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Top 100 Classical Composers - Classical Music Only
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List Challenges
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Top 100 Greatest Classical Composers
Composers are ranked for their innovation and influence, as well as their aesthetic importance and historical significance.
Videos
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The Greatest Classical Music Composers - YouTube
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Face Animations Top 100 Famous Classical Music Composers - YouTube
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The 100 Greatest Composers - YouTube
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The 100 greatest composers in the history of music - YouTube
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100 Most Famous Classical Pieces - YouTube
DigitalDreamDoor
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100 Greatest Classical Composers
April 22, 2017 - List of the 100 Greatest Classical Music Composers ranked for their innovation and influence, as well as their aesthetic importance and historical significance.
Reddit
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r/classicalmusic on Reddit: The 100 Greatest Classical Composers
February 24, 2023 -
Here's another ranking of the greatest composers of Classical music.
Criteria: Composers are ranked for their innovation and influence, as well as their aesthetic importance and historical significance.
1. Ludwig van Beethoven - 1770-1827
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 1756-1791
3. Johann Sebastian Bach - 1685-1750
4. Richard Wagner - 1813-1883
5. Joseph Haydn - 1732-1809
6. Johannes Brahms - 1833-1897
7. Franz Schubert - 1797-1828
8. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1840-1893
9. George Frideric Handel - 1685-1759
10. Igor Stravinsky - 1882-1971
11. Robert Schumann - 1810-1856
12. Frederic Chopin - 1810-1849
13. Felix Mendelssohn - 1809-1847
14. Claude Debussy - 1862-1918
15. Franz Liszt - 1811-1886
16. Antonín Dvořák - 1841-1904
17. Giuseppe Verdi - 1813-1901
18. Gustav Mahler - 1860-1911
19. Antonio Vivaldi - 1678-1741
20. Richard Strauss - 1864-1949
21. Serge Prokofiev - 1891-1953
22. Dmitri Shostakovich - 1906-1975
23. Béla Bartók - 1881-1945
24. Hector Berlioz - 1803-1869
25. Anton Bruckner - 1824-1896
26. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - 1525-1594
27. Claudio Monteverdi - 1567-1643
28. Jean Sibelius - 1865-1957
29. Maurice Ravel - 1875-1937
30. Ralph Vaughan Williams - 1872-1958
31. Modest Mussorgsky - 1839-1881
32. Giacomo Puccini - 1858-1924
33. Henry Purcell - 1659-1695
34. Gioacchino Rossini - 1792-1868
35. Edward Elgar - 1857-1934
36. Sergei Rachmaninoff - 1873-1943
37. Camille Saint-Saëns - 1835-1921
38. Josquin Des Prez - c.1440-1521
39. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - 1844-1908
40. Carl Maria von Weber - 1786-1826
41. Jean-Philippe Rameau - 1683-1764
42. Jean-Baptiste Lully - 1632-1687
43. Gabriel Fauré - 1845-1924
44. Edvard Grieg - 1843-1907
45. Christoph Willibald Gluck - 1714-1787
46. Arnold Schoenberg - 1874-1951
47. Charles Ives - 1874-1954
48. Paul Hindemith - 1895-1963
49. Olivier Messiaen - 1908-1992
50. Aaron Copland - 1900-1990
51-100....
The website have many rankings regarding classical music. I use it to discover new works and composers.
Thoughts:
I noticed that they have certain predilection to the "Classical era" of music. The top 3 is expected but the ranking is certainly bold. I thought that Haydn is a bit high, I would place him in top 15, while the rankings of Schubert, Brahms and Wagner can be interchangeable.
What about you?
Top answer 1 of 5
7
My head hurts trying to comprehend all these lists. Why is Tchaikovsky, whose critical reception has never matched the public's love of him so high? Is a towering figure like Josquin Desprez really less important than Edward Elgar? Why is Paul Hindemith there but not Anton Webern? Isn't Debussy too low (probably should be in the place taken by Tchaikovsky)? Haydn for once is in the correct type of position, but why is Claudio Monteverdi, another of the innovative giants so low? Where are other critical figures like Machaut and Dufay? Why is Verdi below Dvorak? Why would you have Copland but not Victoria or Lassus? etc. etc. etc. etc. My favorite of these lists has been the composer selected one, in which a distinctively different utilitarian view comes through, and one that doesn't really match up with this quite conservative list. This one is like the kind of choices my piano teacher would have espoused in the 1970s - safely big names from the years 1680 to 1930, while not really giving recognition to figures outside of this time range, and over emphasizing minor names such as Elgar, Saint Saens and Grieg because of this.
2 of 5
6
Now this takes me back. I used to browse this site when I was first starting to get into music way back in 2007. Seeing the then-unfamiliar-to-me Wagner listed at number four right below the ubiquitous Bach, Beethoven and Mozart stuck in my mind for several years afterwards and I think his placement had enough of an effect on my unconscious engagement with music history that he'd attained the same stature in my mind as the other three by the time I was 16 or so. Now I'm looking to become a Wagnerian scholar--so I have to doff my cap to DDD for that unintended effect! And Tchaikovsky in the top ten is a bold choice that I'm not sure I totally agree with.
Classical Music
classical-music.com › features › composers › 50-greatest-composers-all-time
Best composers of all time: classical's 31 most awesome talents, ranked
September 28, 2025 - John Rutter: Rachmaninov belongs to the aristocracy of composers. He never wrote a piece of music unless he had something to say and he never repeated himself; he never outstayed his welcome. No two of his piano pieces are alike, each one creates its own world. He lays his soul before us in music like the Second Symphony, yet it is noble as much as passionate. Start here: Piano Concerto No. 4 (Michelangeli; Philharmonia/Ettore Gracis, 1957). This disc features in our list of the greatest recordings of all time.
On This Day
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Top 100 Famous Composers in History - On This Day
Composers · Drummers · Guitarists · Musicians · Pianists · Pop Stars · Rappers · Rockers · Singers · Songwriters · 1 - 100 of 121 famous, important and notable composers ranked by their popularity on On This Day. 1. Richard Wagner · 2. Caroline Shaw ·
Kirkus Reviews
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THE 100 GREATEST COMPOSERS & THEIR MUSICAL WORKS | Kirkus Reviews
The author offers this description of Chopin’s legacy (the Polish composer is in Tier 3 of Smook’s rating): “Chopin created or developed a number of new forms of solo piano music to exploit his poetic use of the instrument.” The legacy sections include samplings of the composers’ popular works. There are also miniprofiles of artists who almost made the top 100 list (among them, Anton Webern—musical cousin to Schoenberg—and the Estonian minimalist composer Arvo Pärt).
Author Gary A. Smook
Scribd
scribd.com › document › 773807717 › History-s-100-Greatest-Composers
History's 100 Greatest Composers | PDF | Johann Sebastian Bach | Art
Therefore, some composer’s biographies and works may not be complete if their date of death is considerably beyond 1964.Composers deceased since 1964:Samuel Barber (1981)Leonard Bernstein (1990)Benjamin Britten (1976)Carlos Chavez (1978)Aaron ...
Amazon
amazon.com › Classical-Music-Greatest-Composers-Their › dp › 0449910423
Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works: Goulding, Phil G.: 9780449910429: Amazon.com: Books
Maybe you don't know the answers to these questions; author Phil Goulding certainly didn't. When Goulding first tried to learn about classical music, he found himself buried in an avalanche of technical terms and complicated jargon--so he decided to write the book he couldn't find. The result is a complete classical music education in one volume. Comprehensive, discriminating, and delightfully irreverent, Classical Music provides such essential information as: * Rankings of the top 50 composers (Bach is #1.
Rate Your Music
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The 100 Greatest Classical Composers According to rateyourmusic.com - Rate Your Music
Mostly RYM's most celebrated/highly-rated composers, with a couple of my own faves added As of 2012 (Item #101 on this list: composers appearing on the most RYM user lists.) A supplemental list: The Greatest Classical Composers According to rateyourmusic.com: Bubbling Under See also: Classical ...
Classical Music Forum
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My list of the 100 greatest composers | Classical Music Forum
I tried to be as impartial as I could 1. Ludwing van Beethoven (1770-1827 German) 2. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750 German) 3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791 Austrian) 4. Richard Wagner (1811-1883 German) 5. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ...
Barnes & Noble
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The 100 Greatest Composers and Their Musical Works: An Introduction to the Fascinating World of Classical Music by Gary a Smook, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Intended as an entry point for those interested in the subject but who lack knowledge, this debut book offers an overview of the history of classical music and Smook's list of the greatest composers, beginning in the Baroque period and ending with 20th-century giants.
Discogs
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The 50 Greatest Composers by Internaut | Discogs Lists
According to Phil G. Goulding in his book "Classical Music - The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works"
Classical Music Forum
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50 greatest composers, as chosen by 174 composers... | Classical Music Forum
I thought this list was nice! What do you think? These are the 50 greatest composers of all time - and the 50 top albums you need in your collection
Good Music Guide
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Your Top 100 Favorite Composers
► Your Top 100 Favorite Composers · Started by Mirror Image, June 13, 2022, 06:30:32 PM Previous topic - Next topic · 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Print · Go Down Pages1 2 3 ... 5 · User actions · Print · Go Up Pages1 2 3 ... 5 · User actions ·
Amazon
amazon.com › Greatest-Composers-Their-Musical-Works › dp › 1525537865
The 100 Greatest Composers and Their Musical Works: An Introduction to the Fascinating World of Classical Music: Smook, Gary a: 9781525537868: Amazon.com: Books
His fascinating exploration takes you inside the rich music and colorful lives of the world's greatest classical composers. From Bach to Stravinsky and beyond, you will learn how the unique life stories of these gifted composers are reflected in the musical masterpieces that we enjoy to this day.
Britannica
britannica.com › entertainment & pop culture › music theory & compositions
10 Classical Music Composers to Know | Britannica
June 13, 2025 - From the hundreds of classical music composers working in the Western tradition during the last 600 years, we list 10 that are generally regarded as the most essential composers to know, including Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Wagner, and more.
The International Man
theinternationalman.com › classical-composers.php
Top 100 Greatest & Legendary Classical Composers of All Time
Check out world's top 100 greatest and legendary classical composers of all time.
Classic FM
classicfm.com › composers › greatest-classical-music-history
The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time - Classic FM
August 20, 2024 - English composer Edward Elgar managed to capture whole landscapes, national moods and deep emotional complexity in his music, all at the same time. He’s remembered and revered for the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, his concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. ... Verdi, for many, is quite simply the greatest Italian opera composer who ever lived.
Ranker
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The Best Classical Composers | List of Top Greatest Classical Musicians
October 15, 2025 - Over 23K fans have voted on the 230+ people on Best Classical Composers. Current Top 3: Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach ...