What would our life be like without music? For many years, people have asked themselves this question and come to the conclusion that without the beautiful sounds of music, the world would be a very different place. Music helps us feel joy more fully, find our inner self and cope with difficulties. Composers, working on their works, were inspired by a variety of things: love, nature, war, happiness, sadness and much more. Some of the musical compositions they created will forever remain in the hearts and memories of people. Here is a list of ten of the greatest and most talented composers of all time. Under each composer you will find a link to one of his most famous works.

10 PHOTO (VIDEO)

Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer who lived only 32 years, but his music will live on for a very long time. Schubert wrote nine symphonies, about 600 vocal compositions, and a large amount of chamber and solo piano music.

"Evening Serenade"

German composer and pianist, author of two serenades, four symphonies, as well as concerts for violin, piano and cello. He performed at concerts from the age of ten, and gave his first solo concert at the age of 14. During his lifetime, he gained popularity primarily due to the waltzes and Hungarian dances he wrote.

"Hungarian Dance No. 5".

George Frideric Handel was a German and English composer of the Baroque era; he wrote about 40 operas, many organ concerts, and chamber music. Handel's music has been played at the coronations of English kings since 973, it is also heard at royal wedding ceremonies and is even used as the anthem of the UEFA Champions League (with a small arrangement).

"Music on the water"

Joseph Haydn is a famous and prolific Austrian composer of the classical era, he is called the father of the symphony, as he made significant contributions to the development of this musical genre. Joseph Haydn is the author of 104 symphonies, 50 piano sonatas, 24 operas and 36 concertos

"Symphony No. 45".

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the most famous Russian composer, author of more than 80 works, including 10 operas, 3 ballets and 7 symphonies. He was very popular and known as a composer during his lifetime, and performed in Russia and abroad as a conductor.

"Waltz of the Flowers" from the ballet "The Nutcracker".

Frédéric François Chopin is a Polish composer who is also considered one of the best pianists of all time. He wrote many pieces of music for piano, including 3 sonatas and 17 waltzes.

"Rain waltz".

Venetian composer and virtuoso violinist Antonio Lucio Vivaldi is the author of more than 500 concertos and 90 operas. He had a huge influence on the development of Italian and world violin art.

"Elf's Song"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is an Austrian composer who amazed the world with his talent from early childhood. Already at the age of five, Mozart was composing short plays. In total, he wrote 626 works, including 50 symphonies and 55 concertos. 9.Beethoven 10.Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist of the Baroque era, known as a master of polyphony. He is the author of more than 1000 works, which include almost all significant genres of that time.

"Musical joke"

The World's Greatest Composers of All Time: Lists in Chronological and Alphabetical Order, Reference Books and Works

100 Great Composers of the World

List of composers in chronological order

1. Josquin Despres (1450 –1521)
2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 –1594)
3. Claudio Monteverdi (1567 –1643)
4. Heinrich Schütz (1585 –1672)
5. Jean Baptiste Lully (1632 –1687)
6. Henry Purcell (1658 –1695)
7. Arcangelo Corelli (1653 –1713)
8. Antonio Vivaldi (1678 –1741)
9. Jean Philippe Rameau (1683 –1764)
10. George Handel (1685 –1759)
11. Domenico Scarlatti (1685 –1757)
12. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 –1750)
13. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1713 –1787)
14. Joseph Haydn (1732 –1809)
15. Antonio Salieri (1750 –1825)
16. Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky (1751 –1825)
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –1791)
18. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 –1826)
19. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 –1837)
20. Nicollo Paganini (1782 –1840)
21. Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 –1864)
22. Carl Maria von Weber (1786 –1826)
23. Gioachino Rossini (1792 –1868)
24. Franz Schubert (1797 –1828)
25. Gaetano Donizetti (1797 –1848)
26. Vincenzo Bellini (1801 –1835)
27. Hector Berlioz (1803 –1869)
28. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 –1857)
29. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 –1847)
30. Fryderyk Chopin (1810 –1849)
31. Robert Schumann (1810 –1856)
32. Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (1813 –1869)
33. Franz Liszt (1811 –1886)
34. Richard Wagner (1813 –1883)
35. Giuseppe Verdi (1813 –1901)
36. Charles Gounod (1818 –1893)
37. Stanislav Moniuszko (1819 –1872)
38. Jacques Offenbach (1819 –1880)
39. Alexander Nikolaevich Serov (1820 –1871)
40. Cesar Frank (1822 –1890)
41. Bedřich Smetana (1824 –1884)
42. Anton Bruckner (1824 –1896)
43. Johann Strauss (1825 –1899)
44. Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein (1829 –1894)
45. Johannes Brahms (1833 –1897)
46. ​​Alexander Porfirievich Borodin (1833 –1887)
47. Camille Saint-Saens (1835 –1921)
48. Leo Delibes (1836 –1891)
49. Mily Alekseevich Balakirev (1837 –1910)
50. Georges Bizet (1838 –1875)
51. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 –1881)
52. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 –1893)
53. Antonin Dvorak (1841 –1904)
54. Jules Massenet (1842 –1912)
55. Edvard Grieg (1843 –1907)
56. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 –1908)
57. Gabriel Fauré (1845 –1924)
58. Leos Janacek (1854 –1928)
59. Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855 –1914)
60. Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856 –1915)
61. Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857 –1919)
62. Giacomo Puccini (1858 –1924)
63. Hugo Wolf (1860 –1903)
64. Gustav Mahler (1860 –1911)
65. Claude Debussy (1862 –1918)
66. Richard Strauss (1864 –1949)
67. Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov (1864 –1956)
68. Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (1865 –1936)
69. Jean Sibelius (1865 –1957)
70. Franz Lehár (1870 –1945)
71. Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin (1872 –1915)
72. Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov (1873 –1943)
73. Arnold Schoenberg (1874 –1951)
74. Maurice Ravel (1875 –1937)
75. Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 –1951)
76. Bela Bartok (1881 –1945)
77. Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (1881 –1950)
78. Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (1882 –1971)
79. Anton Webern (1883 –1945)
80. Imre Kalman (1882 –1953)
81. Alban Berg (1885 –1935)
82. Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev (1891 –1953)
83. Arthur Honegger (1892 –1955)
84. Darius Milhaud (1892 –1974)
85. Carl Orff (1895 –1982)
86. Paul Hindemith (1895 –1963)
87. George Gershwin (1898 –1937)
88. Isaac Osipovich Dunaevsky (1900 –1955)
89. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (1903 –1978)
90. Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906 –1975)
91. Tikhon Nikolaevich Khrennikov (born in 1913)
92. Benjamin Britten (1913 –1976)
93. Georgy Vasilievich Sviridov (1915 –1998)
94. Leonard Bernstein (1918 –1990)
95. Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (born in 1932)
96. Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933)
97. Alfred Garievich Schnittke (1934 –1998)
98. Bob Dylan (b. 1941)
99. John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (b. 1942)
100. Sting (born 1951)

MASTERPIECES OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

The most famous composers in the world

List of composers in alphabetical order

N	Composer	Nationality	Direction	Year
1	Albinoni Tomaso	Italian	Baroque	1671-1751
2	Arensky Anton (Antony) Stepanovich	Russian	Romanticism	1861-1906
3	Baini Giuseppe	Italian	Church music - Renaissance	1775-1844
4	Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich	Russian	"Mighty Handful" - nationally oriented Russian music school	1836/37-1910
5	Bach Johann Sebastian	German	Baroque	1685-1750
6	Bellini Vincenzo	Italian	Romanticism	1801-1835
7	Berezovsky Maxim Sozontovich	Russian-Ukrainian	Classicism	1745-1777
8	Beethoven Ludwig van	German	between classicism and romanticism	1770-1827
9	Bizet (Bizet) Georges	French	Romanticism	1838-1875
10	Boito Arrigo	Italian	Romanticism	1842-1918
11	Boccherini Luigi	Italian	Classicism	1743-1805
12	Borodin Alexander Porfirievich	Russian	Romanticism - “The Mighty Handful”	1833-1887
13	Bortnyansky Dmitry Stepanovich	Russian-Ukrainian	Classicism - Church music	1751-1825
14	Brahms Johannes	German	Romanticism	1833-1897
15	Wagner Wilhelm Richard	German	Romanticism	1813-1883
16	Varlamov Alexander Egorovich	Russian	Russian folk music	1801-1848
17	Weber Carl Maria von	German	Romanticism	1786-1826
18	Verdi Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco	Italian	Romanticism	1813-1901
19	Verstovsky Alexey Nikolaevich	Russian	Romanticism	1799-1862
20	Vivaldi Antonio	Italian	Baroque	1678-1741
21	Villa-Lobos Heitor	Brazilian	Neoclassicism	1887-1959
22	Wolf-Ferrari Ermanno	Italian	Romanticism	1876-1948
23	Haydn Franz Joseph	Austrian	Classicism	1732-1809
24	Handel George Frideric	German	Baroque	1685-1759
25	Gershwin George	American	-	1898-1937
26	Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich	Russian	Romanticism - “The Mighty Handful”	1865-1936
27	Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich	Russian	Classicism	1804-1857
28	Glier Reingold Moritsevich	Russian and Soviet	-	1874/75-1956
29	Gluk (Gluk) Christoph Willibald	German	Classicism	1714-1787
30	Granados, Granados y Campina Enrique	Spanish	Romanticism	1867-1916
31	Grechaninov Alexander Tikhonovich	Russian	Romanticism	1864-1956
32	Grieg Edward Haberup	Norwegian	Romanticism	1843-1907
33	Hummel, Hummel (Hummel) Johann (Jan) Nepomuk	Austrian - Czech nationality	Classicism-Romanticism	1778-1837
34	Gounod Charles Francois	French	Romanticism	1818-1893
35	Gurilev Alexander Lvovich	Russian	-	1803-1858
36	Dargomyzhsky Alexander Sergeevich	Russian	Romanticism	1813-1869
37	Dvorjak Antonin	Czech	Romanticism	1841-1904
38	Debussy Claude Achille	French	Romanticism	1862-1918
39	Delibes Clément Philibert Leo	French	Romanticism	1836-1891
40	Destouches Andre Cardinal	French	Baroque	1672-1749
41	Degtyarev Stepan Anikievich	Russian	Church music	1776-1813
42	Giuliani Mauro	Italian	Classicism-Romanticism	1781-1829
43	Dinicu Grigorash	Romanian		1889-1949
44	Donizetti Gaetano	Italian	Classicism-Romanticism	1797-1848
45	Ippolitov-Ivanov Mikhail Mikhailovich	Russian-Soviet composer	20th-century classical composers	1859-1935
46	Kabalevsky Dmitry Borisovich	Russian-Soviet composer	20th-century classical composers	1904-1987
47	Kalinnikov Vasily Sergeevich	Russian	Russian musical classics	1866-1900/01
48	Kalman Imre (Emmerich)	Hungarian	20th-century classical composers	1882-1953
49	Cui Caesar Antonovich	Russian	Romanticism - “The Mighty Handful”	1835-1918
50	Leoncovallo Ruggiero	Italian	Romanticism	1857-1919
51	Liszt (Liszt) Ferenc (Franz)	Hungarian	Romanticism	1811-1886
52	Lyadov Anatoly Konstantinovich	Russian	20th-century classical composers	1855-1914
53	Lyapunov Sergey Mikhailovich	Russian	Romanticism	1850-1924
54	Mahler Gustav	Austrian	Romanticism	1860-1911
55	Mascagni Pietro	Italian	Romanticism	1863-1945
56	Massenet Jules Emile Frederic	French	Romanticism	1842-1912
57	Marcello Benedetto	Italian	Baroque	1686-1739
58	Meyerbeer Giacomo	French	Classicism-Romanticism	1791-1864
59	Mendelssohn, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Jacob Ludwig Felix	German	Romanticism	1809-1847
60	Mignone to Francis	Brazilian	20th-century classical composers	1897
61	Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio	Italian	Renaissance-Baroque	1567-1643
62	Moniuszko Stanislav	Polish	Romanticism	1819-1872
63	Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus	Austrian	Classicism	1756-1791
64	Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich	Russian	Romanticism - “The Mighty Handful”	1839-1881
65	Napravnik Eduard Frantsevich	Russian - Czech nationality	Romanticism?	1839-1916
66	Oginski Michal Kleofas	Polish	-	1765-1833
67	Offenbach Jacques (Jacob)	French	Romanticism	1819-1880
68	Paganini Nicolo	Italian	Classicism-Romanticism	1782-1840
69	Pachelbel Johann	German	Baroque	1653-1706
70	Planquette, Planquette (Planquette) Jean Robert Julien	French	-	1848-1903
71	Ponce Cuellar Manuel Maria	Mexican	20th-century classical composers	1882-1948
72	Prokofiev Sergey Sergeevich	Russian-Soviet composer	Neoclassicism	1891-1953
73	Francis Poulenc	French	Neoclassicism	1899-1963
74	Puccini Giacomo	Italian	Romanticism	1858-1924
75	Ravel Maurice Joseph	French	Neoclassicism-Impressionism	1875-1937
76	Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilievich	Russian	Romanticism	1873-1943
77	Rimsky - Korsakov Nikolai Andreevich	Russian	Romanticism - “The Mighty Handful”	1844-1908
78	Rossini Gioachino Antonio	Italian	Classicism-Romanticism	1792-1868
79	Rota Nino	Italian	20th-century classical composers	1911-1979
80	Rubinstein Anton Grigorievich	Russian	Romanticism	1829-1894
81	Sarasate, Sarasate y Navascuez (Sarasate y Navascuez) Pablo de	Spanish	Romanticism	1844-1908
82	Sviridov Georgy Vasilievich (Yuri)	Russian-Soviet composer	NeoRomanticism	1915-1998
83	Saint-Saëns Charles Camille	French	Romanticism	1835-1921
84	Sibelius Jan (Johan)	Finnish	Romanticism	1865-1957
85	Scarlatti by Giuseppe Domenico	Italian	Baroque-Classicism	1685-1757
86	Skryabin Alexander Nikolaevich	Russian	Romanticism	1871/72-1915
87	Smetana Bridzhikh	Czech	Romanticism	1824-1884
88	Stravinsky Igor Fedorovich	Russian	Neo-Romanticism-Neo-Baroque-Serialism	1882-1971
89	Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich	Russian	Romanticism	1856-1915
90	Telemann Georg Philipp	German	Baroque	1681-1767
91	Torelli Giuseppe	Italian	Baroque	1658-1709
92	Tosti Francesco Paolo	Italian	-	1846-1916
93	Fibich Zdenek	Czech	Romanticism	1850-1900
94	Flotow Friedrich von	German	Romanticism	1812-1883
95	Khachaturian Aram	Armenian-Soviet composer	20th-century classical composers	1903-1978
96	Holst Gustav	English	-	1874-1934
97	Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich	Russian	Romanticism	1840-1893
98	Chesnokov Pavel Grigorievich	Russian-Soviet composer	-	1877-1944
99	Cilea Francesco	Italian	-	1866-1950
100	Cimarosa Domenico	Italian	Classicism	1749-1801
101	Schnittke Alfred Garrievich	Soviet composer	polystylistics	1934-1998
102	Chopin Fryderyk	Polish	Romanticism	1810-1849
103	Shostakovich Dmitry Dmitrievich	Russian-Soviet composer	Neoclassicism-NeoRomanticism	1906-1975
104	Strauss Johann (father)	Austrian	Romanticism	1804-1849
105	Strauss Johann (son)	Austrian	Romanticism	1825-1899
106	Strauss Richard	German	Romanticism	1864-1949
107	Schubert Franz	Austrian	Romanticism-Classicism	1797-1828
108	Schumann Robert	German	Romanticism	1810-1

The concept of “composer” first appeared in the 16th century in Italy, and since then it has been used to refer to a person who composes music.

19th century composers

In the 19th century, the Viennese school of music was represented by such an outstanding composer as Franz Peter Schubert. He continued the traditions of Romanticism and influenced an entire generation of composers. Schubert created more than 600 German romances, taking the genre to a new level.

Franz Peter Schubert

Another Austrian, Johann Strauss, became famous for his operettas and light musical dance forms. It was he who made the waltz the most popular dance in Vienna, where balls are still held. In addition, his heritage includes polkas, quadrilles, ballets and operettas.

Johann Strauss

A prominent representative of modernism in music of the late 19th century was the German Richard Wagner. His operas have not lost their relevance and popularity to this day.

Giuseppe Verdi

Wagner can be contrasted with the majestic figure of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, who remained faithful to operatic traditions and gave Italian opera a new breath.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Among the Russian composers of the 19th century, the name of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stands out. He is characterized by a unique style that combines European symphonic traditions with Glinka's Russian heritage.

Composers of the 20th century

Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov is rightfully considered one of the most brilliant composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His musical style was based on the traditions of romanticism and existed in parallel with avant-garde movements. It was for his individuality and lack of analogues that his work was highly appreciated by critics all over the world.

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky

The second most famous composer of the 20th century is Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. Russian by origin, he emigrated to France and then the USA, where he showed his talent in full force. Stravinsky is an innovator who is not afraid to experiment with rhythms and styles. His work shows the influence of Russian traditions, elements of various avant-garde movements and a unique individual style, for which he is called “Picasso in music.”

Introduction

The fate of English music turned out to be complex and paradoxical. From the 15th century until the end of the 17th century, at the time of the formation and flourishing of the English classical musical tradition, its development was continuous. This process proceeded intensively due to the reliance on folklore, which was determined earlier than in other schools of composition, as well as due to the formation and preservation of unique, nationally distinctive genres (anthem, mask, semi-opera). Ancient English music gave important impulses to European art, including polyphony, variational-figurative principles of development, and the orchestral suite. At the same time, she refracted stimuli coming from outside in an original way.

In the 17th century, events took place that dealt powerful blows to English musical culture. This is, firstly, Puritanism, which was established during the revolution of 1640-1660, with its fanatical desire to abolish previous spiritual values ​​and ancient types and forms of secular culture, and secondly, the restoration of the monarchy (1660), which sharply changed the general cultural orientation of the country, strengthening external influence (from France).

Surprisingly, in parallel with the obvious symptoms of the crisis, phenomena arise that indicate a higher rise in the art of music. At a difficult time for English music, Henry Purcell (1659-1695) appeared, whose works marked the heyday of the national school of composers, although they did not have a direct impact on the work of subsequent generations. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), working in England, with his oratorios established the primacy of the choral tradition in the spectrum of genres of English music, which directly influenced its further development. During the same period, “The Beggar's Opera” by Gay and Pepusch (1728), the parodic nature of which testified to the advent of an era of cultural turning point, became the ancestor of many examples of the so-called ballad opera.

It was one of the peaks of theatrical art in England and at the same time evidence of the overthrow of musical art - more precisely, the movement of its “culture-creating energy” (A. Schweitzer) - from the professional to the amateur sphere.

A musical tradition is made up of many factors - such as composition, performance, and the way of musical life. Regulated by ideological, aesthetic, and general artistic guidelines, these factors do not always act in a coordinated unity; often, under certain historical conditions, their interaction is disrupted. This can be confirmed by the hundred-year period from approximately the middle of the 18th to the middle of the 19th century in England.

Music of England

The high level of performance, widespread and deep rootedness in everyday life of various forms of music-making - instrumental, vocal ensemble and choral - then created favorable soil for the bright, large-scale concert life of London, which attracted continental musicians to the capital of the empire: Chopin, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov... The fresh wind of modernity was carried with them by German musicians, whose road to the British Isles was wide open since the reign of the Hanoverian dynasty (from 1714 to 1901) - let us remember, for example, the weekly concerts of Bach - Abel and the concerts of Haydn - Zalomon . Thus, England participated in the intensive process of formation of the pre-classical and classical symphonies, but did not make a creative contribution to it. In general, at that time the branch of national creativity in the genres of opera and symphony, which were relevant on the continent, was undeveloped; in other genres (for example, oratorio) the channel sometimes became shallow. It was this era that gave England the now unconvincing name of “the country without music.”

It is paradoxical that the “era of silence” occurred in the so-called Victorian era - the period of the reign of Queen Victoria (from 1837 to 1901). The state was at the zenith of its strength and glory. A powerful colonial power, the “workshop of the world,” gave its nation a confident sense of self and the conviction that “it is destined to occupy first place in the world until the end of its days” (J. Aldridge). The Victorian era was the heyday of all areas of English culture: its prose and poetry, drama and theater, painting and architecture, and finally aesthetics - and a time of noticeable decline in the field of composition.

At the same time, it was precisely from the middle of the 19th century, when the crisis of the national school of composition was already obvious, that impulses of upsurge began to accumulate, which became apparent in the middle of the 19th century and clearly manifested itself at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The choral movement, amateur and professional, expanded and grew. The choral tradition was perceived as truly national. English masters swore allegiance to her: Hubert Parry (1848-1918), Edward Elgar (1857-1934), Frederick Dilius (1862-1934), Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).

A parallel folklore movement developed, the leading figure of which was Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924). It included a scientific direction (field collection, theoretical understanding) and a practical one (introduction into school and everyday life). This was accompanied by a critical re-evaluation of the entertainment-salon assimilation of folk genres and the penetration of folk material into composers' creativity. All these sides of the folklore movement interacted - complementing each other, and sometimes conflictingly opposing one another.

Until the middle of the 19th century, strange as it may seem at first glance, English songs themselves rarely found their way into collections - much less often than songs from Scotland, Wales and, especially, Ireland. Not without irony, Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote in the introductory essay to the book of the country's greatest folklorist Cecil Sharp, “English Folk Song”: “We have hitherto known from authoritative sources that folk music was “either bad or Irish”.”

The movement for the revival of ancient music - Purcell, Bach, English madrigalists and virginalists - contributed to the awakening of deep interest in performers, manufacturers of musical instruments and scientists (such as A. Dolmetsch and his family), as well as composers in

"golden age" of the English professional school. The heritage of the 15th-17th centuries, enlivened by performing practice, elevated by critical thought, appeared as an inspiring force of national original craftsmanship.

The listed trends, at first barely noticeable, gradually gained power and, rushing towards each other, exploded the soil by the end of the 19th century. Their unification marked the beginning of a new musical renaissance in England. After a long break, this country entered European musical culture not as individual creative individuals, but as a national school. By this time, the continent was talking about English composers; Brahms predicted an interesting future for English music, R. Strauss supported it in the person of E. Elgar. The intensity of its evolution at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was great.

The tradition of Austro-German romanticism has long found fertile soil in England. This historically determined influence, supported by the system of musical education and the practice of improving young composers in the cities of Germany, was reflected in the style (primarily in Parry, Standford, Elgar). English musicians understood that the assertion of national identity presupposed liberation from such powerful influence. However, unlike declarations, in creativity this process was slow and difficult, since the leading genres themselves - including such conceptual ones as the symphony or symphonic poem - assumed reliance on the fruitful experience of the Austro-German school. Accordingly, the extent of German influence and the degree to which it was overcome served as a criterion for the national identity and significance of the composer’s work. Indicative, for example, are the following assessments of one of the English critics: “While the music of Parry and Stanford spoke German with an English and Irish accent... Elgar’s music spoke English with a German accent.”

At the turn of the century, in Britain, as throughout Europe, there was a desire to create a musical language that would correspond to modern aesthetics. The “new word” came from France. The interest in the East that arose among English musicians prompted them to pay attention to the achievements of French impressionism. This was especially evident in the works of Cyril Scott (1879-1970), Grenville Bantock (1868-1946) and Gustav Holst. True, in Scott and Bantock the world of oriental images and moods does not affect the foundations of composer's thinking. Their image of the East is conventional, and in its embodiment it is not difficult to detect many traditional features.

The implementation of this theme in the work of Holst, who gravitated toward Indian culture, reached a different level. He sought to find a deeper, spiritual contact between Western and Eastern cultures, which is generally characteristic of the art of the 20th century. And he carried out this desire in his own way, not consistent with what his older contemporary Debussy was doing. At the same time, the discoveries of impressionism, associated with a new idea of ​​​​musical space, timbre, dynamics, with a new attitude to sound, entered the palette of means of expression used by composers in England - the homeland of “landscape and marina” (C. Nodier).

Despite all the individual stylistic differences, English composers of that period were united by the desire to strengthen the folk-national foundations of their music. The discovery of peasant folklore and the creativity of the masters of the Old English school as two interrelated sources belongs to G. Holst and R. Vaughan-Williams. Turning to the heritage of the “golden age” of English art was the only possible way to revive the national tradition. Folklore and old masters, establishing connections with modern European musical culture - the interaction of these trends in the art of Holst and Vaughan Williams brought a long-awaited renewal to English music of the 20th century. The themes, plots and images of English prose, poetry, and drama served as an important support in the establishment of national ideals. For musicians, the rural ballads of Robert Burns and the godless poems of John Milton, the pastoral elegies of Robert Herrick and the poems of John Donne, rich in passionate tension, acquire a modern sound; William Blake was rediscovered. An increasingly deeper understanding of national culture became the most important factor in the formation and flourishing of the English school of composition in the 20th century, and the formation of the aesthetic ideal of composers.

The first major representatives of the new English musical revival were Hubert Parry (1848-1918) and Charles Stanford (1852-1924). Composers, scientists, performers, musicians and teachers, they, like the founders of many national schools, were outstanding figures whose multifaceted work was selflessly aimed at creating a new national school of composition, capable of reviving the tradition of the glorious past of English music. Their own social and creative activity served as a high example for their contemporaries and for English composers of the next, younger generations.

The formation of a new English school of composition took place during the long reign (1837-1901) of Queen Victoria. During this era, various areas of English culture developed fully. The large national literary tradition was especially rich and fruitful. If Parry and Stanford were closely connected with, relatively speaking, the proto-Renaissance period of the era under consideration, then the name of Elgar opens the actual creative period of the new revival.

Like its contemporaries, the English school of composition was faced, first of all, with the problems of European musical romanticism in its entirety. And naturally, Wagner’s art became their focus. The powerful influence of Wagner's music in England can only be compared with his influence then in France or with the influence of Handel in England in the 18th century.

Already at the turn of the century, English composers made persistent attempts to get out of the influence of the German classical-romantic traditions, which had taken such deep roots on English soil. Let us remember that Parry wanted to create - as opposed to Mendelssohn's - a national variety of philosophical oratorio. A major achievement was Elgar's trilogy of small cantatas, The Spirit of England (1917).

The first true composer that England has produced since Purcell is called Edward Elgar (1857-1934). He was very closely associated with English provincial musical culture. In the initial stages of his creative life, he served as a composer and arranger for the orchestra of his native Worcester, also wrote for musicians in Birmingham, and worked for local choral societies. His early choral songs and cantatas are in line with the great English choral tradition that emerged in the 80s and 90s. XIX century - that is, precisely when Elgar created his early choral works - to the climax phase. Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900), which brought fame to English music on the continent, was such a significant achievement for the composer that it generally supplanted Mendelssohn's Elijah and became the second favorite oratorio of the English public after Handel's Messiahs.

Elgar’s significance for the history of English music is determined primarily by two works: the oratorio “The Dream of Gerontius” (1900, on the poem by J. Newman) and the symphonic “Variations on a Mysterious Theme” (“Enigma” - variations (Enigma (lat.) - riddle. ), 1899), which became the pinnacle of English musical romanticism. The oratorio “The Dream of Gerontius” sums up not only the long development of the cantata-oratorio genres in the work of Elgar himself (4 oratorios, 4 cantatas, 2 odes), but in many ways the entire preceding path of English choral music. Another important feature of the national Renaissance was also reflected in the oratorio - interest in folklore. It is no coincidence that, after listening to “The Dream of Gerontius,” R. Strauss proposed a toast “to the prosperity and success of the first English progressive, Edward Elgar, the master of the young progressive school of English composers.” Unlike the Enigma oratorio, the variations laid the first stone in the foundation of the national symphony, which before Elgar was the most vulnerable area of ​​​​English musical culture. “The Enigma variations indicate that in the person of Elgar the country has found an orchestral composer of the first magnitude,” wrote one of the English researchers. The “mystery” of the variations is that the names of the composer’s friends are encrypted in them, and the musical theme of the cycle is hidden from view. (All this is reminiscent of the “Sphinxes” from R. Schumann’s “Carnival.”) Elgar also wrote the first English symphony (1908).

Elgar's work is one of the outstanding phenomena of musical romanticism. Synthesizing national and Western European, mainly Austro-German influences, it bears the features of lyrical-psychological and epic directions. The composer widely uses the system of leitmotifs, in which the influence of R. Wagner and R. Strauss is clearly felt.

The establishment of new positions in English music came at a time of turning point in the spiritual life of Great Britain. Those were years of great trials and changes. The First World War forced many artists of this country, which considered itself a stronghold of inviolability in Europe, to react sensitively to the contradictions of the surrounding reality on an unprecedented scale. Post-war English music is dominated by a centrifugal need to look at the world with a wide-ranging view. The younger generation decisively came into contact with the innovative searches of European masters - Stravinsky, Schoenberg. The origins of "Facade" by William Walton (1902-1983) are compositional ideas drawn from Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire", but the basis of the style of the work is the anti-romanticism proclaimed by Stravinsky and the French "Six". Constant Lambert (1905-1951) surprised his compatriots by starting to work in the genre of ballet from the very first steps on his creative path, the traditions of which were interrupted in England in the second half of the 18th century; in fact, it is quite natural that the composer was attracted to this genre, which in Europe by the 20s of the 20th century had become a symbol of modern artistic quest. Lambert's ballet Romeo and Juliet (1925) was a kind of response to Stravinsky's Pulcinella. At the same time, with his other composition - Elegiac Blues for small orchestra (1927) - Lambert responded to the jazz that amazed Europeans. Alan Bush (1900-1995) connected his activities with Eisler’s creative position and the labor movement; he not only adopted the corresponding socio-political and philosophical ideas, but also developed his compositional technique, relying on the experience of the New Vienna School, fruitfully refracted by Eisler.

In the first half of the 30s, the change of generations of composers, which had emerged in the previous decade, was finally determined. In 1934, England lost three major masters - Elgar, Dilius, Holst. Of these, only Holst worked actively until his last days. Elgar, after a decade of silence, only came to life for creativity in the early 30s. At the same time, struck by a serious illness and blindness, Dilius, who lived in France, was inspired by the unexpected success of his music in his homeland, in London, where his author’s festival was held in 1929, and in a surge of strength he dictated his latest works.

By the end of the 30s, the young generation is entering a time of creative maturity. The time of experimentation is left behind, the main interests are determined, creativity rushes into the mainstream of established traditions, mastery and strictness in relation to one’s ideas appear. Thus, William Walton writes a monumental biblical oratorio (“Belshazzar’s Feast”, 1931) and follows it with large orchestral works (First Symphony, 1934; Violin Concerto, 1939). Michael Tippett (b. 1905) rejects his earlier works; He declares new works in the chamber genre (First Piano Sonata, 1937) and concert orchestral works (Concerto for double string orchestra, 1939; Fantasia on a theme by Handel for piano and orchestra, 1941) the beginning of his creative journey, the first culmination of which was the oratorio “Child” of our time" (1941). In those years, Lambert (the mask “The Last Will and Testament of Summer” for soloist, choir and orchestra, 1936), Berkeley (First Symphony, 1940), Bush (First Symphony, 1940) were working on large-scale compositions in those years.

Among the many bright and original artistic individuals with which the English school of composers of the 20th century is rich, Benjamin Britten stands out. It was he who was destined to find in his work a harmonious interaction of multidirectional (and for the previous generation of English composers, almost mutually exclusive) tendencies - the embodiment of the ideas of modernity and the implementation of the originality of national art.

britten music ensemble vocal

English composers, like many others, gave us something wonderful - music. Of course, many composers other than English ones have done this, but now we will talk about English ones. Their music has a certain charm, and each composer has his own special approach to his works.

The beginning of the development of music in England

Until the 4th century, England, from the point of view of art historians, was considered one of the “least musical” countries. Based on this fact, we can say that the works of English composers of classical music, and indeed any other, did not seem to connoisseurs of beauty to be something worthy of attention and respect. But even despite the opinion of skeptics and art critics, England had and has great and talented composers, whose names are known to everyone, and whose melodies and works are valued not only in the country itself, but also beyond its borders.

The first fame of composers of those times

Famous English composers began to appear and become famous somewhere in the X-XV centuries. Of course, music appeared there much earlier, but the works were not very famous, and the names of the composers have not survived to this day, just like their works. English classical music composers first appeared and became somewhat famous in the 11th century. The first works appeared almost at the same period as the European ones. English composers of classical music conveyed in their works stories about Celtic or simply military campaigns. The works described the life of ordinary, or not quite, people living or having any connection with the Celtic islands and tribes.

After the adoption of Christianity, at the end of the 6th century, English composers of classical music began to actively develop their skills in the field of music, using church themes, and a little later, at the beginning and middle of the 7th century, household and state themes. Thus, it becomes clear that English music was dedicated to religion and the various military services of the country.

Popularity of English classical composers in our time

As you can see, music composers were not very popular in the fifth and seventh centuries, but how popular are similar composers now? Of course, in our time we do not pay due attention to such music and often the latest musical novelties happen instead of the works of great composers. But the music of famous English composers can be heard in our time - in opera houses or simply by finding a wonderful musical phenomenon on the Internet. Today you will get acquainted with several of the most famous composers, whose works are known in many countries and on many continents. The music of English composers, of course, is widespread in England itself and abroad, but does not have such a large number of admirers as it did then.

Who is Edward Benjamin Britten?

Benjamin Britten is a British composer of classical English music born in the twentieth century. Benjamin was born in 1913 in Lowestoft. Benjamin is not only a composer, but also an excellent musician, namely a conductor and professional pianist. He also tried out many musical styles as a composer; his repertoire included vocal and piano pieces, as well as opera performances. By the way, it was the third repertoire that became one of his most basic. Like any other famous composer, Edward Benjamin Britten has behind him many different masterpieces of operatic music and plays.

The plays of Benjamin Britten and his popularity

The most famous play that is staged in theaters in our time is “Noah’s Ark.” Judging by the title, and also by the plot of the play, it is easy to understand that the title itself confirms the fact that many works written before the twentieth century and at its beginning often had religious themes. Speaking about Benjamin, it is impossible not to mention his significance among composers of the mid-twentieth century. He was the most famous composer of the twentieth century, one might even say that it was he who raised the significance and beauty of English musical masterpieces “to heaven.” After Edward's death, England did not “see” such talents for a long time.

Who is Gustav Holst?

Gustav Holst is one of the most famous English composers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Gustav was born in 1830 and to this day he has retained his popularity, and his creations are still famous among lovers of beauty. Symphonies and melodies by Gustav Holst are now not at all rare, they are very easy to obtain in our time: there are many works in electronic form on the Internet, and purchasing a disc with a collection of works by the great master is as easy as shelling pears.

Plays and works of Gustav Holst, their role in cultural institutions

You say: “He was great and talented, but is he popular and are his creations popular now?” It is impossible to give a definite answer to your question, because, like any musician, and especially the famous English composer of those times, he did not remain a favorite of the public, and people preferred musical novelties to his works. And no matter how famous and beloved by the public Gustav was, in our time few people remember his name. But he cannot but be included in our list, because once upon a time his example was an ideal for aspiring English composers who dreamed of world fame and fame.

In conclusion, I would like to say that even though English classical composers and their music are not popular now and almost no one prefers such a magnificent genre as classics, genres, works and their authors still have admirers, the number of which is incredibly pleasing to beginners and not only classical composers. And remember: classics are eternal and unchanging, because as they have remained for many centuries, they still are.