Classical music is an art form thattranscends time and cultural boundaries, considered beautiful due to its structural complexity, harmony, and emotional depth.
This transcendence is evident in the way classical music evokes deep emotions and creates a sense of order and harmony, uniting listeners from different eras and cultures in a shared aesthetic experience.
To help the reader appreciate the beauty of classical music on their own terms, we have developed this list. It allows for a moment to observe and recognize the main pillars of this art form.
The purpose of the list is to serve as an educational guide for listeners, thus we have selected three types of musicians, each with its own importance for those who intend to enter the world of high musical culture:
Musicians whose historical influence is undeniable, but whose quality nonetheless leaves something to be desired – often the most famous are not exactly the best, they are just the ones who were better received by the masses. Within this group are names like Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and Puccini.
Musicians whose historical-cultural role was not very significant, but who, judging by pure aesthetics, deserve to be listened to more; they are the unjustly forgotten geniuses. Within this group are, for example, the Austrian Bruckner and the Russian composers overshadowed by Tchaikovsky's glory, such asBorodinand Mussorgsky.
Finally, those personalities who managed to combine, as many dream of, fame and superior quality. These are not just great, they are the greatest. This includesBach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others.
Additionally, to facilitate consultation, we have developed a Spotify playlist in the order the composers appear.
This period covers the 14th to 16th centuries, marking the early development of Western music from medieval andRenaissance traditions. The music of this time was strongly linked to the church and liturgical texts.
Characteristics and Importance
Initially dominated by sacred music, but gradually secular music began to gain ground.
This period saw the evolution of the first forms of musical notation, allowing the preservation and dissemination of musical works.
Polyphony began to emerge, where several independent voices are sung simultaneously, enriching the musical texture.
Main composers
Guillaume de Machaut (1310-1377)
Orlandus Lassus (1530-1594)
William Byrd (1543-1623)
Jacobus Gallus (1550-1591)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)
VOCAL POLYPHONY
Vocal polyphony flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries, especially with the Renaissance, a period of rediscovery and appreciation of the arts and sciences.
Characteristics and Importance
Development of compositions with multiple independent vocal lines.
Harmony began to be more explored, creating richer and more sophisticated music.
Although sacred music still predominated, secular music became more popular, reflecting everyday life and human feelings.
Main composer
Josquin Des Prez (1450-1521)
The Baroque period (approximately 1600-1750) was an era of great political, scientific, and artistic changes, marked by the expansion of absolutism and the flourishing of the arts sponsored by the church and the nobility.
Characteristics and Importance
Baroque music is known for its emotional expressiveness and use of complex ornaments.
New musical forms emerged, such as the concerto and opera, which became pillars of classical music.
Significant advances in harmony and counterpoint, establishing the foundations of tonal music.
Main composers
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
François Couperin (1668-1733)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
CLASSICAL PERIOD
The Classical period (approximately 1750-1820) coincided with the Age of Enlightenment, a time of great philosophical and scientific advances that emphasized reason and clarity.
Characteristics and Importance
Classical music is marked by balance, clarity, and formal structure, such as the sonata form.
Contrary to the complexity of the Baroque, this period favored simplicity and elegance.
Musical forms such as the symphony and string quartet were developed and perfected.
Main composers
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
The Romantic period (approximately 1820-1900) emerged as a reaction to classical rationalism, emphasizing emotion, individuality, and personal expression.
Characteristics and Importance
Romantic music is known for its intense emotional expression and use of national and folk themes.
Expansion of the orchestra, introducing new timbres and sonorities.
Less restriction to rigid musical forms, allowing greater freedom and experimentation.
Main composers
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804-1857)
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Jean Sibelius(1865-1957)
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Anton Bruckner(1824-1896)
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Georges Bizet(1838-1875)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Carlos Gomes (1836-1896)
Pietro Mascagni (1863-1948)
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Henri Duparc(1848-1933)
Gabriel Fauré(1845-1924)
THE CRISIS OF EUROPEAN MUSIC
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were times of great social and technological changes, culminating in World War I.
Characteristics and Importance
Composers began to challenge musical conventions, exploring new forms and techniques.
Introduction of greater dissonance and the beginning of atonality, breaking with tonal tradition.
Music began to reflect new psychological and philosophical ideas, resulting in more introspective and complex works.
Main composers
Max Reger (1873-1916)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Maurice Ravel(1875-1937)
The 20th and early 21st centuries were marked by a technological and cultural revolution, with music reflecting these changes.
Characteristics and Importance
Variety of styles and techniques, from twelve-tone technique to electronic music.
Influences from musical cultures around the world, creating a more globalized musical landscape.
Use of new technologies and media in music composition and performance.
Main composers
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Carl Orff (1895-1982)
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Anton Webern (1883-1945)
Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)
John Cage (1912-1992)
György Ligeti(1923-2006)
