Lists of composers
Composers are people who write music. A strong distinction is made amongst composers, lyricists and performers in such genres as classical and jazz music. In other genres, such as popular and folk music, the term "songwriter", means someone who authors both music and lyrics, and is more common than "composer". If a songwriter also performs, he is called a "singer/songwriter."
This page includes a list of composers sorted by various genres.
For composers of the following genres see:
Other classifications can be found in these other pages:
- Plethora of Indian composers
- List of Italian composers
- Polish composers
- List of opera composers
- National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame
- List of female composers
Film
See also Film.
- Burt Bacharach
- John Barry, (born 1933)
- Danny Elfman, (born 1953)
- Jerry Goldsmith
- Ron Goodwin, (1925-2003)
- Bernard Herrmann, (1911-1975)
- Maurice Jarre, (born 1924)
- Michel Legrand, (born 1932)
- Ennio Morricone
- Michael Nyman, (born 1944)
- Joe Hisaishi
- John Williams, (born 1932)
Ragtime
See also Ragtime.
- William Bolcom, (born 1938)
- Zez Confrey
- Ben Harney, (1872-1938)
- Scott Joplin, (1867-1917)
- Joseph Lamb, (1887-1960)
- Artie Matthews, (1888-1958)
- Ernesto Nazareth, (1863-1934)
- David Thomas Roberts
- James Scott, (1885-1938)
- Wilber Sweatman, (1882-1961)
Jazz and Blues
- Count Basie, (1904-1984)
- Dave Brubeck, (born 1920)
- John Coltrane, (1926-1967)
- Duke Ellington, (1899-1974)
- Herbie Hancock, (born 1940)
- Krzysztof Komeda
- Jelly Roll Morton, (1890-1941)
- Charles Mingus, (1922-1979)
- Thelonious Monk, (1920-1982)
- Charlie Parker, (1920-1955)
- Billy Strayhorn, (1915-1967)
- Fats Waller, (1904-1943)
- Clarence Williams, (1893-1965)
Orchestra
See also Orchestra music.
- Burt Bacharach, (born 1928)
Vocal
See also Vocal music.
- Jacques Brel, (1929-1978)
- Georges Moustaki
Pop and Rock
See also Pop music and Rock music.
- Paul Anka, (born 1941)
- Charles Aznavour, (born 1924)
- Irving Berlin, (1888-1989)
- Billy Bragg, (born 1957)
- Brian Eno, (born 1948)
- George Gershwin, (1898-1937)
- Ira Gershwin, (1896-1983)
- Mick Jagger, (born 1943)
- Jean Michel Jarre
- Elton John, (born 1947)
- John Lennon, (1940-1980)
- Paul McCartney, (died 1988)
- George Michael, (born 1963)
- Joni Mitchell, (born 1943)
- Mike Oldfield, (born 1953)
- Roy Orbison, (1936-1988)
- Neil Sedaka, (born 1939)
- Chris Smith, (1879-1949)
- Bernie Taupin, (born 1950)
- Albert Von Tilzer, (1878-1956)
- Harry Von Tilzer, (1872-1946)
- Frank Zappa, (1940-1993)
Folk and Country
See also Folk music and Country music.
New Age
See also New Age music.
Video games
See also Video games.
- Akira Yamaoka
- Bun Bun
- Mark Cooksey
- Club Kukeiha
- Frank Klepacki
- Hirokazu 'Hip' Tanaka
- Hiroki Kikuta
- Hitoshi Sakimoto
- Koji Kondo, (born 1960)
- Michael Land, (born 1961)
- Michiru Yamane
- Masaharu Iwata
- Motoi Sakuraba
- Bobby Prince
- Mark Seibert
- Jeremy Soule
- Nobuo Uematsu, (born 1959)
- Yasunori Mitsuda, (born 1972)
- Yoko Shimomura, (born 1970)
- Yuukichan's Papa
Uncategorized composers
A
- Bojan Adamic, (born 1912)
- José Afonso
- Gregor Aichinger, (c. 1565-1628)
- Franco Alfano
- Steve Allen, (1921-2000)
- Keil do Amaral
- Thomas Ambroise, (1811-1896)
- August Wilhelm Ambros, (1816-1876)
- Laurie Anderson, (born 1947)
- Pasquale Anfossi
- Giuseppe Apolloni
- Desi Arnaz, (1917-1986)
- Pasqual Juan Emilio Arrieta y Corera (1823 - 1924)
- Emilio Arrieta
- Ignaz Assmayer, (born 1790)
- Chet Atkins, (1924-2001)
- Georges Auric, (1899-1983)
- Slavko Avsenik, (born 1949)
- Vilko Avsenik
B
- Tadeus Baird
- Mily Balakirev, (1836-1910)
- Hank Ballard, (1936-2003)
- Adriano Banchieri, (c. 1557-1634)
- Seymour Barab, (born 1921)
- Sabine Baring-Gould, (1834-1924)
- Gerald Barry
- Dave Bartholomew
- Thomas Beard, (born 1962)
- Ralph Benatzky, (1884-1957)
- Julius Benedict, (born 1804)
- Elmer Bernstein, (born 1922)
- Eubie Blake, (1883-1983)
- Terrence Blanchard
- Zdenek Blazek, (1905-1988)
- William Boyce, (born 1711)
- Sadasiva Bramhendra
- Goran Bregovic
C
- Matteo Carcassi, (Florence, 1792-Paris, 1853)
- Hoagy Carmichael, (1899-1981)
- Ferdinando Carulli
- Alfredo Casella, (1883-1947)
- Alfredo Catalani
- Marc Antonio Cesti, (1623-1669)
- Graham Chapman, (1941-1989)
- Ch'eng Mao-yün, (1900-1957)
- Francesco Cilea
- Avery Claflin, (died 1979)
- Kenny Clarke, (born 1914)
- Johnny Clegg, (born 1953)
- Albert Coates, (1882-1953)
- Cy Coleman, (born 1929)
- Rus Columbo, (born 1908)
- Carmine Coppola, (died 1991)
- Phil Coulter
- Ciril Cvetko, (1920-1999)
D
- Walford Davies, (1869-1944)
- Jimmie Davis, (1899-2000)
- Jon Deak
- Edmond Dede
- Michel Richard Delalande
- Anton Diabelli, (1781-1858)
- Denis Diderot, (1713-1784)
- Alphons Diepenbrock
- Albert Christoph Dies, (born 1755)
- Lucio Diestro, (born 1913)
- Muthuswami Dikshitar
- Tomaz Domicelj, (born 1948)
E
F
- Carlisle Floyd, (born 1926)
- David Foster
- Stephen Foster, (1826-1864)
- Alberto Franchetti
- Patrick Frye, III (born 1957)
G
- Jacob Thune Hansen Gade
- Jacobus Gallus, (1550-1591)
- Pauline Garcia-Viardot, (1821-1910)
- Denis Gaultier, (died 1672)
- Edward German, (1862-1936)
- Don Carlo Gesualdo
- Luis Gianneo, (born 1897)
- Jean Gilbert, (born 1879)
- Mauro Giuliani
- Louis Glass
- Jackie Gleason, (1916-1987)
- Radovan Gobec, (born 1909)
- Alexander Godunov, (born 1949)
- Jani Golob, (born 1948)
- Antonio Carlos Gomes, (1836-1896)
- Michael Gordon
- Louis Moreau Gottschalk
- Glenn Gould, (1932-1982)
- Morton Gould, (1913-1996)
- Fernando Lopes Graça
- Enrique Granados, (1827-1916)
- Stephane Grappelli, (1908-1997)
- Alexander Grechaninov
- Adolph Green, (1914-2002)
- Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé
- Carlos Guastavino, (1912-2000)
H
- Johan Halvorsen, (1864-1935)
- Marvin Hamlisch, (born 1944)
- Jan Hammer, (born 1948)
- Albert Hammond, (born 1942)
- W.C. Handy, (1873-1958)
- Howard Hansen, (born 1896)
- Lou Harrison, (1917-2003)
- John Hartford, (1937-2001)
- Hamilton Harty
- Johann A. Hasse, (died 1783)
- Pieter Hellendaal, (1721-1799)
- Victor Herbert, (1859-1924)
- Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, (1776-1822)
- Karl Holler, (1907-1987)
- Julia Ward Howe, (1819-1910)
- Herbert Howells, (1892-1983)
- Ferdinand Huber, (died 1863)
- David Hykes
I
J
- Tony Jackson, (1876-1921)
- Lado Jaksa, (born 1947)
- Niccolò Jommelli, (1714-1774)
K
- Dmitry Kabalevsky, (1904-1987)
- Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, (1876-1909)
- Jerome David Kern, (1885-1945)
- Francis Scott Key, (1779-1843)
- Wojciech Kilar, (born 1932)
- Carole King, (born 1942)
- William Kinloch
- Don Kirshner, (born 1934)
- Paul August von Klenau, (born 1883)
- Urban Koder, (born 1928)
- Charles Koechlin, (born 1867)
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Jani Kovacic
- Marjan Kozina, (1907-1965)
- Alexey Kozlovsky, (died 1977)
- William Kraft
- Johann Tobias Krebs, (died 1762)
- Fritz Kreisler
L
- Daniel Lanois
- Orlande de Lassus, (ca. 1532-1594)
- Calixa Lavallée, (died 1891)
- Jean Marie Leclair
- Ernesto Lecuona
- Jerry Leiber, (born 1933)
- Alfonso Leng, (1894-1974)
- Oscar Levant, (1906-1972)
- Primo Levi, (1919-1987)
- Rolf Liebermann, (died 1999)
- Marijan Lipovsek, (1910-1995)
- Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, (1760-1836)
- Duarte Lobo
- Luzzasco Luzzaschi
M
- Alessandro Marcello
- Christian Marclay
- Vicente Martin y Soler, (died 1806)
- Pietro Mascagni, (Livorno 1863-Rome 1945)
- Jules Massenet
- Peter Matz, (1928-2002)
- Rod McKuen, (born 1933)
- Giuseppe Mercadante
- Saverio Mercadante, (born 1795)
- Maceo Meriwether
- Jacomo Meyerbeer
- Stevan Mokranjac, (born 1856)
- Federico Mompou
- Stanislaw Moniuszko
- Reinhold Moritzovich Gliere, (1875-1956)
- Giorgio Moroder, (born 1940)
- Steve Morse
- Meredith Monk
N
O
P
- Giovanni Pacini, (1796-1867)
- Ignacy Paderewski, (born 1860)
- Andrzej Panufnik
- Giovanni Paisiello
- Stefan Paluselli, (born 1748)
- Paul Paray, (1886-1979)
- Tomaz Pengov
- Francesco Pennisi, (born 1934)
- Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, (1710-1736)
- Oto Pestner
- Goffredo Petrassi
- Hans Pfitzner, (1869-1949)
- Niccola Piccinni, (1728-1800)
- Johann Gottfried Piefke, (1815-1884)
- Willem Pijper
- Ildebrando Pizzetti
- Doc Pomus, (1925-1991)
- Amilcare Ponchielli, (1834-1886)
- Niccola Antonio Porpora, (1686-1767)
- Cole Porter, (1891-1964)
- Micheal Praetorius
- Zbigniew Preisner, (born 1955)
- André Previn, (born 1929)
- Joze Privsek, (1937-1998)
- Giacomo Puccini, (1858-1924)
- Loisa Puget, (born 1810)
Q
R
- Janko Ravnik, (1891-1982)
- Thomas Ravenscroft
- Fred Raymond, (1900-1954)
- Sam Raymond
- Hans Redlich, (born 1903)
- Wolfgang Rihm, (born 1952)
- Lee Ritenour, (born 1952)
- Johnny Rivers, (born 1942)
- Curtis Roads
- Nile Rodgers, (born 1952)
- Richard Rodgers, (1902-1979)
- Joaquín Rodrigo, (1901-1999)
- Sigmund Romberg, (1887-1951)
- Jubertino Rosas
- Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein, (1835-1881)
S
- Ryuichi Sakamoto, (born 1942)
- Adi Sankara, (c. 788-820)
- Syama Sastry
- Pierre Schaeffer, (1910-1995)
- Peter Schickele, (born 1935)
- Gustav Schmidt, (died 1882)
- Gil Scott-Heron, (born 1949)
- Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, (1871-1915)
- Edmund H. Sears, (died 1876)
- Renaud Séchan, (born 1952)
- Erik Anthon Valdemar Siboni, (died 1892)
- Mojmir Sepe, (born 1930)
- Kazimierz Serocki, (died 1981)
- Doc Severinsen, (born 1927)
- Andrej Sifrer
- Les Six, (1899-1983)
- Nicolas Slonimsky, (1894-1995)
- Adi Smolar
- Giovanni Sollima
- Stephen Sondheim, (born 1930)
- Natsume Soseki, (1867-1916)
- John Philip Sousa, (1854-1932)
- Gaspare Spontini
- Alojz Srebotnjak, (born 1931)
- John Stanley, (1712-1786)
- Agostino Steffani
- Max Steiner, (1888-1971)
- Jim Steinman, (born 1948)
- Henryk Szulc, (died 1903)
T
- Sergey Taneyev, (1856-1915)
- Alexander Tcherepnin, (born 1899)
- Mikis Teodorakis
- John Tesh, (born 1952)
- Dimitri Tiomkin, (died 1979)
- Swathi Tirunal
- Ernst Toch, (1887-1964)
- Mel Torme, (1925-1999)
- Allen Toussaint
- Eduard Tubin, (1905-1982)
- Tyagaraja, (died 1848)
U
V
- Grigory Vasilyevich, (1915-1998)
- Caetano Veloso
- Heitor Villa Lobos
- Ludwig von Köchel, (1800-1877)
W
- Unico Wilhelm Wassenaer
- Andrew Lloyd Webber, (born 1948)
- George James Webb, (born 1803)
- Jimmy Webb, (born 1946)
- Johann Weichmann, (born 1620)
- Kurt Weil, (1900-1950)
- Sylvius Leopold Weiss
- Spencer Williams, (1889-1965)
X
Y
Z
- Riccardo Zandonai
- Amilcare Zanella, (died 1949)
- Jan Dismas Zelenka, (born 1679)
- Deco Zgur
- John Zorn