Top classical music composers
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In history there is always people who stand out thanks to the revolutionary contributions or inventions that they have devised and that have changed our way of life or of seeing things. In music, these people leave us a beautiful legacy of works to listen to. In this lesson from a PROFESSOR we will talk about these crucial characters for the development of music through the ages and the legacy they have left to art with their works, classical music composers.
Index
- What is classical music?
- Classical music composers in the Baroque
- Composers of the classical period
- Classical composers of Romanticism
- Impressionist period
What is classical music?
For classical music we understand all that music that has established the formal rules of artistic music creation. We recognize its origin in Europe, formally from the so-called period Baroque(1600) to modernist music (1970).
Most of the classics they are instrumental but they also include theatrical genres such as
Opera. A classic work is usually written in sheet music to be interpreted exactly as its writing says. In general, the classical musical field has a more formal and strict context than that of popular music.One of the greatest exponents of classical music in terms of groups is the symphonic Orchestra, which includes instruments such as the piano, the violin, the harp, the French horn, the transverse flute, the clarinet, the oboe, among others.
Composers of classical music in the Baroque.
In the history of classical music there are many exceptional characters who created works wonderful, however in this article we will mention only some of the most influential by musical period. We will start in the Baroque to know the most prominent names of the time.
Claudio Moteverdi (1567 - 1643, Italy)
He is recognized for moving polyphony and madrigal compositions to the genre of lyrical drama and opera. He is the one who is awarded the first opera in history: Orfeo, favola in musica,
Notable works: L’Arianna, The Fable of Orpheus, The return of Ulysses to the homeland.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741, Italy)
He stands out for the large number of his concerts (approximately 400) and his operas (46). A crucial part of his work was to develop the formal and rhythmic structure of the concert as a musical form.
Notable works: The four seasons, Ercole su’l Thermodon
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750, Germany)
Maybe one of the most influential musicians of all time for many other composers, inspiring other great characters such as Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Wagner and Malher among others. He is recognized as the master of counterpoint. Bach served for the monarchy and always remained involved in the church.
Bach is the author of the famous compilation of works for keyboard "The well-tempered harpsichord" from which the principles of the tuning of the 12 keys that we use in the actuality (before the tuning had an unbalanced approach that did not allow to interpret the works in any tonality).
Some notable works:The well-tempered harpsichord, The Art of the Fugue BWV 1080, Tocata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565.
Georg Fredrich Händel (1685 - 1759, Germany)
He is recognized as the first musician to carry out the work of adapting works for popular taste and not necessarily for the monarchy. They call him "master of the homophony”(Which is when 2 or more voices move in parallel creating chords). The types of his work that stand out the most are the opera and the oratorio.
Notable works: The messiah, Acting music, Music for the royal fireworks.
Composers of the classical period.
We continue with this lesson on the most prominent classical music composers to tell you about the musicians who were part of the classical period. They are as follows:
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809, Austria)
He developed important works of chamber music and piano trio. Haydn is referred to as "The father" of the symphony and quartet of strings. He composed the melody of what is today the national anthem of Germany ("Kaiserlied").
Important works: Aquatic music, Symphony No. 100 and 101, Deutschlandlied.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1732 - 1791, Austria)
One of the composers more famous of classical music, recognized as a child prodigy. At the age of 5 he was already a keyboardist (piano and harpsichord) and virtuoso composer. Despite his short life (35 years), Mozart possesses an impressive amount of more than 600 works, many considered the pinnacle of symphonic music. One of Mozart's last compositions was his own Requiem, which would remain unfinished due to his death.
Important works:Serenade No.13, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Requiem, Symphony No.40.
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827, Austria)
In addition to the greatness of his works, Beethoven is recognized for his strong temperament and deafness in the last years of his life, despite which he continued to compose. Beethoven was one of the first musicians to publish works independently, opening a gap for the rest of composers who did not want to depend on the orders of the monarchy. He is acclaimed for his 9 symphonies.
Important works:Third Symphony "Heroic", Fifth Symphony and Ninth Symphony, whose fourth movement is based on the "Ode to Joy".
Classical composers of Romanticism.
Now let's talk about the music of Romanticism to meet the most important classical composers of that period. They are as follows.
Frederic Chopin (1803 - 1869, Poland)
Chopin is par excellence recognized as one of the authors with the greatest sensitivity for piano compositions. He possesses under his name a large number of piano forms, among which the nocturnal ones and the studies stand out.
Important works: Studies, Nocturns, Polonaise Op.53.
Guisseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901, Italy)
He is probably the most influential composer of Italian opera. Although he composed works of other musical genres, the great success and fortune produced during his life is due to the lyrical repertoire.
Important works:Rigoletto, La traviata, Aida, Otello.
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897, Germany)
He composed in a variety of musical forms: orchestral, symphonic-choral music, songs, and piano works. Brahms is recognized as one of the most important composers of chamber music and, popularly, for the traditional lullaby.
Important works: Symphonies No.1, 3 and 4.
Impressionist period.
And we close this summary with the main classical music composers to end with the musicians who were part of the impressionist movement. The most prominent are:
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918, France)
Known as the founder and highest representative of Impressionism. Many of his works arose from trying to break classical structures such as the symphony and making "symphonic sketches." Debussy composed both vocal and orchestral music, including opera, solo music, chamber music, and incidental music.
Notable works:La mer, Suite Bergamasque, Peleas and Melisande.
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937, France)
French with a Spanish mother. Ravel is recognized as a orchestration master, thanks to its balance and perfection between formal musical structure and his sentimental expressiveness. In addition to his orchestral works, many of his compositions for his piano are considered revolutionary.
Notable works:Bolero, Daphnis et Chloe, Piano Concerto in G major, Miroirs.
Now that you know a little more about these great composers of classical music, It would remain that you can take a moment to listen to the great works of him and recognize the great legacy that they have left us.
If you want to read more articles similar to Classical music composers, we recommend that you enter our category of Music history.
