Popular composers. Great classical composers: a list of the best. Russian classical composers. Famous Russian composers

One of the main directions of art, which remains a miracle of the modern world, capable of influencing the emotional state and mood of a person, is music. She came to us through the centuries and began its formation during the creation of classical works. It was the composers of that time who gave impetus to its development and became the founders of various forms and types of works of the classical direction:

• Libretto.
• Symphony.
• Opera.
• Overture.

It was to these composers that the ability to express feelings through notes came. Their music allows a modern person to plunge into the world of emotions of people who lived centuries ago. She teaches not only to listen to the melody and sounds, but also to imagine, visualize the emerging images, without which the development of personality is impossible. Not all of them received recognition during their lifetime, but among their descendants their work was in demand, which continues today. The works become immortal and pass from generation to generation, making you think about the eternal and imbued with the emotions of that time.

Buy works of classical composers on CD

Classical music was born over the centuries and it is not entirely correct to compare its creators from different centuries, but nevertheless, the brightest and most talented representatives stand out who surpassed their contemporaries in their skill. With their creations, you can start your acquaintance with the fundamental direction. A large number of classical music composers are included in the list of founders and prominent exponents. These are both foreign and domestic representatives.

Our catalog contains the most complete list of famous creators with all their works that can be bought on CD. The assortment of the online store can satisfy the demand of those who want to get to know more deeply the composers of classical music, or already have favorite composers whose names are not so familiar to a wide range of people. The alphabetical index will allow you to find the names of less eminent authors. In the catalog of the company "CD as a gift" the most refined music lovers - adherents of the classical direction will find the necessary works.

Among these melodies there is a motive for any mood: romantic, positive or dreary, in order to relax and not think about anything, or, conversely, to collect thoughts.

The Italian composer and pianist works in the direction of minimalism, often turns to ambient and skillfully combines the classics with other musical styles. He is widely known for atmospheric compositions that have become soundtracks for films. For example, you probably recognize the music from the French 1 + 1 tape, written by Einaudi.

Glass is one of the most controversial personalities in the world of modern classics, who is sometimes exalted to the skies, then criticized to smithereens. He has been with his own group, the Philip Glass Ensemble, for half a century and has written scores for over 50 films, including The Truman Show, The Illusionist, Taste of Life and Fantastic Four. The melodies of the American minimalist composer blur the line between classical and popular music.

He is the author of many soundtracks, the best film composer of 2008 according to the European Film Academy and a post-minimalist. Conquered critics from the first album Memoryhouse, in which Richter's music was superimposed on poetry reading, and in subsequent albums, fictional prose was also used. In addition to writing his own ambient compositions, he arranges works of classics: Vivaldi's Seasons, in his arrangement, topped the iTunes classical music charts.

This creator of instrumental music from Italy is not associated with the acclaimed cinema, but without that he is known as a composer, virtuoso and an experienced piano teacher. If you describe the music of Marradi in two words, it will be the words "sensual" and "magical". His creations and covers will appeal to those who love retro classics: the notes of the last century shine through in the motives.

The renowned film composer has created musical scores for many high-grossing films and cartoons, including Gladiator, Pearl Harbor, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Interstellar, Madagascar, The Lion King. Its star flaunts on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and on its shelf are Oscars, Grammy and Golden Globes. Zimmer's music is as different as these films, but regardless of the key, it takes to the living.

Hisaishi is one of the most famous Japanese composers, having received four Japanese Academy Awards for Best Film Music. He became famous for writing the soundtrack for Hayao Miyazaki's anime "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli or Takeshi Kitano's tapes, then you will surely admire Hisaishi's music. It is mostly light and light.

This Icelandic multi-instrumentalist is just a boy compared to the listed masters, but by his 30 years he managed to become a recognized neoclassicist. He has recorded an accompaniment to the ballet, won a BAFTA for the soundtrack to the British TV series Murder on the Beach and released 10 studio albums. Arnalds' music is reminiscent of the harsh wind on a deserted seashore.

Lee Roo Ma's most famous works are Kiss the Rain and River Flows in You. The Korean New Age composer and pianist writes popular classics that can be understood by listeners on any continent, with any musical taste and education. His light and sensual melodies became the beginning of love for piano music for many.

Dustin O'Helloran

The American composer is interesting in that he has no musical education, but at the same time writes the most pleasant and quite popular music. O'Halloran's tunes have been featured on Top Gear and several films. Perhaps the most successful soundtrack album was for the melodrama "Like Crazy." This composer and pianist knows a lot about the art of conducting and how to create electronic music. But his main field is modern classics. Cacchapaglia has recorded numerous albums, three of them with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. His music flows like water, it will be great to relax under it.

What other contemporary composers are worth listening to

If you love the epic, add Klaus Badelt, who collaborated with Zimmer on Pirates of the Caribbean, to your playlist. Also not to be missed is Jan Kaczmarek, Alexander Desplat, Howard Shore and John Williams - you need to write a separate article to list all their work, achievements and awards.

If you want more delicious neoclassicism, take a look at Niels Frahm and Sylvain Chauot.

If you are missing, remember the creator of the soundtrack to "Amelie" by Jan Tiersen or discover the Japanese composer Tammon: he writes airy, fabulous melodies.

Which composers' music do you like and which ones do not? Who else would you add to this list?

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. It:

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

Great composers of the world (Russians). List

He created a large number of operettas, worked with light musical forms of a dance character, 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 legacy includes polkas, ballets and quadrills.

And G. Verdi - the greats 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 operatic 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 a very majestic figure. He gave Italian opera a new lease of life, while remaining faithful to operatic traditions.

Russian composers of the 19th century

MI Glinka, AP Borodin, MP Mussorgsky, PI 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 ancestor 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 to two leading directions. His symphonic works were also of great importance in the development of musical art: "Kamarinskaya", "Waltz-fantasy" and many others.

Alexander Porfirevich 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 has deep lyricism closely intertwined with epic breadth. The opera "Prince Igor" combines the features of a folk musical drama and an epic opera. His first and second symphonies mark a new direction in Russian symphony - heroic and epic. In the field of chamber vocal lyrics, he became a real innovator. His romances: "The Sea", "For the Shores of the Distant Fatherland", "Song of the Dark Forest" and many others. Borodin had a significant impact on his followers.

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

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - composer, conductor, teacher.

In his work were the leading opera and symphonic genres. 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 to the whole 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 for his amazing opera "Wozzeck", which made a strong impression on the audience. He wrote it over the course of several years. Its premiere took place on December 14, 1925. Today 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. Concise and laconic thought, concentration of musical and expressive means are inherent in it. His work had a strong impact 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 include the 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 "folk" opera. It is based on the novel by Dubos Hayward. No less famous are his instrumental works: "Rhapsody in the blues style 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 rather complex principles of musical composition. Theological ideas are reflected in his works. He was very much attracted by the voices of birds. Therefore, he created the "Catalog of Birds" for piano.

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

Russian composers of the 20th century

S. Prokofiev, I. F. Stravinsky, D. D. Shostakovich are 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 drama. 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", "The 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. Especially his significance as a composer-symphonist. His fifteen symphonies reflect the complex world of human feelings with experiences, struggles, tragic conflicts. His opera "Katerina Izmailova" is an excellent work of this genre.

Conclusion

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

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

Famous German composers

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most important names in the history of classical music. He was an innovator of his era, expanding the scope of the symphony, sonata, concert, quartet, and in a new way combining vocals and instruments, although the vocal genre was not that interested in him. The public did not immediately accept his innovative ideas, but fame did not keep itself waiting for too long, therefore, even during Beethoven's lifetime, his work was appreciated at its true worth.

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

Johann Sebastian Bach

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

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

Richard Wagner

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

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

Famous Russian composers

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

Glinka is usually spoken of as the founder of the Russian national tradition in music, but his Russian operas offered a synthesis of Western music with Russian melodies. Glinka's first opera was A Life for the Tsar, which was well received when it was first staged in 1836, but the second opera, Ruslan and Lyudmila, with a libretto written by Pushkin, is no longer so massive. Nevertheless, she presented a new type of drama - a heroic-historical opera, or an epic one.

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

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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

No others famous composers Russia, perhaps, is not famous for the creation of ballet performances in the way that Tchaikovsky is famous for it. The most famous ballets by Tchaikovsky are The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He also wrote operas; the most famous are “The Queen of Spades”, “Eugene Onegin”.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov

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

Rachmaninov was known not only as a composer, but also as a pianist, therefore, piano works occupy a significant place in his work. he started already at the age of four. Rachmaninoff's defining genre was the concert for piano and orchestra. The most famous works by Rachmaninoff are the Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and four concertos for piano and orchestra.

Famous composers of the world

Giuseppe Francesco Verdi

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

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

Frederic Chopin

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

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

Edvard Grieg

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

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And, of course, the most famous composers of all time cannot do without this name, which even people far from classical music know. An Austrian composer and virtuoso performer, Mozart has created a number of operas, concerts, sonatas and symphonies that have greatly influenced and, in fact, shaped classical music.

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

During his life, Mozart created more than six hundred musical works, some of the most famous of which are the opera "The Marriage of Figaro", the symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", the third movement of the sonata No. 11 "Turkish March", the concert for flute and harp with orchestra and Requiem in D minor, K.626.

develops in many directions, including the classical one. Despite the fact that many people associate classical music exclusively with Mozart and Bach and are considered the lot of the distant past, contemporary composers deserve no less attention. We have selected the top ten of the best contemporary music creators and the top ten of their best compositions. Listen - you'll love it!

1. Philip Glass

Philip Glass is one of the most celebrated American composers. His music combines the powerful energy of such classics, like Bach and Schubert, with a minimalist flow in music. In addition to being recognized in the music world, Glass's work occupied exclusively e place in the cinema. His works are especially famous for film fans based on the movie "The Watch" starring Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. The composer delightfully conveyed the atmosphere of the film and subtly touched upon the themes that were read between the lines.

Listen to the song "Morning Passages".

2. Ludovico Einaudi

Ludovico Einaudi is a fairly well-known person in the world of music and not only - in addition to his achievements in the development of academic music, he is the grandson of the second President of Italy and a holder of the Order of Merit for the Republic. In Einaudi's music, several musical movements are intertwined at once, which at first glance cannot in any way be classics or be combined with it. The composer's music became even more famous after the release of the film "1 + 1" ("The Untouchables").

Listen to the song "Nuvole Bianche".

3. Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer became famous for his contributions to the popular e art, namely cinematography and computer games. Many of us have heard Zimmer's music, but did not know who wrote it. But the composer's music can be touching, solemn, incredibly exciting and even cruel. You could enjoy it in the world famous films and cartoons "Rain Man", "The Lion King", "Spirit: Stallion of the Prairie", "Gladiator", "Pearl Harbor" and "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Listen to the song "Dream Is Collapsing".

4. Johann Johansson

Johansson introduces neoclassical composers. The peculiarity of his music is lyrics and sublimity. Compositions make us forget about time and place - they exist outside of them and give the listeners a feeling of freedom and delight. In addition to solo musical creativity, Johan collaborates with many bands of various musical styles, inspiring and receiving inspiration.

Listen to the song "The Sun" s Gone.

5. Max Richter

Max Richter began his career as a concert piantist, performing the music of both classics and his contemporaries, including the aforementioned Philip Glass. From the moment he began his career as a composer, Richter made it clear that he would leave a noticeable mark in musical history and become not only a classic, but also one of the most popular composers in the world.

Listen to the song "On The Nature of Daylight".

6. Dustin O'Halloran

Dustin learned to play the piano on his own - from childhood he was unusually passionate about music. His music has subtlety and melancholy, lightness and sadness. It’s hard to believe that this wonderful pianist and composer does not have an academic education, but has become one of the famous masters in the world of music.

Listen to the song "An Form is Dead".

7. Joseph van Wissem ( JosefvanWissem)

Van Wissem is now on the wave of popularity, because his music sounds with might and main from the screens of cinemas in Jim Jarmusch's film "Only Lovers Left Alive" with the inimitable Tilda Swinton in the title role. The composer skillfully reproduced the industrial theme, the theme of eternity, love and wisdom in a cynical and romantic way at the same time.

Listen to the song "The Taste of Blood".

8. Gunnar Madsen

Gunnar Madsen is an American composer and vocalist who has tried his hand at playing the piano and guitar. Besides, Gunnar was a member of the musical group The Bobs, but left it, starting a solo career as a composer. Madsen's music has become widely known for its sound in popular films and TV shows such as "American Divorce" with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, as well as the cult "Sex and the City".

Listen to the song "Anna".

9. Cristopher Spelman

Christopher Spelman became famous thanks to his close cooperation with cinema, he was especially famous for his work on films with the famous actor Joaquin Phoenix, such as Masters of the Night, Lovers and The Immigrant (in the Ukrainian box office - Fatal Passion). In the latest film, which will soon be released on screens, Spelman acted not only as a composer, but also played a small role.

Listen to the song "Sola Perduta Abbandonata".

10. Bob Christianson

Bob Christianson is an American arranger and composer with successful collaborations with film and television. Christianson's most famous work among the modern public, especially women, was writing music for the TV series "Sex in the City", in particular for its final episodes. Christianson's music can be safely called atmospheric, it may seem simple and understandable, but do not rush to write it off - it has recklessness, and romanticism, and extravagance.

Listen to the song "The View".

Do not rush to draw conclusions about classical music, because it is the same as the usual pop, rock or any other modern music - it reflects our life, reality, thoughts, feelings and ourselves. And, perhaps, the beauty is that she is not loaded with words - she is real and simple, like us.