Search results
People also ask
Who were the most important composers of the 20th century?
How did composers influence the 20th century?
What is 20th-century classical music?
What types of music were developed during the 20th century?
This is a list of composers of 20th-century classical music, sortable by name, year of birth, year of death, nationality, notable works, and remarks. It includes only composers of significant fame and importance.
- Edward Elgar (1857–1934) Elgar brought us the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, and a cello concerto to end all cello concertos. The English pastoralist cemented the “English” symphonic sound, his pieces reflecting the mood and patriotism of the nation, in many ways, with sounds and emotions of pre-war Britain audible in contrast to those following the First World War.
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) Another English pastoralist, Vaughan Williams composed the enduringly beloved The Lark Ascending – No.1 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame again in 2020 – and great, sweeping orchestral works like Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, and A London Symphony.
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Stravinsky changed the musical world. The masterpieces he wrote revolutionised 20th-century music and spanned all genres, from orchestral to choral, and opera to ballet.
- Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) In her short life, the great Lili Boulanger proved herself nothing short of phenomenal – even outside the confines of what was expected of her sex in the days she was composing.
- Maurice Ravel. Impressionism was a movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which focused on color and mood. Its two most prominent exponents were the French composers, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, although both men actually rejected the term.
- Arnold Schoenberg. Our next composer, Arnold Schoenberg, was one of the pioneers of the modernist movement, which rejected tradition and embraced individuality.
- Igor Stravinsky. Born in 1882, Igo Stravinksy shot to fame when he was commissioned to write three ballets for the impresario Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes company.
- Sergei Prokofiev. Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was a musical prodigy: he began composing at six years old and wrote his first opera at just nine.
In the later 20th century, composers such as La Monte Young, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and John Adams began to explore what is now called minimalism, in which the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features; the music often features repetition and iteration.
- Claude Debussy: Pelléas Et Mélisande (1902) Pelléas Et Mélisande was the only opera impressionist composer Debussy wrote. With his librettist, the Belgian poet and playwright Maurice Maeterlinck, the composer explored the human psyche and supernatural themes in the piece.
- Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (1904) Gustav Mahler composed his sixth symphony at a prosperous time in his life, after he’d married the Austrian-American composer, author, and socialite Alma Schindler, and had his second child.
- Lili Boulanger: Faust et Hélène (1912) Lili Boulanger was the sister of the famous pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, and the first female composer to win the Prix de Rome composition prize.
- Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (1913) Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s crowning masterpiece was penned in the 20th century. The Rite of Spring is a ballet composed by Stravinsky for Sergei’s Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes company.
Oct 21, 2014 · It got me thinking about who my top 10 composers of the era would be. From modernism to minimalism, the previous century yielded musical riches beyond our wildest imaginings.
Dmitri Shostakovich. Dmitri Shostakovich, a luminary in the sphere of 20th-century classical music, was born on September 25, 1906, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. An only child in his family, Shostakovich displayed an early affinity for music, with his mother introducing him to piano lessons at the tender age of nine.
![Top 10 most influential composers [*UPDATED*]](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=20th+century+classical+music+composers&ei=UTF-8&norw=1&_tsrc=apple&age=1m&th=92.4&tw=92.4&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ludwig-van.com%2Ftoronto%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2014%2F05%2FClassical_music_composers_montage.jpg&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ludwig-van.com%2Ftoronto%2F2014%2F05%2F15%2Ftop-10-most-influential-composers%2F&size=356KB&name=Top+10+most+influential+composers+%5B%2AUPDATED%2A%5D&oid=2&h=474&w=474&turl=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.VOCAgVdVSS5XRgjIqrH_kQAAAA%26pid%3DApi%26rs%3D1%26c%3D1%26qlt%3D95%26w%3D92%26h%3D92&tt=Top+10+most+influential+composers+%5B%2AUPDATED%2A%5D&sigr=lb1_.XUSfrbA&sigit=zN3bo9mpnBbD&sigi=Vml4yjwpl6Ey&sign=7ClqkKJewbNT&sigt=7ClqkKJewbNT "Top 10 most influential composers [*UPDATED*]")
