The composers

Five centuries of music

67 composers, from Renaissance polyphony to the twentieth century. Choose one to hear their best recordings in the library.

Medieval & Renaissance

before 1600 · Plainchant, polyphony, and the voice at the centre of everything.

Tallis1505–1585 · 8 recordingsPalestrina1525–1594 · 14 recordingsByrd1540–1623 · 9 recordings

Baroque

1600–1750 · Counterpoint, continuo, and dance rhythms that never sit still.

Monteverdi1567–1643 · 10 recordingsPPachelbel1653–1706 · 27 recordingsCorelli1653–1713 · 7 recordingsPurcell1659–1695 · 58 recordingsCouperin1668–1733 · 6 recordingsVivaldi1678–1741 · 88 recordingsTelemann1681–1767 · 13 recordingsRameau1683–1764 · 1 recordingBach1685–1750 · 611 recordingsHandel1685–1759 · 179 recordingsScarlatti1685–1757 · 145 recordings

Classical

1750–1820 · Clarity, balance, and the birth of the symphony and sonata.

Haydn1732–1809 · 126 recordingsBoccherini1743–1805 · 65 recordingsClementi1752–1832 · 15 recordingsMozart1756–1791 · 499 recordingsBeethoven1770–1827 · 410 recordings

Romantic

1820–1900 · Big feelings, virtuoso pianists, and national voices.

Paganini1782–1840 · 11 recordingsWeber1786–1826 · 16 recordingsRossini1792–1868 · 55 recordingsSchubert1797–1828 · 164 recordingsDonizetti1797–1848 · 14 recordingsBellini1801–1835 · 7 recordingsBerlioz1803–1869 · 30 recordingsMendelssohn1809–1847 · 117 recordingsChopin1810–1849 · 598 recordingsSchumann1810–1856 · 39 recordingsLiszt1811–1886 · 45 recordingsWagner1813–1883 · 47 recordingsVerdi1813–1901 · 114 recordingsOffenbach1819–1880 · 4 recordingsFranck1822–1890 · 9 recordingsSmetana1824–1884 · 13 recordingsBruckner1824–1896 · 15 recordingsJohann Strauss1825–1899 · 29 recordingsBrahms1833–1897 · 98 recordingsBorodin1833–1887 · 15 recordingsSaint-Saëns1835–1921 · 32 recordingsBizet1838–1875 · 29 recordingsMussorgsky1839–1881 · 25 recordingsTchaikovsky1840–1893 · 103 recordingsDvořák1841–1904 · 57 recordingsGrieg1843–1907 · 43 recordingsRimsky-Korsakov1844–1908 · 21 recordingsFauré1845–1924 · 12 recordingsElgar1857–1934 · 27 recordingsPuccini1858–1924 · 111 recordingsMahler1860–1911 · 44 recordingsAlbéniz1860–1909 · 10 recordingsGranados1867–1916 · 4 recordings

Modern

1900 onward · Impressionism, new harmonies, and the century that broke the rules.

Janáček1854–1928 · 8 recordingsDebussy1862–1918 · 86 recordingsR. Strauss1864–1949 · 9 recordingsNielsen1865–1931Satie1866–1925 · 16 recordingsScriabin1872–1915 · 13 recordingsRachmaninoff1873–1943 · 30 recordingsHolst1874–1934 · 15 recordingsRavel1875–1937 · 31 recordingsFalla1876–1946 · 4 recordingsRespighi1879–1936 · 16 recordingsBartók1881–1945 · 2 recordingsProkofiev1891–1953 · 5 recordingsGershwin1898–1937 · 13 recordingsShostakovich1906–1975