Music has undergone a tremendous transition from one generation to the next. With the primary purpose of entertaining and informing audiences, millions of songs have been released by composers. Composers differ in style, innovation, and skill of how they coin their music. Of the millions composed, some have found a top spot in the hearts of people and regarded as the greatest of all-time composers. They authored masterpieces and composed music that inspired fans and other musicians who lived after them. Glowing tribute has been paid to such composers for their exceptional work. They include the following:
- Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach is an influential composer born in Germany on 21st March 1685. He came from a family of distinguished professional musicians, an aspect that may have contributed to his music composition prowess. For instance, his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, played the trumpet and violin as an employee of the Eisenach City. Bach has composed over 100 pieces in all genres. He is considered having recorded and performed the most in the history of music. He has greatly influenced other composers like Ludwig Beethoven and Sergei Prokofiev. He earns his place as a great icon in music composition which still lives on.
2. Ludwig van Beethoven
Born in December 1770 in Germany, Beethoven came from a family of musicians that was flaming. Many people associating with him music regard him as the greatest composer of all time. He gelled his composition of music with excellent mastery of the piano. At some point in his life, he experienced deafness, though this did not derail his talent in composing great music. He did great works in symphonies, choral works, string quartets, and piano concerts. He was a member of the electoral orchestra and took his studies at Mozart’s in Vienna.
3. Gyorgy Ligeti
Gyorgy lived from 1923 to 2006. His composition prowess is considered ground-breaking and vital that influenced the 20th century. He showcased unique piano techniques that challenged the norm. He influenced styles of music and entertainment traditions across nations. His methods were derived mainly from African cultures which made other forms of complex music to be embraced. He not only raised the bar during his era but also ventured into new musical stratospheres. His achievements continue to inspire many and regarded as a role model for those learning in the music industry.
4. Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy was born in 1862 in Paris, France. He is a prominent figure credited to have influenced French music that was an impressionist. His music was celebrated as having rich sensory content with a unique application of atonality. He won the Prix de Rome in 1883 and 1884 and used the award-winning to sponsor his studies at Villa de Mecidi for four years in Rome. Impressionist poets had a great influence on him. His famous piano collection was written in 1890. The masterpiece of his piano preludes was composed between 1910 and 1913.
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Born Australian in 1756, Mozart dominated the classical area with prolific compositions. On matters of Western music, he reigns amongst the most celebrated composers to have ever lived. His uniqueness comes from the fact that he is the single most individual who composed and excelled in all genres of music available during his time. Rumor has it that he was playing music when three years old and was able to write music just at five years. His works can be compared to that of Beethoven with emphasis as an opera composer.
6. Richard Wagner
Born German in 1813, his level of imagination was overwhelming. For instance, he spent 26 years writing The Ring, a composition that lasts for more than 14 hours. He approached time and memory in a revolutionary manner by creating spectacular music. His music cannot be ignored, no matter how it is perceived. His innovations were famous and spread like bushfire. He is said to have been committed to his cult during his lifetime. His unique use of leitmotifs differed from other composers who preferred using themes.
7. Gustav Mahler
He was both a conductor and composer born in July 1860 in the Czech Republic. His environment while growing up in Jihlava was rife with ethnic divisions that were not accommodative. He resorted to using music to deal with it by using the piano and accordion while at the age of four years. His popularity in the nineteenth century was associated with orchestra symphonies that were subtle and charged emotionally. Due to his talent, Vienna Court Opera appointed him as director, serving between 1897 to 1907. In his career, he crafted ten symphonies that were popular in shaping emotional character.
8. Claudio Monteverdi
Born in 1567, Claudio had his accomplishment profound in writing operas. Painting tones of instruments is an invention that is attributed to him. Many of those who write operas today have been influenced by his works. He influenced the paradigms of music through his vision. He inspired people through emotions and expressed affectionate through music. He abandoned preconceptions of music and rules of academics which made his music have lasting impressions effortlessly. His compositions have lived on for decades by infusing baroque with the renaissance. His accomplishments have been attributed to the influence of Giaches de Wert.
9. Igor Stravinsky
He was a Russian composer born in June 1882 with excellent piano and conducting skills. Interestingly, while at St. Petersburg University, he studied philosophy and law. His composition prowess emerged later in life even though he was exposed to piano lessons while a child. He graduated in 1905, and it is at this instance that he ventured into music composition seriously. In 1954, he was awarded a gold medal from the Royal Philharmonic Society due to one of his outstanding audio excerpts. He shot to fame when he collaborated with Serge Diaghilev to compose Ballet Russes.
10. Joseph Haydn
He was born in Austria in March 1732. During his childhood, his cousin played a great role in his music foundation by offering him basic music education. While in Vienna, he served as a choirmaster at St. Stephen’s Cathedral before being expelled after a change in his voice. Joseph was a critical figure in developing classical music. He is behind the establishment of symphony and string quartet style. Many saw him as a prolific composer with London Symphonies being one of his popular works. His compositions were done with an element of elegance and wit.
