1. Thomas Campion (1567)

Composer

An English doctor, poet, and composer who wrote over 100 songs for the lute. He was a practicing physician until his death, which was most likely from the plague.

2. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685)

Composer

Immortal composer who revolutionized religious and secular music. His compositions include over 300 cantatas, as well as the famous numbers "Mass in B minor" and "The Well-Tempered Clavier."

3. Carlos Seixas (1704)

Composer

Portuguese composer who was knighted in 1737 by King John V of Portugal. He was heavily influenced by the German Empfindsamer Stil or sensitive style.

4. Armand-louis Couperin (1970)

Composer

French baroque and classical composer, organist, and harpsichord player known for his compositions for the keyboard and organ.

5. Joseph Haydn (1732)

Composer

Prolific and influential Classical-era composer. He was dubbed Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. He spent most of his career serving as the court musician for...

6. Kevin Sherwood (1980)

Composer

Sound designer and composer for software developer, Treyarch. He's best known for creating the musical easter eggs for the Zombies game mode in Call of Duty. He's also wrote and...

7. Samuel Wesley (1970)

Composer

Organist of the late Georgian period who was known as the English Mozart.

8. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770)

Composer

Bridged the gap between Classical and Romantic music with his symphonies, concertos, and sonatas despite losing his hearing. His most famous compositions included "For Elise," the "Moonlight Sonata," and the...

9. John Field (1782)

Composer

Creator of the piano nocturne and early developer of the Russian piano school. He was greatly admired by Brahms, Liszt, and Schumann.

10. Ignaz Moscheles (1794)

Composer

Bohemian piano virtuoso whose initial attraction to Beethoven's avant-garde repertoire was greatly discouraged. He succeeded Felix Mendelssohn, whom he taught, as head of the Leipzig Conservatoire.

11. Laszlo Fogarasi Jr. (1970)

Composer

Composer, visual artist, and electronic musician who performs under the name YONDERBOI.

12. John Goss (1800)

Composer

English composer known for "Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven" and "See, Amid the Winter's Snow," both hymns. He was said to be among the last English composers to...

13. Johann Strauss II (1825)

Composer

Nicknamed The Waltz King, he was an Austrian composer who created over 500 works, mainly comprised of dance music and operettas. In 1888, the Sultan of Turkey bestowed upon him...

14. Franjo Kuhac (1834)

Composer

Comparative musicologist who was an expert on Croatian folk music. He assembled and published more than 1,600 folk songs. He was also a piano teacher, choral conductor, and composer.

15. Julius Reubke (1834)

Composer

Composed one of history's greatest organ works, "Sonata on the 94th Psalm" before his life prematurely ended at 24.

16. Manuel Gregorio Tavarez (1970)

Composer

Nineteenth-century classical composer who is best known for his beloved danza (Puerto-Rican waltz-like piece), Margarita. He was dubbed the Chopin of America, for his Danza's, The Sensitive One and Remembrance...

17. Isidor Seiss (1840)

Composer

Beloved educator and pianist who influenced many future musicians over the course of his lengthy teaching career. Edvard Grieg, Josef Rheinberger, and August Winding all dedicated works to him.

18. Alice Mary Smith (1839)

Composer

Known for her prolific works, both large and small, choral and symphony. Her output included four piano quartets, three string quartets, an 1870 clarinet sonata, six concert overtures, and two...

19. Agathe Backer-Grondahl (1847)

Composer

Known for her contributions to the golden age of Norwegian music and for the many future pianists she taught. Her compositions initially adhered to 1850s European pianistic and stylistic ideals,...

20. Arthur Elwell Fisher (1848)

Composer

19th century English composer, organist, violinist, and teacher who composed works that included String Trio in G and Opus 54.

21. Richard Heuberger (1970)

Composer

Austrian composer and music instructor who composed the ballets Die Lautenschlägerin and Struwwelpeter as well as several operas and operettas.

22. George Strong (1970)

Composer

American composer who wrote classical music during the Romantic period. His compositions include Undine, opus 14, The Haunted Mill, and The Life of an Artist.

23. Giuseppe Martucci (1970)

Composer

Pivotal figure in Italian music history, reviving his native land's interest in non-operatic music and exposing the nation to English music. He conducted the first Italian performance of "Tristan und...

24. Anton Arensky (1861)

Composer

Romantic classical music composer criticized for not having a personal style. He gained esteem years after his death.

25. Scott Joplin (1868)

Composer

Known as the King of Ragtime, his "Maple Leaf Rag" was the first official ragtime hit and by far the most influential.

26. Max Von Schillings (1970)

Composer

Though best remembered for his internationally popular opera, Mona Lisa, this German musician also composed melodramas, concertos, and chamber music. Also a conductor, he headed the Berlin State Opera during...

27. Alfred Hill (1869)

Composer

Educator and conductor known for his 12 symphonies, eight operas, 17 string quartets, two cantatas, and 72 piano pieces. His works included "The Moon's Golden Horn" and "The Weird Flute."...

28. Ceslovas Sasnauskas (1867)

Composer

Lithuanian composer known best for his requiems and cantanas.

29. Vasily Kalinnikov (1866)

Composer

Russian composer best known for his famous First Symphony, written between 1984 to 1895.

30. Dawood Hosni (1870)

Composer

Musician who composed the first Operetta in the Arabic language. He wrote "Shamshoon and Delilah," one of the first Egyptian operas.

31. Daniel Alomia Robles (1871)

Composer

Peruvian composer whose music was appreciated and performed by musicians all over the world.

32. Fritz Hart (1970)

Composer

Composer, musician, and former novelist highly regarded for having worked with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, the oldest symphony in the United States.

33. Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876)

Composer

Polish composer and conductor who was a late Romantic, following in the footsteps of 19th century composer Richard Wagner.

34. Holly Herndon (1980)

Composer

Composer and musician most well known for her use of computer programming to craft her popular albums like Movement and Platform. She was also gifted the Elizabeth Mills Crothers award...

35. Donald Tovey (1875)

Composer

Musician best remembered for his musicology and analysis. He wrote "Essays in Musical Analysis," which spanned seven volumes.

36. Thurlow Lieurance (1878)

Composer

Wrote the popular number "By the Waters of Minnetonka." He belonged to the "Indianist movement" group of American composers. He organized numerous musical events in his lifetime and toured all...

37. John Foulds (1970)

Composer

Part of the British Musical Renaissance. He was known for composing light music and theatre scores and was influenced by Indian music. Two of his most successful works were "Three...

38. Percy Kahn (1970)

Composer

Best known for his song "Ave Maria." He became a well-regarded accompanist for the greatest musicians of his day.

39. Anthony Gonzalez (1980)

Composer

Widely known as the main composer of French electronic band M83. In October 2011, he and the band released their sixth studio album and first double album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming,...

40. George Dyson (1970)

Composer

Wrote a widely regarded symphony in G major in 1937 and more than 50 pieces of liturgy for the Church of England.

41. James V. Monaco (1970)

Composer

Composer of numerous songs including You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It), Only Forever, and I'm Making Believe.

42. Ernst Toch (1970)

Composer

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his third of seven symphonies, Opus 75 from 1955, written between 1950 and 1968. He invented the idiom of the spoken chorus called Gesprochene...

43. Manuel Quiroga (1889)

Composer

Spanish composer and pianist known for popular compositions of the 40's and 50's like Tatuaje, La Paralla, and Rocio.

44. Emile Boeres (1970)

Composer

Musical composer, choir director, and organist known best for his Luxembourgish-language operettas and musical comedies.

45. Jacques Ibert (1890)

Composer

French composer who was known for his orchestral works Divertissement from 1930 and Escales from 1922. He was remembered for his eclectic ouevre.

46. Richard A. Whiting (1891)

Composer

Composer of popular standards like Hooray for Hollywood, On the Good Ship Lollipop, and Ain't We Got Fun?.

47. Sergei Prokofiev (1891)

Composer

Influential 20th-century composer and master of several musical genres. He authored the ever-popular "Peter and the Wolf" from 1936.

48. Arthur Bliss (1891)

Composer

Best known for the work he did during the first half of the 20th century, such as "Hymn to Apollo" from 1926. He wrote the famed ballet "Checkmate" which was...

49. Aleksandr Gauk (1970)

Composer

Russian composer known for being the conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic and USSR State Symphony Orchestras, among others.

50. Jimmy McHugh (1894)

Composer

Composed I'm in the Mood for Love and On the Sunny Side of the Street. He wrote over 500 songs from the 1920s until 1950s.