The Best Classical Music Composers of All Time

Here we take a look at the best classical music composers of all time – those who have left a lasting legacy and shaped the genre into what it is today.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, in 1685. A father of 20 children, Bach was a prolific composer of both sacred and secular music. In his lifetime, he created more than 1,100 works, including some of the most famous pieces of classical music ever composed.

Bach’s compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B Minor, the Goldberg Variations, and The Well-Tempered Clavier. His music is celebrated for its technical mastery, elegant style, and emotional expressiveness. Bach is one of the most influential figures in western music history, and his compositions have been performed and recorded by some of the world’s greatest musicians.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is among the most famous and influential of all classical composers. His works, including Symphonies, Concertos, Sonatas, Operas, and Choral music, are revered as some of the greatest in the Western musical canon. Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756, Mozart showed exceptional musical talent from an early age. He began composing music at the age of five and had his first opera performed when he was just twelve years old. Mozart achieved widespread acclaim throughout Europe for his virtuoso playing and his mastery of musical form and structure. His later works exhibit a more dramatic style that reflects the turbulent personal life Mozart led during his short but eventful life; he died at the age of only 35. Today, Mozart’s music is enjoyed by classical music lovers all over the world, and his compositions continue to be performed live and recorded by some of the world’s leading orchestras and soloists.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist, who is arguably the defining figure in the history of Western music.

Beethoven’s personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was unable to hear.

His nine symphonies, which include such landmarks as the Eroica Symphony and the Symphony No. 9 (‘Choral’), embrace a wide range of emotions, from the profound to the light-hearted. Other notable works include 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, his only opera Fidelio, five piano concertos and one violin concerto.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is perhaps the most popular Russian composer of all time. He wrote some of the most beloved works in the classical repertoire, including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and his First Symphony, known as the “Little Russian.” He also composed several operas, including Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades.

Although he was born into a middle-class family, Tchaikovsky’s talent was recognized early on, and he was sent to study at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg. From there, he went on to study at the newly founded Moscow Conservatory, where he would eventually teach.

Tchaikovsky’s music combines elements of Russian folk music with a Western classical tradition. His use of melody and orchestration is highly original, and his ability to evoke emotion in his music is matched by few composers.

Tchaikovsky died suddenly at the age of 53, just nine days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, now known as the “Pathétique.” Although the cause of his death remains a mystery, it is believed that he may have intentionally poisoned himself with cholera bacteria.

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (1685 – 1759) was a German-born, British Baroque composer who is famous for his operas, oratorios and concertos. Among his best-known works are the Messiah, Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Handel was born in Halle, Germany, in 1685. He began his musical training as a child and by the age of 18 was already working as a professional musician. In 1706 he moved to London, where he became a naturalized British citizen. He spent the rest of his life in England, composing some of his most famous works there.

Handel was a highly skilled composer and an excellent performer on both the harpsichord and organ. He was also a gifted businessman, and he used his musical talents to make a good living. He was often commissioned to write music for special occasions, such as royal coronations or birthdays.

Handel died in London in 1759 at the age of 74. His body was buried in Westminster Abbey, next to that of fellow British composer Henry Purcell.