength of the entire Russian people, manifested in the defense of their homeland.

Despite the fact that A.P. Borodin left a relatively small number of works, his work is very diverse and he is considered one of the fathers of Russian symphonic music, who influenced many generations of Russian and foreign composers.

Quote about A.P. Borodin:“Borodin’s talent is equally powerful and amazing in symphony, opera and romance. Its main qualities are gigantic strength and breadth, colossal scope, swiftness and impetuosity, combined with amazing passion, tenderness and beauty.” V.V. Stasov

Interesting fact: The chemical reaction of silver salts of carboxylic acids with halogens, resulting in halogenated hydrocarbons, which he was the first to study in 1861, is named after Borodin.

3. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

(1839-1881)

“The sounds of human speech, as outward manifestations of thought and feeling, must, without exaggeration and violence, become music that is truthful, accurate, but artistic, highly artistic.”

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is one of the most brilliant Russian composers of the 19th century, a member of the “Mighty Handful”. Mussorgsky's innovative work was far ahead of its time.

Born in the Pskov province. Like many talented people, he showed ability in music from childhood, studied in St. Petersburg, and was, according to family tradition, a military man. The decisive event that determined that Mussorgsky was born not for military service, but for music, was his meeting with M.A. Balakirev and joining the “Mighty Handful”.

Mussorgsky is great because in his grandiose works - the operas "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina" - he captured in music the dramatic milestones of Russian history with a radical novelty that Russian music had not known before him, showing in them a combination of mass folk scenes and a diverse wealth of types, the unique character of the Russian people. These operas, in numerous editions, both by the author and by other composers, are among the most popular Russian operas in the world.

Another outstanding work of Mussorgsky is the cycle of piano pieces "Pictures at an Exhibition", colorful and inventive miniatures permeated with a Russian theme-refrain and Orthodox faith.

Mussorgsky's life had everything - both greatness and tragedy, but he was always distinguished by genuine spiritual purity and selflessness.

His last years were difficult - unsettled life, lack of recognition of creativity, loneliness, addiction to alcohol, all this determined his early death at the age of 42, he left relatively few works, some of which were completed by other composers.

Mussorgsky's specific melody and innovative harmony anticipated some features of the musical development of the 20th century and played an important role in the formation of the styles of many world composers.

Quote about M.P. Mussorgsky:“The original Russian sounds in everything that Mussorgsky created” N.K. Roerich

Interesting fact: At the end of his life, Mussorgsky, under pressure from his “friends” Stasov and Rimsky-Korsakov, renounced the copyright to his works and donated them to Tertius Filippov.

4. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893)

“I am an artist who can and should bring honor to my Motherland. I feel great artistic strength in myself; I have not yet done even a tenth of what I can do. And I want to do this with all the strength of my soul.”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, perhaps the greatest Russian composer of the 19th century, raised Russian musical art to unprecedented heights. He is one of the most important composers of world classical music.

A native of the Vyatka province, although his paternal roots are in Ukraine, Tchaikovsky showed musical abilities from childhood, but his first education and work was in the field of jurisprudence.

Tchaikovsky was one of the first Russian “professional” composers; he studied music theory and composition at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Tchaikovsky was considered a “Western” composer, as opposed to the popular figures of the “Mighty Handful”, with whom he had good creative and friendly relations, but his work is no less permeated with the Russian spirit, he managed to uniquely combine the Western symphonic heritage of Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann with the Russians traditions inherited from Mikhail Glinka.

The composer led an active life - he was a teacher, conductor, critic, public figure, worked in two capitals, toured in Europe and America.

Tchaikovsky was a rather emotionally unstable person; enthusiasm, despondency, apathy, hot temper, violent anger - all these moods changed in him quite often; being a very sociable person, he always strived for loneliness.

Selecting something best from Tchaikovsky’s work is a difficult task; he has several equal works in almost all musical genres - opera, ballet, symphony, chamber music. And the content of Tchaikovsky’s music is universal: with inimitable melodicism it embraces images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, it reveals works of Russian and world literature in a new way, and reflects the deep processes of spiritual life.

Composer quote:“Life has beauty only when it consists of alternation of joys and sorrows, of the struggle between good and evil, of light and shadow, in a word - of diversity in unity.”

“Great talent requires great hard work.”

Quote about the composer: “I am ready to stand as a guard of honor day and night at the porch of the house where Pyotr Ilyich lives - that is how much I respect him.” A.P. Chekhov

Interesting fact: The University of Cambridge awarded Tchaikovsky the title of Doctor of Music in absentia and without defending a dissertation, and the Paris Academy of Fine Arts elected him a corresponding member.

5. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov

(1844-1908)

Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is a talented Russian composer, one of the most important figures in the creation of an invaluable Russian musical heritage. His unique world and worship of the eternal all-encompassing beauty of the universe, admiration for the miracle of existence, unity with nature have no analogues in the history of music.

Born in the Novgorod province, according to family tradition he became a naval officer, and traveled around many countries in Europe and the two Americas on a warship. He received his musical education first from his mother, then taking private lessons from pianist F. Canille. And again, thanks to M.A. Balakirev, the organizer of the “Mighty Handful,” who introduced Rimsky-Korsakov into the musical community and influenced his work, the world did not lose a talented composer.

The central place in Rimsky-Korsakov's legacy is made up of operas - 15 works demonstrating the diversity of genre, stylistic, dramatic, compositional solutions of the composer, nevertheless having a special style - with all the richness of the orchestral component, the main ones are melodic vocal lines.

Two main directions distinguish the composer’s work: the first is Russian history, the second is the world of fairy tales and epics, for which he received the nickname “storyteller.”

In addition to his direct independent creative activity, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov is known as a publicist, compiler of collections of folk songs, in which he showed great interest, and also as a completionist of the works of his friends - Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and Borodin. Rimsky-Korsakov was the creator of a school of composition; as a teacher and director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he trained about two hundred composers, conductors, and musicologists, among them Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

Quote about the composer:“Rimsky-Korsakov was a very Russian man and a very Russian composer. I believe that this primordially Russian essence of it, its deep folklore-Russian basis should be especially appreciated today.” Mstislav Rostropovich

Fact about the composer: Nikolai Andreevich began his first counterpoint lesson like this:

- Now I will talk a lot, and you will listen very carefully. Then I will talk less, and you will listen and think, and finally, I will not speak at all, and you will think with your own head and work independently, because my task as a teacher is to become unnecessary to you...

Almost every resident of a civilized society is probably aware of the benefits of classical music; scientists have long proven its positive impact on a person’s psychological state.

Classics are classics for that reason, they remain immortal forever, each new generation has its own admirers of this trend, while classical music progresses, develops and transforms, while always remaining at the proper level.

Among the impressive variety of composers of the past and present, I would like to highlight ten of those whose names have already gone down in history, because they managed to compose music of the highest level, which significantly expanded the boundaries of classical sounds, reaching a new level of beauty.

This time our top 10 will not contain numbers and places of honor, because evaluating and comparing the greatest and, to hide it, the most famous composers in the world, whose names, in fact, should be familiar to every minimally educated person, is somehow stupid.

Therefore, we present to you their names, as well as several interesting facts from their biography, without numbers or comparisons. If you are not yet an active fan of classical music, then listen, at least for the sake of interest, to several works of these great composers, and you will understand that music that has inspired dozens of generations cannot be ordinary or, even worse, boring.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Today he is one of the most respected, popular and performed composers in the world. Beethoven wrote in all musical genres known at that time, but it is believed that the most significant among his works are his instrumental creations, including concertos for violin and piano, symphonies, overtures and sonatas.

Little Beethoven grew up in a musical family, and therefore from a very young age he was taught to play the harpsichord, organ, flute and violin. In the last few years of his life, Beethoven lost his hearing, amazingly, but this did not stop him from writing a whole series of unique works, including the famous Ninth Symphony.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

A famous and beloved German composer all over the world, who is a prominent representative of the Baroque era. In total, he wrote about 1000 musical works, which were represented by all significant genres of that era, except opera.

Among Johann Bach's closest relatives and ancestors there were many professional musicians; he himself became the founder of one of the most famous dynasties. Surprisingly, Bach did not receive a special calling during his lifetime; interest in his work increased a whole century after his death.

Some connoisseurs argue that Bach's music is too gloomy and gloomy, however, according to followers of his work, it is rather thorough and fundamental.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

The greatest Austrian composer, who is rightly called the genius of his craft: Mozart had a truly phenomenal ear, the ability to improvise, memory, and also proved himself as a talented conductor, virtuoso violinist, organist and harpsichordist.

He composed more than 600 musical works, many of which are recognized as the pinnacle of chamber, concert, opera and symphonic music. It is believed that Mozart's music has a special healing effect; it is recommended for listening to pregnant and nursing mothers.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

The most famous German composer, who is considered the most influential reformer of opera, he had a tremendous influence on German and European musical culture as a whole.

Wagner's operas never cease to amaze, amaze, inspire, and also shock with their incredible scale, which fit into eternal human values.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Who is not yet familiar with Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet “The Nutcracker”? Then you definitely need to do this! Pyotr Ilyich is one of the best Russian composers of all time, who, thanks to his musical works, was able to make an invaluable contribution to the society of musical culture around the world.

Franz Schubert/ Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)

Another famous Austrian composer, an honored musical genius, as well as the author of the best song compositions of his time. During his career, Schubert managed to write more than 600 compositions, which were based on poems by more than 100 famous poets.

Unfortunately, Franz lived a very short life, only 31 years old; who knows how many more beautiful and great things this brilliant man could have created. Some works of the brilliant author were published only after his death, because Schubert left behind many unpublished manuscripts with unique musical creations.

Johann Strauss/ Johann Strauß (1825-1899)

The recognized “king of the waltz”, a brilliant Austrian composer, virtuoso violinist and conductor, who worked in the genre of operetta and dance music all his life.

He wrote about 500 waltzes, quadrilles, polkas and other types of dance music; by the way, it was thanks to him that the waltz rose to the top of its popularity in the 19th century in Vienna. Another interesting fact is that Johann Strauss is the son of a famous Austrian composer, whose name was also Johann.

Frederic Chopin / Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)

Without exaggeration, it will be said that this is the most famous Pole in the field of classical music, who in his work tirelessly praised his homeland, the beauty of its landscapes, and also dreamed of its future greatness.

Unique is the fact that Chopin is one of the few composers who created music exclusively for the piano; in his work you will not find either symphonies or operas. It is the works of this brilliant composer that form the basis for the work of many modern pianists.

Giuseppe Francesco Verdi / Giuseppe Francesco Verdi (1813-1901)

Giuseppe Verdi, first of all, is known throughout the world for his operas, among which dramatic works occupy a special place. His legacy as the greatest composer can hardly be overestimated, because his music made a huge contribution to the development of Italian and world opera in general.

Verdi's works are considered incredibly emotional, burning, passionate, interesting; emotions are seething in them and life is seething in them. And today, despite the century-old age of most of his operas, they remain one of the most performed, popular and famous among classical music lovers.

Hans Zimmer / Hans Zimmer (September 12, 1957)

A famous German composer of our time, who gained wide popularity thanks to his works written for computer games and famous films. Of course, it is difficult to compare modern composers with the geniuses of the past who have strengthened their fame through the centuries, however, they deserve our attention.

Hans' music can be completely diverse: tender, touching, exciting, cruel and exciting; you have probably heard many of his melodies, but did not know who their author was. You can hear the creations of this author in such films and cartoons as “The Lion King”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Rain Man” and others.

Great composers, whose names are widely known throughout the world, have created a huge number of valuable works. Their creations are truly unique. Each of them has an individual and unique style.

Great composers of the world (foreign). List

Below are foreign composers from different centuries, whose names are known throughout the world. This:

• A. Vivaldi.
• J. S. Bach.
• W. A. ​​Mozart.
• I. Brahms.
• J. Haydn.
• R. Schumann.
• F. Schubert.
• L. Beethoven.
• I. Strauss.
• R. Wagner.
• G. Verdi.
• A. Berg.
• A. Schoenberg.
• J. Gershwin.
• O. Messiaen.
• C. Ives.
• B. Britten.

Great composers of the world (Russian). List

He created a large number of operettas and worked with light musical forms of a dance nature, in which he was very successful. Thanks to Strauss, the waltz became an extremely popular dance in Vienna. By the way, balls are still held there. The composer's heritage includes polkas, ballets and quadrilles.

And G. Verdi are great who created a huge number of operas that won the sincere love of the audience.

The German Richard Wagner was the most prominent representative of modernism in the music of this century. His opera heritage is rich. Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, The Flying Dutchman and other operas are still relevant, popular and performed on stage.

The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi is quite a majestic figure. He gave Italian opera a new breath, while remaining true to operatic traditions.

Russian composers of the 19th century

M. I. Glinka, A. P. Borodin, M. P. Mussorgsky, P. I. Tchaikovsky are the great composers of classical music of the 19th century who lived and created their works in Russia.

The works of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka have determined national and world significance in the history of Russian music. His work, which grew up on Russian folk songs, is deeply national. He is rightfully considered an innovator, the founder of Russian musical classics. Glinka worked fruitfully in all of his operas “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila” opened the way for two leading directions. His symphonic works were also of great importance in the development of musical art: “Kamarinskaya”, “Waltz-Fantasy” and many others.

Alexander Porfirievich Borodin is a great Russian composer. His work is small in volume, but significant in content. The central place is occupied by heroic historical images. He closely intertwines deep lyricism with epic breadth. The opera “Prince Igor” combines the features of folk musical drama and epic opera. His first and second symphonies mark a new direction in Russian symphony - heroic-epic. In the field of chamber vocal lyrics, he became a true innovator. His romances: “The Sea”, “For the Shores of the Distant Fatherland”, “Song of the Dark Forest” and many others. Borodin had a significant influence on his followers.

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is another great Russian composer of the 19th century. He was a member of the Balakirev circle, which was called the “Mighty Handful”. He worked fruitfully in a variety of genres. His operas are wonderful: “Khovanshchina”, “Boris Godunov”, “Sorochinskaya Fair”. His works revealed traits of creative individuality. He owns a number of romances: “Kalistrat”, “Seminarist”, “Lullaby to Eremushka”, “Orphan”, “Svetik Savishna”. They capture unique national characters.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - composer, conductor, teacher.

Opera and symphonic genres were leading in his work. The content of his music is universal. His operas “The Queen of Spades” and “Eugene Onegin” are masterpieces of Russian classical music. The symphony also occupies a central place in his work. His works became known throughout the world during his lifetime.

Representatives of the new Viennese school

A. Berg, A. Webern, A. Schoenberg are great composers who lived and created their works throughout the 20th century.

Alban Berg became world famous thanks to his amazing opera Wozzeck, which made a strong impression on listeners. He wrote it over several years. Its premiere took place on December 14, 1925. At the moment, Wozzeck is a classic example of 20th century opera.

Anton Webern is an Austrian composer, one of the brightest representatives of the new Viennese school. In his works he used serial and dodecaphonic techniques. He is characterized by conciseness and laconicism of thought, concentration of musical and expressive means. His work had a profound influence on Stravinsky, Boulez, Gubaidulina and many other Russian and foreign composers.

Arnold Schoenberg is a prominent representative of such a musical style as expressionism. Author of serial and dodecaphonic techniques. His compositions: Second String Quartet (F-sharp minor), "Drama with music for choir and orchestra", the opera "Moses and Aaron" and many others.

J. Gershwin, O. Messiaen, C. Ives

These are the great composers of the 20th century who are famous all over the world.

George Gershwin is an American composer and pianist. He became extremely popular thanks to his large-scale work Porgy and Bess. This is a “folklore” opera. It is based on the novel by DuBose Hayward. His instrumental works are no less famous: “Rhapsody in Blue for Piano and Orchestra”, “An American in Paris”, “Second Rhapsody” and many others.

Olivier Messiaen is a French composer, organist, teacher, and music theorist. In his remarkable theoretical works, he outlined new and quite complex principles of musical composition. Theological ideas were reflected in his works. He was very fascinated by the voices of birds. So he created “Bird Catalog” for piano.

Charles Ives is an American composer. His work was influenced by folk music. Therefore, his style is extremely unique. He created five symphonies, five violin sonatas, two piano sonatas, the cantata “Heavenly Country” and many other works.

Russian composers of the 20th century

S. S. Prokofiev, I. F. Stravinsky, D. D. Shostakovich are the great composers of the 20th century.

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev - composer, conductor, pianist.

His music is varied in content. It contains lyrics and epic, humor and drama, psychologism and characterization. Opera and ballet creativity laid down new principles and techniques of musical dramaturgy. His operas are “The Gambler”, “The Love for Three Oranges”, “War and Peace”. Prokofiev worked in the genre of film music. His cantata “Alexander Nevsky”, created in collaboration with director S. Eisenstein, is widely known.

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky - emigrant composer, conductor.

His work is divided into Russian and foreign periods. His brightest ballets: “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”, “Firebird”. Stravinsky also made a great contribution to the symphonic genre.

Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich - composer, teacher, pianist. His work is multifaceted in genres and figurative content. Particularly important is his importance as a composer-symphonist. His fifteen symphonies reflect the complex world of human feelings with experiences, struggles, and tragic conflicts. His opera “Katerina Izmailova” is an excellent composition of this genre.

Conclusion

The music of great composers is written in different genres, contains multifaceted plots, constantly updated techniques corresponding to a particular era. Some composers have achieved excellence in a few genres, while others have successfully covered almost all fields. Of the entire galaxy of great composers, it is difficult to single out the best. All of them made a significant contribution to the history of world musical culture.

Any of the composers 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 against the background of their contemporaries. In their works they sought to expand the boundaries of classical music, to reach new heights in it that were previously unattainable.

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

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 the entire legacy left by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The greatest composer and organist in the history of world music. is a representative of the Baroque era. Throughout his life he wrote over a thousand works, however, only about a dozen were published during his lifetime. He worked in all genres of his time with the exception of opera. He is the founder 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 amazing hearing. He began to create from an early age and succeeded in all genres of music, for which he is rightfully recognized as one of the great composers of classical music in history.

Mozart’s most enigmatic and mysterious work, “Requiem,” was never completed by the author. The reason for this was sudden death at the age of thirty-five. His student Franz Süssmayer completed work on the Requiem.

Great German composer, playwright, conductor and philosopher. He had a huge influence on modernism and, in general, the entire 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 composer's works. Wagner's musical dramas are shown there to this day.

The Russian composer, conductor and music critic is one of the best melodists in the world. His work made a huge contribution to the development of world classics. He is a very popular composer among classical music lovers. 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 heritage includes over five hundred waltzes, quadrilles, polkas, and also 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. The entire 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 great influence on its development and advancement. Their music, tested by time and entire generations, is in demand 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 them think about the eternal.

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

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