Composers
Best Romantic composers: the visionaries who flooded music with passion and drama
From Beethoven and Schubert via Mendelssohn and Mahler to Strauss and Rachmaninov, we pore over the greatest composers from the Romantic era, renowned for its grand musical passions and dramas
Leonard Bernstein: the showman and visionary who redefined American music-making
Conductor Grant Llewellyn shares a personal snapshot of what life, rehearsals and music were like with the legendary composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein
Elizabeth Poston: the British composer and WW2 secret agent who sent coded messages through music
Evidence that British composer Elizabeth Poston sent musical war codes via BBC radio broadcasts is tantalisingly scant. But was her alleged method of contacting the Allies widespread? Christopher Lambton examines the clues
‘His music makes me physically sick': 15 juiciest composer insults
Sparks fly and verbal venom is spat, as John Evans explores the great names who simply loved to take potshots at each other
Beethoven unleashed: the man, the myth, the music that shook the world
John Suchet profiles Ludwig van Beethoven - the composer who sparked a musical revolution
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Best female composers of all time: 15 women who left a huge mark on classical music
Our guide to the best female composers from history, many of whom have historically been wrongly excluded from the canon. Let's put that right – get to know their music now!
Alcoholism, embezzling, suicide attempts: meet Beethoven's colourful family
He may have been a matchless musical genius, but Beethoven still had family issues like the rest of us. Meet the colourful Beethoven clan
The musician George Harrison called 'the Godfather of World Music'
Ravi Shankar's biographer Oliver Craske introduces us to the fascinating musical life of the great sitar virtuoso, composer, father of Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, teacher of Philip Glass and friend of Yehudi Menuhin
Maurice Ravel's personal life was a mystery. But his music is a thing of wonder
We explore the life and work of Maurice Ravel, master craftsman of French music
Robert Schumann: he walked a tightrope between genius and madness
Meet Robert Schumann, tortured genius of music's Romantic age - and creator of some of the 19th century's most exhilarating music
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Leroy Anderson: master of American light music and composer of Christmas classic 'Sleigh Ride'
Geoff Brown hears sleigh bells jingling and typewriters pinging as he celebrates the unique talents of America’s master of light music
Charles-Valentin Alkan: the child prodigy who lived as a hermit and influenced Chopin, Liszt and Ravel
A performer who became a hermit, Charles-Valentin Alkan wrote the most demanding piano works in history, says Malcolm Hayes
Thomas Adès: the innovative British composer who expertly mixes modernism and emotional depth
A British composer, conductor, and pianist, Thomas Adès is one of the most influential, innovative composers working today
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'Scant regard for hygiene led to serious complications': how a medical charlatan blinded Bach
In April 1750 Bach went under the knife of English eye surgeon John Taylor with disastrous results...
Brahms: traditionalist, innovator... a man of many fascinating contradictions
Meet Johannes Brahms, the Janus-like face of Romanticism
Johann Sebastian Bach: the Baroque innovator who changed the sound of classical music forever
Meet the king of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach
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Chopin: fragile, fussy, oversensitive about his nose. And one of our most incredible composers
He was a master of lyricism and drama, and his ethereal melodies still enchant us today. His life was not an easy one, however. Meet the ultimate Romantic, Frédéric Chopin
John Cage: the composer whose most famous work didn't make a sound
Nick Shave explores the nuts and bolts of an avant gardist whose creative genius goes well
beyond his famous 4'33" of not-quite-silence
Anna Clyne: the British, US-based composer who combines bold paintings and electronic effects with her music
Meet Anna Clyne, the New York- based composer who is artist in-association with the BBC Philharmonic
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Antonín Dvořák: incomparable Czech melodist
Meet Antonín Dvořák, supreme folk and classical synthesist and perhaps the most melodic of the Late Romantics
Who is Henry Walford Davies?
Buckingham Palace has announced that music by the English composer Henry Walford Davies will be performed at the coronation, but who is he?
Who is Patrick Doyle?
Meet the Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, whose composing credits include a Harry Potter, Bridget Jones - and music for King Charles’s Coronation
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Julius Eastman: the uncompromising American composer who embraced his colour and sexuality with raucous confidence
A brilliant pianist, composer, singer and dancer, Eastman’s wayward lifestyle hindered the success he merited, says Claire Jackson
George Enescu: multi-faceted composer, Romanian national hero
Meet George Enescu, labelled by one famous performer ‘the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart'
Who is Danny Elfman, the composer behind The Simpsons?
There’s one iconic telly tune you’ll probably know by this American composer, whose music graces the BBC Proms for the first time this weekend; but there’s a lot more to Danny Elfman than The Simpsons...
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Louise Farrenc: the gifted composer who brought the battle of the sexes to 19th-century France
Though multi-faceted and mightily gifted, the French composer Louise Farrenc could easily have gone entirely unnoticed, as Jessica Duchen explains
Morton Feldman
An introduction to the 20th-century experimental American composer Morton Feldman
Who is Alexis Ffrench? Meet the composer and pianist who performed at the Coronation
Meet the composer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench, who is among the artists performing at the coronation concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle on 7 May
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Elisabetta de Gambarini: the fabulous talent, violent marriage and tragic death of a trailblazing composer
Stephen Pritchard relates the sparkling talent, entrepreneurial drive and shameful treatment of an unheralded 18th-century musical pioneer
Jonny Greenwood: from Radiohead to some of cinema's most unsettling scores
Jonny Greenwood is perhaps best known as being the lead guitarist/keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead. For over 15 years, though, Greenwood has established himself as an inventive and award-winning film composer
George Gershwin: he forged a new musical language for 20th-century America
Whether it's Broadway songs or jazz-influenced pieces for the concert hall, George Gershwin is regarded as one of the greatest melodists of the 20th century
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Imogen Holst - why Gustav's self-effacing daughter deserves the spotlight in her own right
Her devotion to others was admirable, but this modest composer should be celebrated for her own considerable talents, says Leah Broad
Dani Howard: a guide to the talented young composer whose music features at the BBC Proms 2024
Meet Dani Howard, the brilliant young British composer, who has recently been appointed composer-in-residence with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Hildegard von Bingen: writer, theologian, composer, naturalist... and scourge of a corrupt Church
Your guide to the music of the 12-century nun, Hildegard von Bingen: her inspirations, her unique sound and recommended recordings of her work
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Janáček, Leos
Leos Janáček: a man of fierce passions, and a gifted melder of musical styles
Who was Josquin des Prez?
Everything you need to know about the French composer and his revolutionary Renaissance music
Who was Jóhann Jóhannsson? A guide to the Icelandic composer
You might have heard of this Oscar-nominated Icelandic composer who died in 2018 aged only 48, but who exactly was he? What was his music like? How did he make his breakthrough? Here's everything you need to know about Jóhann Jóhannsson
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Erich Wolfgang Korngold: the musical prodigy who brought the sound of Wagner and Puccini to Hollywood
Embracing youthful stardom, Nazi censorship and Hollywood success, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's story was truly remarkable, says Jessica Duchen
Komitas
Michael Church explores the enduring influence of Komitas, the composer and pioneering folk-collector whose career met a brutal end
Knussen, Oliver
Oliver Knussen is a great British talent, whose colourful scores had a huge impact on audiences and composers alike
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Ligeti: musical master of otherworldly atmospheres
A uniquely modern voice
Franz Liszt: the visionary piano superstar who had women swooning in the aisles
The composer Franz Liszt was a brilliant but enigmatic piano virtuoso, writes Jessica Duchen
Franz Lehár: meet the composer behind one of the most popular operas ever, The Merry Widow
George Hall looks at the life and music of Franz Lehár, a composer who brought both huge popularity and a new respect to the world of operetta - and gave the world The Merry Widow
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Autism, ADHD, hyperactivity, depression? Today's psychologists analyse Mozart's brilliant mind
Using today’s psychoanalytic methods, what can we learn, asks Rebecca Franks, about the mind of Mozart, perhaps the greatest musical genius of all?
Mozart was facing charges of indecency. Solution? He got married
Mozart's marriage, hastily arranged, stops a visit from the Vienna police, writes Terry Blain
Mahler: the composer for whom 'the symphony must be like the world'
Meet Gustav Mahler, the symphony's great synthesist
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Ben Nobuto: meet the composer bringing videogame adventures to the First Night of the Proms
The Japanese/British composer's 'Hallelujah Sim' receives its world premiere at the First Night of the Proms on 19 July 2024
Nyman, Michael
He’s had film score successes galore and his style is both inventive and distinctive. So why, asks Nick Shave, does Michael Nyman often find himself deserted by the tide of musical opinion?
Nielsen, Carl
The great Dane
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George Onslow: has history judged the Anglo-French composer unfairly?
Admired by several notable contemporaries, the man once dubbed ‘the French Beethoven’ is surely ripe for reappraisal, says Misha Donat
Who is Tarik O'Regan?
Meet British-American composer Tarik O'Regan, whose CV includes writing music for King Charles's coronation
Orff, Carl
The lies, the politics… and Carmina Burana
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Sergey Prokofiev: revolutionary composer who gave us some of the 20th century's most dazzling music
Meet Sergey Prokofiev, the Russian master of drama, orchestration and sardonic wit
'Audience members fainted with excitement': the dazzling virtuoso rumoured to be in league with the devil
One of the most dazzling musical showmen of all time, the great Italian violinist and composer Paganini cast a spell over all those who heard his music, as Julian Haylock explains
Puccini: the Italian opera maestro who added Wagner to Verdi
Opera's craftsman of emotion
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Rachmaninov: the 'six-foot scowl' who gave us some of classical music's most breathtaking moments
The last great Russian Romantic: meet Sergey Rachmaninov, creator of some of classical music's most irresistible melodies
Respighi, Ottorino
The Roman Visionary
Rutter, John
The prodigious English composer is a true master who deserves to be known for more than his much-loved carols, says Clare Stevens
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'Coarse, primitive, vulgar and perverted...' How Stalin's displeasure left Shostakovich fearing for his life
Alexander Scriabin: mystic, avant-gardist, devil worshipper
Surrounded by controversy throughout his life, the composer Alexander Scriabin did little to discourage people from seeing him as a kind of Messiah, as pianist and Scriabin devotee Yevgeny Sudbin explains
Franz Schmidt: the brilliant composer cancelled for pleasing the Nazis
A cataclysmic decision in his final year led to this masterful late-Romantic symphonist being cast out into the cold, explains Erik Levi
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Thomas Tallis: the ultimate Tudor survivor
The Tudor era was rarely a safe place to be - but its greatest composer Thomas Tallis had the guile and talent to survive its many perils
Tchaikovsky: the great Russian Romantic who channelled a turbulent life into heart-rending music
Tchaikovsky: a great Russian, a great Romantic - and a master of the lament
Tan Dun: meet the composer of the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' score
Chinese-American composer Tan Dun has come from humble origins to achieve global success, yet his concerns remain the same – balance, humanity and the natural world, writes Claire Jackson
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Verdi: the composer who battled grave personal tragedies to become a national icon
Composer Giuseppe Verdi battled family tragedies and censorship to become a leading light in the world of Italian opera
Ralph Vaughan Williams: folk music, the English countryside, and moments of transcendent beauty
Terry Blain explores the life, times and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams - the grand old man of British music
Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons and beyond
The composer of The Four Seasons was also one of the Baroque era's busiest and most influential musicians. Meet Antonio Vivaldi
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Hugo Wolf: the wild man of late 19th century song
The wild man of 19th-century song
John Williams: the maestro behind some of cinema's most iconic soundtracks
It’s likely more people around the world know some music written by John Williams than they do Bach or Beethoven. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, via Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, his music for films has made him a bit of a superstar. Here’s everything you ought to know about the legendary composer.
Eric Whitacre: Nevada's most famous composer, who has broken records with his virtual choirs
Meet Eric Whitacre, the hugely popular US composer, conductor and founder of the Virtual Choir