COMPILATION OF FAMOUS COMPOSERS

FROM MEDIEVAL PERIOD TO ROMANTIC

PERIOD:
F a m o u s M e d i e v a l C o m p o s e r :
Moniot d’Arras
Hildegard von Bingen

 Hildegard von Bingen was a German nun who composed a vast
body of sacred music during the 12th century. At a time when
sacred music had to be composed within strict church
guidelines, Hildegard was able to push the limits of
composition by adopting many new techniques and introducing
many innovations to sacred music. Most of the music
composed by Hildegard comprised of melismatic solos and
hymns. A notable aspect of her songs was their highly melodic
nature, the use of many different notes and pitches in a single
composition and the musicality of words corresponding with
their meaning. She tested extensively with the limits of
composition of sacred music and produced some enduring
masterpieces of medieval music that survive to this day.
 In the 13th century, Arras in northern France was a hub of the
trouvere tradition of music. It was in this setting that Moniot
d’Arras, a monk in the abbey of Arras, made a name for
himself as a notable musician and composer. Given that the
scope of his music was mostly limited to the trouvere tradition,
he mostly composed monophonic songs with themes of courtly
love andchivalry. He also wrote a number of sacred music
pieces. Many of his secular and sacred compositions are extant
today.
Adam de la Halle

 Guillaume de Machaut was one of the greatest composers of the late

 Adam de la Halle was another French composer who emerged out of the
trouvere tradition of northern France. Born in mid-13th century, Halle was
a not just a composer but also a poet and a musician like many of his
contemporaries. He was most noted for the fact that he pioneered the drift
away from sacred music and established the foundations of independent
secular music. One of his most notable compositions is the Jeu de Robin et
da Marion, a dramatic work which includes a significant portion of
musical compositions. He was also notable for being adept at both
monophonic and polyphonic forms of composition, a rarity at the time.
medieval period. He was born around 1300 and died in 1377, spanning a
long career of musical compositions, poetry and a variety of other creative
endeavours. He was one of the leading figures of the Ars Nova movement
in France during the late medieval period. A notable aspect of Machaut’s
music is that he composed both sacred and secular music. In secular
music, he composed in the motet, ballade, rondeau, virelai and lai genres.
Although he adhered to the form of genres, he creatively embellished them
with his own style. He similarly created many brilliant pieces in sacred
music as well, one of the most notable being the Messe de Nostre Dame, a
cyclic mass which was the first to be composed by a single person. In the
general composition of his music, Machaut used both monophonic and
polyphonic forms. He is a towering figure of Ars Nova due to the sheer
breadth of the variety of his music and the sheer volume of music he
composed.

Francesco Landini
Guillaume de Machaut
 Guillaume Dufay
 Francesco Landini was one of the most notable composers of the final
decades of the medieval period. During the late 14th century, he was
considered one of the best composers of all Europe and the best composer
in Italy. Born in Italy in 1325, he was the key figure in the Italian Trecento
which ushered in the late medieval style of music in Italy. A large body of
his musical compositions is extant today, most of it in the ballate and
madrigal styles of Italian music. All of his extent pieces are secular music
and there is little proof that he composed any sacred music. The “Landini”
in his name refers to the Landini cadence, a special element used in
musical composition. Although he didn’t invent the Landini, he makes
extensive use of it in his compositions, earning him the eponym.
 Guillaume Dufay was born in 15th century France and went on to
become one of the foremost European composers of the 15th century.
Like many other composers of the period, he admitted influence from
composers of different regions of Europe. John Dunstable, the English
composer, was a notable influence on Dufay’s music. Dufay composed
both secular and sacred music with his secular music written mostly in the
virelai, rondeau and ballade forms. In the list of his sacred music are
included a number of Mass compositions and a notable lament he wrote
following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire.
F a m o u s R e n a i s s a n c e C o m p o s e r s :
Josquin Des Prez
William Byrd

 William Byrd is perhaps the greatest English composer of all

 William Byrd is perhaps the greatest English composer of all
time. With hundreds of individual works, Byrd seemingly
mastered every style of music that existed during his lifetime,
outshining Orlando de Lassus and Giovanni Palestrina. He was
a pupil working under Thomas Tallis, also on this list. Apart
from his choral works, Byrd is considered by many to be the
first "genius" of the keyboard. Many of his piano works can be
found in "My Ladye Nevells Book" and the "Parthenia."
time. With hundreds of individual works, Byrd seemingly
mastered every style of music that existed during his lifetime,
outshining Orlando de Lassus and Giovanni Palestrina. He was
a pupil working under Thomas Tallis, also on this list. Apart
from his choral works, Byrd is considered by many to be the
first "genius" of the keyboard. Many of his piano works can be
found in "My Ladye Nevells Book" and the "Parthenia."

Thomas Tallis
  Thomas Tallis, an English composer, flourished as a church
musician and is considered one of the church's best early
composers. Tallis served under four English monarchs and was
treated very well. Queen Elisabeth granted him and his pupil
William Boyd exclusive rights to use England's printing press
to publish music—a first of its time. Although Tallis composed
many styles of music, the majority of it is arranged for choir as
Latin motets and English anthems. While Tallis' music is well-
known, not much is actually known about his life.
Pierre de La Rue
 Widely recognized by just his first name, Josquin Des Prez was
Europe's most sought-after musician during his lifetime. His
popularity, no doubt, was a result of his diverse interests,
combining many contemporary styles of music. His originality
and his ability to unveil the meaning and emotions of a text
through music, both sacred and secular, added to his
popularity. While he may not be the most well-documented
composer, his reputation is strong, and much of Josquin's
music survives today, with his masses and chansons being the
most popula
Claudio Monteverdi
  Linking the Renaissance to the Baroque, Claudio Monteverdi's
revolutionary music included the first dramatic opera, "Orfeo."
An Italian composer, string player, and choirmaster, he was
considered a pioneer in the realm of opera and an artist who
served an integral transitional role between the Renaissance
and Baroque periods. Much of Monteverdi's early years were
spent composing madrigals: nine books in total. These books
clearly mark the change in thinking and compositional style
between the two musical periods. Book 8, "Ottavo Libro,"
includes what many consider to be the perfected form of the
madrigal, "Madrigali dei guerrieri ed amorosi."
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
F a m o u s
 With over hundreds of published works, Italian composer
Palestrina was the most famous representative of the Roman
School of musical composition, greatly influencing the
development of music in the Roman Catholic Church. Because
the voicing is extremely well balanced and beautifully
harmonized, Palestrina's polyphonic music is smooth, pure, and
transparent in sound.
B a r o q u e C o m p o s e r s :
Jean-Baptiste Lully

 So revered was the Danish-born Dietrich Buxtehude that, in

 Though Italian by birth, Lully spent the majority of his career
as composer at the court of Louis XIV, having moved to
France in his teens. Lully’s regal position saw him produce a
wealth of sacred music for the royal chapel plus music to
accompany the plays of Molière and several operas, often
based on mythological themes. He caused his own death, in
1687, by stabbing his own foot with his conducting stick and
then refusing surgery.
Henry Purcell
1705, a young JS Bach walked 250 miles from Arnstadt to
Lübeck to see him play the organ and meet him in
person. Handel was another admirer. In his post at Lübeck’s
Marienkirche, Buxtehude wrote a substantial number of choral
and organ works. His cantatas, including the famous Membra,
Jesu nostri  cycle, are still sung to this day, while organists
enjoy the technical polish of works such as his 19 preludes.

Dietrich Buxtehude 
  Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is largely considered the first
English opera of major significance, and some would go as far
as suggesting he was the last great British-born composer until
the turn of the 20th century. Employed at both Westminster
Abbey and the Chapel Royal, Purcell produced a large body of
sacred and secular music, including important works for state
occasions. His fresh, immediate style was later admired by
composers including Benjamin Britten.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Antonio Vivaldi
 Vivaldi is best known today for The Four Seasons, his set of
brilliantly inventive violin concertos, but there’s a lot more to
the Venice-born composer than that. Countless other violin
concertos flowed from the pen of the ‘Red Priest’ (named after
the colour of his hair), as did operas such as Orlando
furioso and choral works including the famous Gloria in D. JS
Bach was just one of many composers influenced by him.
  Arguably the greatest composer of all time, and undoubtedly
one of the most influential. A devout Christian, his religious
inspiration manifests itself in a wealth of sacred cantatas, the B
minor Mass and, above all, the quasi-operatic St John and St
Matthew Passions. These are just the tip the iceberg. His
staggeringly inventive music for solo instrument includes the
six Cello Suites, six sonatas and partitas for violin, countless
organ works and, for keyboard, the Goldberg Variations and
the Well-Tempered Clavier. Despite such a prodigious output,
produced while in post in the cities of Weimar, Cöthen and
Leipzig, every note was meticulously crafted.
 Pergolesi achieved a remarkable amount in his 26 short years
on this earth. Listeners today know him best for the achingly
plaintive vocal lines of his Stabat Mater, but it was largely
operas – both light-hearted, such as La serva padrona, and
serious, such as l prigionier superbo – that wowed audiences in
early 18th-century Naples. Stravinsky’s 1920 ballet Pulcinella
was once believed to be based on Pergolesi’s music, this was
later shown to be untrue.

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

F a m o u s C l a s s i c a l C o m p o s e r s :

Ludwig van Beethoven

  The German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven
 An Austrian composer of the Classical period, Wolfgang
is widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived.
Amadeus Mozart is widely recognized as one of the greatest
He expanded the Classical traditions of Joseph Haydn, one
composers of Western music. He is the only composer to write
of his teachers, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
and excel in all of the musical genres of his time. Rumored to
experimented with personal expression, a characteristic that
have had the ability to play music at age three and to write
influenced the Romantic composers who succeeded him.
music at age five, Mozart began his career as a child prodigy.
His life and career were marked by progressive deafness,
Notable compositions include The Marriage of Figaro, Elvira
yet the malady did not prevent him from composing some
Madigan, and Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K 581.
of his most important works during the last 10 years of his
life when he was nearly unable to hear. Widening the scope
of sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet, Beethoven’s
notable works include Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op.
125, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, Moonlight
Sonata, and Für Elise.

Johannes Brahms 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist of
the Romantic period, but he was more a disciple of the
Classical tradition. He wrote in many genres, including
symphonies, concerti, chamber music, piano works, and
choral compositions, many of which reveal the influence of
folk music. Some of his best-known works include
Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4,
and Hungarian Dances.
Joseph Haydn
Richard Wagner 
 The German composer and theorist Richard Wagner
extended the opera tradition and revolutionized Western
music. His dramatic compositions are particularly known
for the use of leitmotifs, brief musical motifs for a
character, place, or event, which he skillfully transformed
throughout a piece. Among his major works are the operas
The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan and
Isolde, Parsifal, and the tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung,
which includes The Valkyrie. One of the most controversial
figures in classical music, his work transcends his
character, which was defined by megalomaniac tendencies
and anti-Semitic views.
  The Austrian composer Joseph Haydn was one of the most
important figures in the development of the Classical style of
music during the 18th century. He helped establish the forms
and styles for the string quartet and symphony. Haydn was a
prolific composer, and some of his most well-known works are
Symphony No. 92 in G Major, Emperor Quartet, and Cello
Concerto No. 2 in D Major. His compositions are often
characterized as light, witty, and elegant.
Claude Debussy
 The French composer Claude Debussy is often regarded as the
father of modern classical music. Debussy developed new and
complex harmonies and musical structures that evoke
comparisons to the art of his contemporary Impressionist and
Symbolist painters and writers. His major works include Clair
de lune, La Mer, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and the
opera Pelléas et Mélisande.
F a m o u s R o m a n t i c P e r i o d
C o m p o s e r s :
Frédéric Chopin
 Frédéric Chopin was a Polish French composer and pianist of
the Romantic period. He was one of few composers to devote
himself to a single instrument, and his sensitive approach to the
keyboard allowed him to exploit all the resources of the piano,
including innovations in fingering and pedaling. He is thus
primarily known for writing music for the piano, notably
Nocturne, Op. 9 No. 2 in E-flat Major, Nocturne in C-sharp
Minor, B. 49, and Heroic Polonaise.
Franz Liszt
Robert Schumann
 Schumann is a key figure in the Romantic movement; none
investigated the Romantic’s obsession with feeling and passion
quite so thoroughly as him. Schumann died insane, but then
some psychologists argue that madness is a necessary attribute
of genius.
  Verdi was never a theoretician or academic, though he was
 Composer, teacher, Abbé, Casanova, writer, sage, pioneer and
quite able to write a perfectly poised fugue if he felt inclined.
champion of new music, philanthropist, philosopher and one of
What makes him, with Puccini, the most popular of all opera
the greatest pianists in history, Liszt was the very embodiment
composers is the ability to dream up glorious melodies with an
of the Romantic spirit. He worked in every field of music
innate understanding of the human voice, to express himself
except ballet and opera and to each field he contributed a
directly, to understand how the theatre works, and to score with
significant development.
technical brilliance, colour and originality.

Giacomo Puccini
Giuseppe Verdi 
  Whatever the atmosphere he wanted to create, Puccini’s sound
world is unique and unmistakeable with its opulent yet clear-
cut orchestration and a miraculous fund of melodies with their
bittersweet, tender lyricism. His masterly writing for the voice
guarantees the survival of his music for many years to come.
 Tchaikovsky is the most popular of all Russian composers, his
music combining some nationalist elements with a more
cosmopolitan view, but it is music that could only have been
written by a Russian. In every genre he shows himself to be
one of the greatest melodic fountains who ever lived.

ANGELICA BEATRICE I CABADDU

9-ST.THOMAS THE APOSTLE

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky