Every time you click through our website, a different portrait will be displayed of a notable composer throughout history. We've put together a bit of information on each of these famous composers that continue to inspire our own creative output.

 

Johann Sebastian Bach

A German composer whose secular and sacred works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments unified the elements of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.

 

Ludwig van Beethoven

One of Western classical music's most influential composers, Beethoven was a prolific composer and virtuoso pianist. He continued to write masterpieces, to conduct and perform even after the onset of total deafness.

 

Luciano Berio

An Italian composer of the 20th century, Berio was known for his experimental work in both instrumental and vocal music, and electronic music. His 1968 composition "Sinfonia" was noted by Leonard Bernstein to represent the new direction of classical music.

 

Johannes Brahms

Brahms was a composer of the Romantic tradition, who while respecting the Western music tradition displayed a bold approach to harmony and expression that greatly influenced later composers. Among younger crowds, Brahms may be best remembered for his famous Lullaby.

 

Fryderyk Chopin

Considered Poland's greatest composer, Chopin was a virtuoso pianist and one of Western music's greatest tone poets. With an output overwhelmingly for solo piano, his compositional output emphasises expressive depth and subtle nuance, greatly influencing contemporary approaches to piano performance.

 

Claude Debussy

Debussy is one of the defining figures within the field of Impressionist music. Perhaps the most important French composer of his time, Debussy firmly established a new sense of tonality in Western art music.

 

George Gershwin

Gershwin's compositional output dramatically redefined American music in the 20th century. He is best remembered for his vocal and theatrical works written in conjunction with his brother Ira, and his concert work "Rhapsody in Blue" is considered iconic of New York City.

 

Percy Grainger

One of Australia's most notable composers of the early 20th century, Grainger is best known for his work "Country Gardens", though his compositional output included the development of instrumental machines to create new sounds where human performers were unable.

 

George Frideric Handel

A German composer of the Baroque period, Handel is best remembered for his operas, orotorios and concerto grossi, most notably his "Messiah". His music went on to influence many signifcant composers in later periods.

 

Hildegard of Bingen

In a period where women were not highly regarded, this Medieval period composer, artist, linguist, philosopher, scientist and poet is attributed to the possible origin of opera.

Olivier Messiaen

A French composer and organist, Messiaen is considered one of the great teachers of the 20th century. His compositional output challenged traditional thinking of harmony, melody and rhythm, pioneering his concept of modes of limited transposition.

 

Ennio Morricone

An Academy-award winning Italian film composer, Morricone is best remembered for his Spaghetti Westerns soundtracks, and more recently his film scores to "The Mission", "The Untouchables", and "Lolita" among others.

 

Giacomo Puccini

The operatic works of this Italian composer are among the most frequently performed in the operatic repertoire. Works including "La Bohème", "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly" are known to listeners around the world, with some arias such as "O Mio Babbino Caro" (from "Gianni Schicchi") and "Nessun Dorma" (from Turandot) becoming part of pop culture.

 

Sergei Rachmaninov

One of the greatest pianists of his day, Rachmaninov represents the last great representative of Russian late Romanticism. He is best known for his piano Concerti, most notably the Second and Third, and for his"Variations on a Theme by Paganini".

 

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Considered one of the most important Art music composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, his groundbreaking study of electronic music, musical spatialisation and aleatory in serial composition continues to influence new composers across the world.

 

Igor Stravinsky

This Russian composer is considered by many to be the single most influential composer of 20th century music. His compositional output included "L'Oiseau de feu" ("The Firebird"), "Petrushka" and "La Sacre du Printemps" ("The Rite of Spring"), whose premiere sparked a riot, and transformed the way subsequent composers approached rhythmic structure.

 

Toru Takemitsu

The first Japanese composer to achieve international recognition, Takemitsu is noted for his skill in the subtle manipulation of orchestral and instrumental timbre. Drawing from a number of influences including traditional Japanese music, popular music, avant-garde concepts and jazz, he also composed over one hundred film scores.

 

Tan Dun

The most famous composer to come out of China, Tan is most well known for his Grammy and Oscar award-winning soundtracks to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero". Tan is widely recognised for his use of non-traditional and organic instruments in his compositions, most notably his "Water Concerto After St. Matthew" and his "Paper Concerto".

 

Iannis Xenakis

This Greek composer is considered one of the most important modernist composers of the 20th century, combining his passion for maths and architecture. He is noted for his pioneering work in electronic and computer music, and for the use of stochastic mathematical techniques in his musical output, including probability.