The most famous composers in the world. Great Russian composers Which composers wrote

World classical music is unthinkable without the works of Russian composers. Russia, a great country with talented people and its cultural heritage, has always been among the leading locomotives of world progress and art, including music. The Russian school of composers, whose traditions were continued by 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 not simple, and sometimes tragic fates, but in this review we have tried to give only a brief description of the life and work of composers.

1.Mikhail Ivanovich GLINKA (1804—1857)

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is the founder of Russian classical music and the first domestic 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, educated 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 to his work was added by a long-term 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 after staging the opera "Ivan Susanin" ("Life for the Tsar") (1836), which was enthusiastically received by everyone, for the first time in world music, Russian choral art and European symphonic and operatic practice were organically combined, as well as a hero appeared, similar to Susanin, whose image summarizes the best features of the national character. VF 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 - the epic "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1842), the 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 ambiguously received by the audience and the authorities and brought M.I. Glinka hard feelings . After that, he traveled a lot, living alternately in Russia and abroad, without stopping composing. Romances, symphonic and chamber works remained in his legacy. In the 1990s, Mikhail Glinka's "Patriotic Song" was the official anthem of the Russian Federation.

Quote by M.I. Glinka: "In order to create beauty, one must be pure in soul."

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

An interesting fact: Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka did not differ 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 Porfiryevich 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 a literary talent.
Born in St. Petersburg, since childhood, everyone around him noted his unusual activity, enthusiasm and abilities in various directions, primarily in music and chemistry. A.P. Borodin is a Russian nugget composer, he did not have professional musician teachers, all his achievements in music are due to independent work on mastering the technique of composing. The formation of A.P. Borodin was influenced by the work of M.I. Glinka (as well as all Russian composers of the 19th century), and two events gave an impetus to the close occupation of composition in the early 1860s - firstly, the acquaintance and marriage with the talented pianist E.S. Protopopova, and secondly, the 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 extensively in Europe and America, met with the 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 the national heroic epic in music and which he himself did not have time to finish (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 ​​\u200b\u200bthe entire work of the composer was reflected - courage, calm grandeur, spiritual nobility of the best Russian people and the mighty strength of the entire Russian people, manifested in the defense of the motherland. 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 both in symphony and in opera and romance. His main qualities are giant strength and breadth, colossal scope, swiftness and impetuosity, combined with amazing passion, tenderness and beauty." V.V. Stasov

An interesting fact: the chemical reaction of silver salts of carboxylic acids with halogens, resulting in halogen-substituted hydrocarbons, which he first investigated in 1861, is named after Borodin.

3. Modest Petrovich MUSSORGSKY (1839—1881)

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky - 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, from childhood he showed talent in music, studied in St. Petersburg, 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 did not know before him, showing in them a combination of mass folk scenes and a diverse richness of types, the unique character of the Russian people. These operas, in numerous editions by both the author and 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 are permeated with the Russian refrain theme and the Orthodox faith.

There was everything in Mussorgsky's life - both greatness and tragedy, but he was always distinguished by genuine spiritual purity and disinterestedness. His last years were difficult - unsettled life, non-recognition of creativity, loneliness, addiction to alcohol, all this determined his early death at 42, he left relatively few compositions, some of which were completed by other composers. The specific melody and innovative harmony of Mussorgsky anticipated some features of the musical development of the 20th century and played an important role in the development of the styles of many world composers.

Quote by MP Mussorgsky: "The sounds of human speech, as external manifestations of thought and feeling, must, without exaggeration and rape, become truthful, accurate music, but artistic, highly artistic."

Quote about M.P. Mussorgsky: "Aboriginally Russian sounds in everything that Mussorgsky did" N.K. Roerich

An interesting fact: at the end of his life, Mussorgsky, under pressure from "friends" Stasov and Rimsky-Korsakov, renounced the copyright to his works and presented them to Tertiy Filippov

4. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840—1893)

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 law. Tchaikovsky is 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, in contrast to the folk 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 Russian traditions inherited from Mikhail Glinka.
The composer led an active life - he was a teacher, conductor, critic, public figure, worked in two capitals, toured Europe and America. Tchaikovsky was a rather emotionally unstable person, enthusiasm, despondency, apathy, irascibility, violent anger - all these moods changed in him quite often, being a very sociable person, he always strove for loneliness.
It is a difficult task to single out something the best from Tchaikovsky's work, he has several works of equal size in almost all musical genres - opera, ballet, symphony, chamber music. The content of Tchaikovsky's music is universal: with inimitable melodism, it embraces images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, works of Russian and world literature are revealed in it in a new way, deep processes of spiritual life are reflected.

Composer quote:
"I am an artist who can and must bring honor to his Motherland. I feel a great artistic power in myself, I have not yet done even a tenth of what I can do. And I want to do it with all the strength of my soul."
"Life has charm only when it consists of the 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 day and night to stand guard of honor at the porch of the house where Pyotr Ilyich lives - to such an extent I respect him" A.P. Chekhov

An interesting fact: the University of Cambridge in absentia and without defending a dissertation awarded Tchaikovsky the title of Doctor of Music, 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 domestic musical heritage. His peculiar world and worship of the eternal all-encompassing beauty of the universe, admiration for the miracle of being, 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, on a warship he traveled around many countries in Europe and two Americas. He received his musical education first from his mother, then taking private lessons from the 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 heritage is occupied by operas - 15 works demonstrating a variety of genre, stylistic, dramatic, compositional decisions of the composer, nevertheless having a special style - with all the richness of the orchestral component, melodic vocal lines are the main ones. Two main directions distinguish the composer's work: the first is Russian history, the second is the world of fairy tales and epic, for which he received the nickname "storyteller".
In addition to 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 the finalist of the works of his friends - Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and Borodin. Rimsky-Korsakov was the founder of the composer school, as a teacher and head of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he produced about two hundred composers, conductors, musicologists, among them Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

Quote about the composer: "Rimsky-Korsakov was a very Russian person and a very Russian composer. I believe that this primordially Russian essence of him, his deep folklore-Russian basis, should be especially appreciated today." Mstislav Rostropovich

The work of Russian composers of the late 19th - first half of the 20th century is a holistic continuation of the traditions of the Russian school. At the same time, the concept of an approach to the "national" affiliation of this or that music was named, there is practically no direct citation of folk melodies, but the Russian intonation basis, the Russian soul, remained.

6. Alexander Nikolaevich SKRYABIN (1872 - 1915)

Alexander Nikolaevich Skryabin is a Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. The original and deeply poetic work of Scriabin stood out for its innovation even against the background of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in public life at the turn of the 20th century.
Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was brought up by his aunt and grandfather, from childhood he showed musical abilities. At first he studied at the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S.V. Rakhmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer, he toured Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.
The peak of Scriabin's composing work was the years 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony ("Divine Poem"), the symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works were released. "The Poem of Ecstasy", consisting of several themes-images, concentrated Sryabin's creative ideas and is his bright masterpiece. It harmoniously combined the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. The colossal vital energy, fiery passion, strong-willed power embodied in the "Poem of Ecstasy" makes an irresistible impression on the listener and to this day retains the strength of its influence.
Another masterpiece of Scriabin is "Prometheus" ("Poem of Fire"), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history, this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, passed no light effects.
The last unfinished "Mystery" was the idea of ​​Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all mankind and inspire him to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.

Quote by A.N. Scriabin: “I’m going to tell them (people) that they ... don’t expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves ... I’m going to tell them that there’s nothing to grieve about, that there is no loss "So that they are not afraid of despair, which alone can give rise to real triumph. Strong and powerful is the one who has experienced despair and conquered it."

Quote about A.N. Scriabin: "Scriabin's work was his time, expressed in sounds. But when the temporary, transient finds its expression in the work of a great artist, it acquires a permanent meaning and becomes enduring." G. V. Plekhanov

7. Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov (1873 - 1943)

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the greatest world composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. The creative image of Rachmaninoff as a composer is often defined by the epithet "the most Russian composer", emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg composer schools and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in isolation in world musical culture.
Born in the Novgorod province, from the age of four he began to study music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a big gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, composing music. The disastrous premiere of the groundbreaking First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg sparked a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninoff emerged in the early 1900s with a mature style that combined Russian church songwriting, outgoing European romanticism, modern impressionism and neoclassicism, all saturated with complex symbolism. During this creative period, his best works were born, including 2 and 3 piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his favorite work - the poem "The Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.
In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the United States. For almost ten years after his departure, he did not compose anything, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and the greatest conductor. For all the stormy activity, Rachmaninoff remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the intrusive attention of the public. He sincerely loved and yearned for his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, helped financially. His last compositions - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) became the result of his creative path, absorbing all the best of his unique style and the mournful feeling of irreparable loss and homesickness.

Quote by S.V. Rachmaninov:
"I feel like a ghost wandering alone in a world that is alien to him."
"The highest quality of any art is its sincerity."
"Great composers have always and above all paid attention to melody as the leading principle in music. Melody is music, the main basis of all music ... Melodic ingenuity, in the highest sense of the word, is the composer's main life goal .... By For this reason, the great composers of the past showed so much interest in the folk melodies of their countries.

Quote about S.V. Rachmaninov:
"Rakhmaninov was made of steel and gold: Steel in his hands, gold in his heart. I can't think of him without tears. I not only bowed before the great artist, But I loved the man in him." I. Hoffman
"Rakhmaninov's music is the Ocean. Its waves - musical - start so far beyond the horizon, and lift you so high and lower you so slowly ... that you feel this Power and Breath." A. Konchalovsky

An interesting fact: during the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the money collected from which he sent to the Red Army fund to fight the Nazi invaders.

8. Igor Fyodorovich STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, the leader of neoclassicism. Stravinsky became a "mirror" of the musical era, his work reflects the multiplicity of styles, constantly intersecting and difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries of musical history and subordinating them to his own rules.
Born near St. Petersburg, studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was Stravinsky's only composing school, thanks to which he mastered the compositional technique to perfection. He began to compose professionally relatively late, but the rise was swift - a series of three ballets: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913) immediately brought him to the number of composers of the first magnitude.
In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having had to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and ended up living in the USA. His work is divided into three periods - "Russian", "neoclassical", American "serial production", the periods are divided not by the time of life in different countries, but by the author's "handwriting".
Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person with a wonderful sense of humor. The circle of his acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, statesmen.
The last highest achievement of Stravinsky - "Requiem" (Chants for the Dead) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming a true apotheosis of the master's work.
In Stavinsky's work, one unique feature stands out - "uniqueness", it was not for nothing that he was called "the composer of a thousand and one styles", the constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to designs in which Russian origin is visible, heard Russian roots.

Quote by I.F. Stravinsky: "I have been speaking Russian all my life, I have a Russian style. Maybe in my music this is not immediately visible, but it is inherent in it, it is in its hidden nature"

Quote about I.F. Stravinsky: "Stravinsky is a truly Russian composer ... The Russian spirit is indestructible in the heart of this truly great, multifaceted talent, born of the Russian land and vitally connected with it ... " D. Shostakovich

Interesting fact (bike):
Once in New York, Stravinsky took a taxi and was surprised to read his name on the sign.
- You are not a relative of the composer? he asked the driver.
- Is there a composer with such a surname? - the driver was surprised. - Hear it for the first time. However, Stravinsky is the name of the taxi owner. I have nothing to do with music - my name is Rossini ...

9. Sergei Sergeevich PROKOFIEV (1891—1953)

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev - one of the greatest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist, conductor.
Born in the Donetsk region, from childhood joined the music. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical "wunderkinds", from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but they show a desire for creation), at the age of 13 he passed exams in St. Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and a misunderstanding of his individual fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style, the paradox is that, breaking the academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained true to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.
The country has changed and Prokofiev's "free" creativity has been forced to give way to the realities of the new demands. Prokofiev's talent flourished with renewed vigor - he writes operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely accurate music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera. In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: on suspicion of espionage, his first Spanish wife was arrested and exiled to camps; the Decree of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of "formalism" and the dangers of their music; there was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health, he retired to the country and practically did not leave it, but continued to compose.
Some of the brightest works of the Soviet period were the operas "War and Peace", "The Tale of a Real Man"; the ballets "Romeo and Juliet", "Cinderella", which have become a new standard of world ballet music; oratorio "On guard of the world"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano work.
Prokofiev's work is striking in its versatility and breadth of themes, the originality of his musical thinking, freshness and originality made up an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.

Quote by S.S. Prokofiev:
"Can an artist stand aloof from life?.. I am of the conviction that a composer, like a poet, sculptor, painter, is called upon to serve man and the people... First of all, he must be a citizen in his art, sing of human life and lead man to a brighter future...
"I am a manifestation of life, which gives me the strength to resist all non-spiritual"

Quote about S.S. Prokofiev: "... all facets of his music are beautiful. But there is one completely unusual thing here. Apparently, we all have some kind of failures, doubts, just a bad mood. And in such moments , even if I don’t play and don’t listen to Prokofiev, but just think about him, I get an incredible boost of energy, I feel a great desire to live, act” E. Kissin

An interesting fact: Prokofiev was very fond of chess, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, including the "nine" chess he invented - a 24x24 board with nine sets of pieces placed on it.

10. Dmitry Dmitrievich SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 - 1975)

Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most significant and performed composers in the world, his influence on modern classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and the annals of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and mankind, with the fate of his native country.
Born in St. Petersburg, he received his first musical lessons from his mother, graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him with Mozart - he impressed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and composer's gift. Already in the early 1920s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers in the country. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International Chopin Competition in 1927.
Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", Shostakovich worked as a freelance artist - "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The harsh denunciation of this opera in 1936 and the repressions of 1937 laid the foundation for the subsequent constant internal struggle of Shostakovich for the desire to express his views by his own means in the face of the state's imposition of trends in art. In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, was awarded and was on the verge of arrest himself and his relatives.
A soft, intelligent, delicate person, he found his form of expression of creative principles in symphonies, where he could tell the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all the vast works of Shostakovich in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy the central place, the most dramatic are symphonies 5,7,8,10,15, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich opens up in chamber music.
Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a "home" composer and practically did not travel abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world, performed by the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich's talent is so immense that the full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is yet to come.

Quote by D.D. Shostakovich: "Real music is capable of expressing only humane feelings, only advanced humane ideas."

The 20th century is considered to be a time of great inventions that made people's lives much better and, in some respects, easier. However, there is an opinion that nothing new was created in the world of music at that time, but only the works of previous generations were used. This list is intended to refute such an unfair conclusion and to honor the many musical works created after 1900, as well as their authors.

Edgar Varèse - Ionization (1933)

Varèse is a French composer of electronic music who used in his work new sounds created on the basis of the popularization of electricity. He explored timbres, rhythms and dynamics, often using rather rough percussion sounds. None of the compositions will be able to form an idea of ​​Varèse's work as fully as "Ionization", created for 13 percussion. Among the instruments are the usual orchestral bass drums, snare drums, and in this piece you can also hear the roar of a lion and the howl of a siren.

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Zyklus (1959)

Stockhausen, like Varèse, sometimes created extreme works. For example, Zyklus is a piece written for percussion. It means "circle". This composition received such a name not by chance. It can be read from anywhere in any direction, and even upside down.

George Gershwin - Blues Rhapsody (1924)

George Gershwin is a truly American composer. He often uses blues and jazz scales in his compositions, instead of the diatonic scales commonly used by most musicians of the Western classical tradition. Gershwin's "Rhapsody" in the blues style, his greatest work, the one thanks to which you will definitely remember him forever. It often serves as a reminder of the 1920s, the Jazz Age, a time of wealth and luxury. It's a longing for a good time gone by.

Philip Glass - Einstein on the Beach (1976)

Philip Glass is a contemporary composer who continues to create in abundance today. The composer's style is minimalism, gradually developing ostinato in his music.
Glass's most famous opera, Einstein on the Beach, ran for 5 hours with no intermission. It was so long that the audience came and went as they pleased. It is interesting in that it has absolutely no plot, but only shows various scenes describing Einstein's theories and, in general, his life.

Krzysztof Penderecki - Polish Requiem (1984)

Penderecki is a composer who was passionate about expanding techniques and unique playing styles on conventional instruments. He is perhaps better known for his other work Lament for the Victims of Hiroshima, but this list includes the largest one - the Polish Requiem, which combines one of the oldest forms of musical work (the author of the very first Requiem was Okeghem, who lived in the Renaissance ) and unconventional performance style. Here Penderecki uses shrieks, short, sharp cries from the choir and voice, and the addition of Polish text at the end completes the image of a truly unique musical art.

Alban Berg - Wozzeck (1922)

Berg is the composer who brought serialism into popular culture. His opera Wozzeck, based on a surprisingly unheroic plot, became the first opera in the characteristic bold style of the 20th century, and thus marked the beginning of the development of the avant-garde on the opera stage.

Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)

Copland composed music in a style different from that of his American colleague George Gershwin. While many of Gershwin's works are suited to cities and clubs, Copland's use of rural motifs includes truly American themes such as cowboys.
Copland's most famous work is Fanfare for the Common Man. When asked who exactly it was dedicated to, Aaron replied that it was an ordinary person, since it was ordinary people who significantly influenced the victory of the United States in World War II.

John Cage - 4'33" (1952)

Cage was a revolutionary - he first began to use non-traditional instruments in music, such as keys and paper. His most striking innovation is the modification of the piano, where he stuffed washers and nails into the instrument, resulting in dry percussive sounds.
4'33" is basically 4 minutes 33 seconds of music. However, the music you hear is not being played by the artist. You hear random noises in the concert hall, the noise of air conditioning or the hum of cars outside. What was considered silence is not silence - this is what the Zen school teaches, which became Cage's source of inspiration.

Witold Lutosławski - Concerto for orchestra (1954)

Lutosławski is one of Poland's greatest composers, specializing in aleatoric music. He became the first musician to be awarded Poland's highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle.
"Concerto for Orchestra" is the result of the composer's inspiration from the work "Concerto for Orchestra" by Béla Bartók. It includes an imitation of the Baroque Concerto Grosso genre intertwined with Polish melodies. The most striking thing is that this work is atonal, it does not correspond to a major or minor key.

Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring (1913)

Stravinsky is one of the greatest composers who ever lived. He seems to have taken a little bit from a large number of composers. He composed in the styles of serialism, neoclassicism and neo-baroque.
Stravinsky's most famous composition is The Rite of Spring, which was a scandalous success. At the premiere, Camille Saint-Saens ran out of the hall at the very beginning, scolding the bassoon's excessively high register, in his opinion, the instrument was used incorrectly. The audience booed the performance, indignant at the primitive rhythms and vulgar costumes. The crowd literally attacked the performers. True, the ballet soon gained popularity and won the love of the audience, becoming one of the most influential works of the great composer.

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.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven- The greatest composer of the early 19th century. Requiem and Moonlight Sonata are immediately recognizable by any person. The immortal works of the composer have always been and will be popular because of the unique style of Beethoven.

- German composer of the 18th century. Without a doubt, the founder of modern music. His works were based on the versatility of harmonies of various instruments. He created the rhythm of music, so his works are easily amenable to modern instrumental processing.

- The most popular and understandable Austrian composer of the late 18th century. All his works are simple and ingenious. They are very melodic and pleasant. A little serenade, a thunderstorm and many other compositions in rock arrangement will have a special place in your collection.

- Austrian composer of the late 18th, early 19th century. A true classical composer. The violin for Haydn was in a special place. In almost all the works of the composer, she is the soloist. Very beautiful and captivating music.

- Italian composer of the first half of the 18th century No. 1. National temperament and a new approach to arrangement literally blew up Europe in the middle of the 18th century. The symphonies "The Seasons" are the hallmark of the composer.

- Polish composer of the 19th century. According to some information, the founder of the combined genre of concert and folk music. His polonaises and mazurkas blend seamlessly with orchestral music. The only drawback in the composer's work was considered too soft style (lack of strong and incendiary motives).

- German composer of the late 19th century. He was spoken of as the great romantic of his time, and his "German Requiem" eclipsed other works of his contemporaries with its popularity. The style in Brahms' music is qualitatively different from the styles of other classics.

- Austrian composer of the early 19th century. One of the greatest composers unrecognized during his lifetime. A very early death at 31 prevented the full development of Schubert's potential. The songs he wrote were the main source of income when the greatest symphonies were gathering dust on the shelves. Only after the death of the composer, the works were highly appreciated by critics.

- Austrian composer of the late 19th century. Ancestor of waltzes and marches. We say Strauss - we mean waltz, we say waltz - we mean Strauss. Johann Jr. grew up in the family of his father, a composer. Strauss senior treated the works of his son with disdain. He believed that his son was engaged in nonsense and therefore humiliated him in every way in the world. But Johann Jr. stubbornly continued to do what he loved, and the revolution and the march written by Strauss in her honor proved the genius of his son in the eyes of European high society.

- One of the greatest composers of the 19th century. Master of Opera Art. "Aida" and "Otello" by Verdi are extremely popular today thanks to the true talent of the Italian composer. The tragic loss of his family at the age of 27 crippled the composer, but he did not give up and delved into creativity, writing several operas at once in a short time. High society highly appreciated Verdi's talent and his operas were staged in the most prestigious theaters in Europe.

- Even at the age of 18, this talented Italian composer wrote several operas that became very popular. The crown of his creation was the revised play "The Barber of Seville". After its presentation to the public, Gioachino was literally carried in his arms. The success was intoxicating. After that, Rossini became a welcome guest in high society and gained a solid reputation.

- German composer of the early 18th century. One of the founders of opera art and instrumental music. In addition to writing operas, Handel also wrote music for the "people", which was very popular in those days. Hundreds of songs and dance melodies of the composer thundered in the streets and squares in those distant times.

- Polish prince and composer - self-taught. Having no musical education, he became a famous composer. His famous polonaise is known all over the world. At the time of the composer, a revolution was taking place in Poland, and the marches written by him became the hymns of the rebels.

- Jewish composer, born in Germany. His wedding march and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" have been popular for hundreds of years. The symphonies and compositions written by him are successfully perceived all over the world.

- German composer of the 19th century. His mystically - anti-Semitic idea of ​​the superiority of the Aryan race over other races was adopted by the Nazis. Wagner's music is very different from the music of his predecessors. It is aimed primarily at connecting man and nature with an admixture of mysticism. His famous operas "Rings of the Nibelungs" and "Tristan and Isolde" confirm the revolutionary spirit of the composer.

- French composer of the mid-19th century. Creator of Carmen. From birth he was a brilliant child and at the age of 10 he already entered the conservatory. During his short life (he died before the age of 37) he wrote dozens of operas and operettas, various orchestral works and ode symphonies.

- Norwegian composer - lyricist. His works are simply saturated with melody. During his life he wrote a large number of songs, romances, suites and sketches. His composition "The Cave of the Mountain King" is very often used in cinema and modern stage.

- An American composer of the early 20th century - the author of "Rhapsody in Blues", which is especially popular to this day. At 26, he was already Broadway's first composer. Gershwin's popularity quickly spread throughout America, thanks to numerous songs and popular shows.

- Russian composer. His opera "Boris Godunov" is the hallmark of many theaters in the world. The composer in his works relied on folklore, considering folk music to be the music of the soul. "Night on Bald Mountain" by Modest Petrovich is one of the ten most popular symphonic sketches in the world.

The most popular and greatest composer of Russia, of course, is. "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty", "Slavic March" and "The Nutcracker", "Eugene Onegin" and "The Queen of Spades". These and many more masterpieces of musical art were created by our Russian composer. Tchaikovsky is the pride of Russia. All over the world they know "Balalaika", "Matryoshka", "Tchaikovsky"...

- Soviet composer. Stalin's favorite. The opera "The Tale of a Real Man" was strongly recommended to listen to Mikhail Zadornov. But mostly Sergey Sergeyevich has serious and profound works. "War and Peace", "Cinderella", "Romeo and Juliet", a lot of brilliant symphonies and works for orchestra.

- Russian composer who created his own inimitable style in music. He was a deeply religious person and a special place in his work was given to writing religious music. Rachmaninov also wrote a lot of concert music and several symphonies. His last work "Symphonic Dances" is recognized as the greatest work of the composer.

World's Greatest Composers of All Time: Chronological and Alphabetical Listings, References and Works

100 Great Composers of the World

List of composers in chronological order

1. Josquin Despres (1450-1521)
2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)
3. Claudio Monteverdi (1567 -1643)
4. Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
5. Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)
6. Henry Purcell (1658-1695)
7. Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
8. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
9. Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
10. Georg Handel (1685-1759)
11. Domenico Scarlatti (1685 -1757)
12. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
13. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1713-1787)
14. Joseph Haydn (1732 -1809)
15. Antonio Salieri (1750-1825)
16. Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky (1751-1825)
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –1791)
18. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1826)
19. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 -1837)
20. Nicollo Paganini (1782-1840)
21. Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 -1864)
22. Carl Maria von Weber (1786 -1826)
23. Gioacchino Rossini (1792 -1868)
24. Franz Schubert (1797 -1828)
25. Gaetano Donizetti (1797 -1848)
26. Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
27. Hector Berlioz (1803 -1869)
28. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 -1857)
29. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 -1847)
30. Fryderyk Chopin (1810 -1849)
31. Robert Schumann (1810 -1856)
32. Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (1813 -1869)
33. Franz Liszt (1811 -1886)
34. Richard Wagner (1813 -1883)
35. Giuseppe Verdi (1813 -1901)
36. Charles Gounod (1818 -1893)
37. Stanislav Moniuszko (1819 -1872)
38. Jacques Offenbach (1819 -1880)
39. Alexander Nikolaevich Serov (1820 -1871)
40. Cesar Franck (1822 -1890)
41. Bedrich Smetana (1824 -1884)
42. Anton Bruckner (1824 -1896)
43. Johann Strauss (1825 -1899)
44. Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein (1829 -1894)
45. Johannes Brahms (1833 -1897)
46. ​​Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833 -1887)
47. Camille Saint-Saens (1835 -1921)
48. Leo Delibes (1836 -1891)
49. Mily Alekseevich Balakirev (1837 -1910)
50. Georges Bizet (1838 -1875)
51. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 -1881)
52. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 -1893)
53. Antonin Dvorak (1841 -1904)
54. Jules Massenet (1842 -1912)
55. Edvard Grieg (1843 -1907)
56. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 -1908)
57. Gabriel Fauré (1845 -1924)
58. Leos Janacek (1854 -1928)
59. Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855 -1914)
60. Sergei Ivanovich Taneev (1856 -1915)
61. Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857 -1919)
62. Giacomo Puccini (1858 -1924)
63. Hugo Wolf (1860 -1903)
64. Gustav Mahler (1860 -1911)
65. Claude Debussy (1862 -1918)
66. Richard Strauss (1864 -1949)
67. Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov (1864 -1956)
68. Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (1865 -1936)
69. Jean Sibelius (1865 -1957)
70. Franz Lehár (1870–1945)
71. Alexander Nikolaevich Skryabin (1872 -1915)
72. Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873 -1943)
73. Arnold Schoenberg (1874 -1951)
74. Maurice Ravel (1875 -1937)
75. Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 -1951)
76. Bela Bartok (1881 -1945)
77. Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (1881 -1950)
78. Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (1882 -1971)
79. Anton Webern (1883 -1945)
80. Imre Kalman (1882 -1953)
81. Alban Berg (1885 -1935)
82. Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev (1891 -1953)
83. Arthur Honegger (1892 -1955)
84. Darius Millau (1892 -1974)
85. Carl Orff (1895 -1982)
86. Paul Hindemith (1895 -1963)
87. George Gershwin (1898–1937)
88. Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky (1900 -1955)
89. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (1903 -1978)
90. Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906 -1975)
91. Tikhon Nikolaevich Khrennikov (born in 1913)
92. Benjamin Britten (1913 -1976)
93. Georgy Vasilievich Sviridov (1915 -1998)
94. Leonard Bernstein (1918 -1990)
95. Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (born in 1932)
96. Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933)
97. Alfred Garievich Schnittke (1934 -1998)
98. Bob Dylan (b. 1941)
99. John Lennon (1940-1980) and Paul McCartney (b. 1942)
100. Sting (b. 1951)

MASTERPIECES OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

The most famous composers in the world

List of composers in alphabetical order