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Lists of classical music
composers by era
Medieval (476 – 1400)
Renaissance (1400 – 1600)
Baroque (1600 – 1760)
Classical era (1730 – 1820)
Romantic era (1815 – 1910)
20th century (1900 – 2000)
21st century (since 2000)

This list is by no means complete. Only composers of significant fame and importance are included. The most influential composers are listed in bold type (loosely defined as those with at least 10 recordings). The style of the composer's music is given where possible, bearing in mind that some defy simple classification.

See also List of 20th century classical composers by death date and List of 21st century classical composers by birth date.

Contents

1850s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Vincent d'Indy 1851-1931 French Symphony on a French Mountain Air; Ishtar
Charles Villiers Stanford 1852-1924 Irish 7 symphonies Romanticism
Leoš Janáček 1854-1928 Czech Sinfonietta; Taras Bulba; operas; 2 string quartets folk-influenced
Moritz Moszkowski 1854-1925 German
Christian Sinding 1856-1941 Norwegian The Rustle of Spring Romanticism
Cécile Chaminade 1857-1944 French
Edward Elgar 1857-1934 British Symphony No. 1 and No. 2; Violin Concerto; Cello Concerto; The Dream of Gerontius (oratorio); Pomp and Circumstance Marches Romanticism
Giacomo Puccini 1858-1924 Italian La Bohème (opera); Tosca (opera); Madama Butterfly (opera) Romanticism
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov 1859-1935 Russian Caucasian Sketches

1860s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Gustave Charpentier 1860-1956 French
Gustav Mahler 1860-1911 Austrian Symphony No. 1, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 9; Das Lied von der Erde; Kindertotenlieder Romanticism
Ignacy Jan Paderewski 1860-1941 Polish
Claude Debussy 1862-1918 French Clair de lune; La Mer; Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Préludes Impressionism
Frederick Delius 1862-1934 British The Walk to the Paradise Garden from A Village Romeo and Juliet (opera); On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Impressionism
Pietro Mascagni 1863-1945 Italian Cavalleria Rusticana (opera) Romanticism
Eugen d'Albert 1864-1932 Russian Romanticism
Alexander Gretchaninov 1864-1956 Russian 5 symphonies; Passion Week Romanticism, later Neo-classicism
Joseph Guy Ropartz 1864-1955 French Impressionism
Richard Strauss 1864-1949 German Alpine Symphony; Also sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspiegel; Der Rosenkavalier (opera); Salome (opera); Ein Heldenleben Romanticism
Paul Dukas 1865-1935 French The Sorcerer's Apprentice; La Peri (ballet)
Alexander Glazunov 1865-1936 Russian Symphony No. 4 and No. 5; The Seasons; Violin Concerto; Saxophone Concerto Romanticism
Albéric Magnard 1865-1914 French
Carl Nielsen 1865-1931 Danish Symphony No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5; Masquerade (opera); Clarinet Concerto father of Danish classical music
Jean Sibelius 1865-1957 Finnish Symphony No. 1, No. 2, No. 5, and No. 7; Violin Concerto; The Swan of Tuonela; Finlandia father of Finnish classical music
Ferruccio Busoni 1866-1924 Italian Fantasia Contrappuntistica; Turandot Suite; Piano Concerto
Erik Satie 1866-1925 French Gymnopédies; Gnossiennes; Vexations; other piano music
Amy Beach 1867-1944 American
Enrique Granados 1867-1916 Spanish
Charles Koechlin 1867-1950 French
Oskar Merikanto 1868-1924 Finnish
Hans Pfitzner 1869-1949 German
Albert Roussel 1869-1937 French Symphony No. 3 and No. 4; Bacchus et Ariane (ballet) Neo-classicism

1870s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Leopold Godowsky 1870-1938 Polish
Alfred Hill 1870-1960 Australian
Franz Lehár 1870-1948 Hungarian operettas
Vitezslav Novak 1870-1949 Czech
Florent Schmitt 1870-1958 French
Charles Tournemire 1870-1939 French 8 symphonies, organ music
Wilhelm Stenhammar 1871-1927 Swedish Romanticism
Alexander von Zemlinsky 1871-1942 Austrian Lyric Symphony Romanticism; mentor of Arnold Schoenberg
Hugo Alfven 1872-1960 Swedish Symphony No. 4: From the Outermost Skerries; Midsummer Vigil Romanticism
Alexander Scriabin 1872-1915 Russian The Poem of Ecstasy; Prometheus: The Poem of Fire; 10 piano sonatas Mysticism
Ralph Vaughan Williams 1872-1958 British A Sea Symphony; A London Symphony; Sinfonia Antartica; Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis; Fantasia on Greensleeves folk-influenced
Joseph Jongen 1873-1953 Belgian Symphonie Concertante for organ and orchestra
Sergei Rachmaninoff 1873-1943 Russian Piano Concerto No. 2 and No. 3; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; Symphony No. 2; Prelude in C-sharp minor Romanticism; also a formidable pianist
Jean Roger-Ducasse 1873-1954 French
Nikolai Tcherepnin 1873-1945 Russian father of Alexander Tcherepnin
Max Reger 1873-1916 German organ music Romanticism
Charles Ives 1874-1954 American The Unanswered Question; Central Park in the Dark; Variations on America; Three Places in New England; Concord Sonata Avant-garde, folk-influenced
Gustav Holst 1874-1934 British The Planets; Beni Mora; Egdon Heath
Franz Schmidt 1874-1939 Austrian
Arnold Schoenberg 1874-1951 Austrian Gurre-Lieder; Verklärte Nacht; Variations for Orchestra; Pierrot Lunaire; Five Pieces for Orchestra Romanticism, later Expressionism and Serialism; founder of the Second Viennese School
Josef Suk 1874-1935 Czech Asrael Symphony; A Winter's Tale
Reinhold Glière 1875-1956 Russian Symphony No. 3: Ilya Muromets Romanticism
Albert Ketelbey 1875-1959 British In a Persian Market
Erkki Melartin 1875-1937 Finnish
Maurice Ravel 1875-1937 French Daphnis et Chloe; Valses nobles et sentimentales; Rapsodie espagnole; Tzigane; Piano Concerto; Bolero; piano music Impressionism, Neo-classicism
Julián Carrillo 1875-1965 Mexican 13th sound Microtonal music
Havergal Brian 1876-1972 British more than 30 symphonies, including the Gothic Symphony
Manuel de Falla 1876-1946 Spanish The Three-Cornered Hat; Nights in the Gardens of Spain Impressionism, Neo-classicism
Carl Ruggles 1876-1971 American
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari 1876-1948 Italian
Ernő Dohnányi 1877-1960 Hungarian Variations on a Nursery Tune Romanticism
Joseph Holbrooke 1878-1958 British
Franz Schreker 1878-1934 Austrian
Joseph Canteloube 1879-1957 French Chants d'Auvergne
Jean Cras 1879-1932 French
Frank Bridge 1879-1941 British Enter Spring; The Sea Impressionism, later Expressionism; mentor of Benjamin Britten
Hamilton Harty 1879-1941 Irish An Irish Symphony; With the Wild Geese
John Ireland 1879-1962 British Piano Concerto in E flat
Ottorino Respighi 1879-1936 Italian The Fountains of Rome; The Pines of Rome Impressionism, Neo-Baroque
Cyril Scott 1879-1970 British

1880s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Ernest Bloch 1880–1959 Swiss Schelomo; Suite hébraïque
Nikolay Medtner 1880–1951 Russian 3 piano concertos Romanticism
Ildebrando Pizzetti 1880–1968 Italian
Béla Bartók 1881–1945 Hungarian Concerto for Orchestra; The Miraculous Mandarin; Piano Concerto No. 3; Viola Concerto; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion Neo-classicism, folk-influenced
George Enescu 1881–1955 Romanian Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, Sonata no. 3 for Violin and Piano ("In the Romanian Popular Style"), Oedip folk-influenced; father of Romanian classical music
Jan van Gilse 1881–1944 Dutch Thijl, 5 symphonies
Nikolay Myaskovsky 1881–1950 Russian 27 symphonies Romanticism; father of the Russian symphony
Mykola Roslavets 1881–1944 Russian
Percy Grainger 1882–1961 Australian Country Gardens, Irish Tune from County Derry, Lincolnshire Posy folksong-influenced, mostly piano solo & wind band
Zoltán Kodály 1882–1967 Hungarian Háry János; Dances of Galanta folk-influenced
Gian Francesco Malipiero 1882–1973 Italian 11 symphonies
Geoffrey O'Hara 1882–1967 Canadian
Manuel Maria Ponce 1882–1948 Mexican
Igor Stravinsky 1882–1971 Russian The Rite of Spring; The Firebird; Petrushka; Pulcinella; The Soldier's Tale; Symphony of Psalms; Symphonies of Wind Instruments Neo-classicism, Neo-Baroque, later Serialism
Karol Szymanowski 1882–1937 Polish Symphony No. 3 and No. 4; Violin Concerto No. 1 and No. 2 Impressionism, later folk-influenced
Joaquin Turina 1882–1949 Spanish
Arnold Bax 1883–1953 British Symphony No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6; Tintagel Romanticism, Impressionism
Alfredo Casella 1883–1947 Italian
George Dyson 1883–1964 British Symphony in G major
Manolis Kalomiris 1883–1962 Greek
Edgard Varèse 1883–1965 French Amériques; Ionisation; Arcana; Density 21.5 Musique concrète, Electronic music
Anton Webern 1883–1945 Austrian Symphony; Passacaglia; Six Pieces for Orchestra Serialism; pupil of Arnold Schoenberg
Charles Griffes 1884–1920 American impressionism
Louis Gruenberg 1884–1964 Russian Violin Concerto; 5 symphonies
Ture Rangström 1884–1947 Swedish 4 symphonies; 3 operas
Alban Berg 1885–1935 Austrian Violin Concerto; Wozzeck; Lyric Suite Serialism, Romanticism; pupil of Arnold Schoenberg
George Butterworth 1885–1916 British
Wallingford Riegger 1885–1961 American
Egon Wellesz 1885–1974 Austrian 9 symphonies
Marcel Dupré 1886–1971 French organ music
Jesus Guridi 1886–1961 Spanish Sinfonia pirenaica
Othmar Schoeck 1886–1957 Swiss
Kurt Atterberg 1887–1974 Swedish Symphony No. 6: Dollarsymphony
Nadia Boulanger 1887–1979 French mentor of many composers
Leevi Madetoja 1887–1947 Finnish
Ernst Toch 1887–1964 German 7 symphonies
Heitor Villa-Lobos 1887–1959 Brazilian Bachianas brasileiras; guitar music Neo-classicism, folk-influenced
Matthijs Vermeulen 1888–1967 Dutch 7 symphonies
Vladimir Shcherbachov 1889–1952 Russian

1890s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Luís de Freitas Branco 1890–1955 Portuguese 4 symphonies
Jacques Ibert 1890–1962 French Escales; Bacchanale neoclassicism
Frank Martin 1890–1974 Swiss
Bohuslav Martinů 1890–1959 Czech Symphony No. 3 and No. 6; Gilgamesh (oratorio); chamber music neoclassicism, folk-influenced
Gösta Nystroem 1890–1966 Swedish
Arthur Bliss 1891–1975 British A Colour Symphony
Marcel Grandjany 1891–1975 French
Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953 Russian Romeo and Juliet (ballet); The Love for Three Oranges (opera); Classical Symphony; Symphony No. 5 and No. 6; Violin Concerto No. 1 and No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 2 and No. 3; Alexander Nevsky; Lieutenant Kije; 9 piano sonatas; Peter and the Wolf neoclassicism
Kaikhosru Sorabji 1892–1988 British Opus Clavicembalisticum neoclassical, new age
Hendrik Andriessen 1892–1981 Dutch father of Louis Andriessen
Ferde Grofé 1892–1972 American Grand Canyon Suite
Arthur Honegger 1892–1955 Swiss Symphony No. 3: Liturgique; Pacific 231; Les Miserables (film music) neoclassicism
Herbert Howells 1892–1983 British Hymnus paradisi
László Lajtha 1892–1963 Hungarian 9 symphonies
Darius Milhaud 1892–1974 French La Création du Monde; Le Bœuf sur le toit jazz-influenced, neoclassical
Hilding Rosenberg 1892–1985 Swedish 8 symphonies; Violin Concerto
Germaine Tailleferre 1892–1983 French
Jean Absil 1893–1974 Belgian
Arthur Benjamin 1893–1960 British
Alois Hába 1893–1973 Czech Matka (opera) microtonal
Rued Langgaard 1893–1952 Danish 16 symphonies
Federico Mompou 1893–1987 Spanish piano music
Douglas Moore 1893–1969 British
Leo Ornstein 1893–2002 American Wild Mens Dance, Suicide in an Airplane, 5 piano sonatas, Piano Quintet, 3 String Quartets Avant-garde
Robert Russell Bennett 1894–1981 British
Ernest John Moeran 1894–1950 British Symphony in G minor folk-influenced
Willem Pijper 1894–1947 Dutch 3 symphonies; Six Adagios; Piano Concerto atonal
Walter Piston 1894–1976 American The Incredible Flutist (ballet); Symphony No. 2 and No. 6 Neo-classicism
Erwin Schulhoff 1894–1942 Czech 6 symphonies
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco 1895–1968 Italian guitar music
Johann Nepomuk David 1895–1977 Austrian 8 symphonies neoclassical
Paul Hindemith 1895–1963 German Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber; Mathis der Maler (opera); Ludus Tonalis; chamber music Neo-Baroque, neoclassicism
Gordon Jacob 1895–1984 British
Borys Lyatoshynsky 1895–1968 Ukrainian 5 symphonies
Carl Orff 1895–1982 German Carmina Burana
Leo Sowerby 1895–1968 American
Roberto Gerhard 1896–1970 Spanish 4 symphonies
Howard Hanson 1896–1981 American 7 symphonies Romanticism
Roger Sessions 1896–1985 American 9 symphonies serialism
Virgil Thomson 1896–1989 American Four Saints in Three Acts, The Mother of Us All; Louisiana Story folk-influenced, eclectic
Henry Cowell 1897–1965 American eclectic, experimental
Erich Wolfgang Korngold 1897–1957 Austrian Violin Concerto; film music
Quincy Porter 1897–1966 American
Gaspar Cassado 1897–1966 Spanish Toccata, Requiebros
Alexandre Tansman 1897–1986 Polish
George Gershwin 1898–1937 American Rhapsody in Blue; Piano Concerto; An American in Paris; Porgy and Bess (opera) jazz-influenced
Roy Harris 1898–1979 American Symphony No. 3
Lev Knipper 1898–1974 Russian
Vittorio Rieti 1898–1994 Italian
Georges Auric 1899–1983 French
Carlos Chávez 1899–1978 Mexican 6 symphonies folk-music influenced
George Frederick McKay 1899–1970 American
Francis Poulenc 1899–1963 French Babar the Elephant; Stabat Mater; chamber music neoclassicism
Silvestre Revueltas 1899–1940 Mexican Sensemayá
Alexander Tcherepnin 1899–1977 Russian son of Nikolai Tcherepnin
Randall Thompson 1899–1984 American

1900s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
George Antheil 1900-1959 American Ballet mécanique; Symphony No. 4 Avant-garde, later neoclassical
Alan Bush 1900-1995 British
Aaron Copland 1900-1990 American Appalachian Spring (ballet); Billy the Kid (ballet); Rodeo (ballet); Fanfare for the Common Man; Clarinet Concerto neoclassical, olk music influence, jazz influence, early twelve-tone, later serialism
Uuno Klami 1900-1961 Finnish Sea Pictures; Kalevala Suite
Ernst Krenek 1900-1991 Austrian Jonny spielt auf, Karl V, Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae neoclassical, twelve-tone, later serial, neoromantic, eclectic
Alexander Mosolov 1900-1973 Russian Iron Foundry Avant-garde
Kurt Weill 1900-1950 German Symphony No. 2; musicals neoclassical
Gerald Finzi 1901-1956 British Cello Concerto; songs neoromantic
Joaquin Rodrigo 1901-1999 Spanish Concierto de Aranjuez; guitar music neoclassical, folk music influence
Edmund Rubbra 1901-1986 British 11 symphonies; Violin Concerto
Henri Sauguet 1901-1989 French 4 symphonies
Henri Tomasi 1901-1971 French
Maurice Duruflé 1902-1986 French Requiem; organ music
Vissarion Shebalin 1902-1963 Russian
William Walton 1902-1983 British Symphony No. 1; Violin Concerto; Viola Concerto; Variations on a Theme by Hindemith; Belshazzar's Feast (oratorio) avant-garde (early), neoromantic, neoclassical
Stefan Wolpe 1902-1972 German serial
Lennox Berkeley 1903-1989 British 4 symphonies neoclassical, later serial
Boris Blacher 1903-1975 German
Vernon Duke 1903-1969 Russian jazz-influenced
Vittorio Giannini 1903-1966 Italian neoclassical
Aram Khachaturian 1903-1978 Armenian Gayane (ballet, contains the famous Sabre Dance); Spartacus (ballet); concertos
Ervin Nyíregyházi 1903-1987 Hungarian
Mario Pilati 1903-1938 Italian Piedigrotta (opera)
Luigi Dallapiccola 1904-1975 Italian
Dmitri Kabalevsky 1904-1987 Russian The Comedians
Goffredo Petrassi 1904-2003 Italian
Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov 1904-1972 Russian Chamber Symphony; Symphony No. 1
Nikolaos Skalkottas 1904-1949 Greek twelve-tone, folk music influence
William Alwyn 1905-1985 British 5 symphonies; Lyra Angelica; Elizabethan Dances neoromantic
Karl Amadeus Hartmann 1905-1963 German 8 symphonies
André Jolivet 1905-1974 French
Constant Lambert 1905-1951 British The Rio Grande popular music influence, jazz influence
Alan Rawsthorne 1905-1971 British 3 symphonies; concertos; Symphonic Studies neoclassical
Michael Tippett 1905-1998 British The Midsummer Marriage; 4 symphonies; A Child of Our Time (oratorio)
Eduard Tubin 1905-1982 Estonian 11 symphonies
Paul Creston 1906-1985 American 6 symphonies [[Neoclassicism (music)|neoclassical
Klaus Egge 1906-1979 Norwegian
Benjamin Frankel 1906-1973 British
Jānis Ivanovs 1906-1983 Latvian 21 symphonies neoromantic
Elisabeth Lutyens 1906-1983 British
Alexander Moyzes 1906-1984 Slovakian 12 symphonies
Dmitri Shostakovich 1906-1975 Russian Symphony No. 5, No. 7, No. 9, and No. 10; Violin Concerto No. 1; Cello Concerto No. 1; Festive Overture; String Quartet No. 8; Piano Quintet; Romance from The Gadfly Suite neoclassical, neoromantic
Louise Talma 1906-1996 American
Grace Williams 1906-1977 Welsh
Henk Badings 1907-1987 Dutch
Camargo Guarnieri 1907-1993 Brazilian
Elizabeth Maconchy 1907-1994 British
Miklós Rózsa 1907-1995 Hungarian concertos; Ben-Hur (film music); Spellbound (film music) folk-influenced
Ahmet Adnan Saygun 1907-1991 Turkish 5 symphonies
Martin Scherber 1907-1974
Leroy Anderson 1908-1975 American Sleigh Ride; Blue Tango; Jazz Pizzicato; Irish Suite; Suites of Carols
Elliott Carter 1908- American Variations for Orchestra; A Symphony of Three Orchestras; 5 string quartets neoclassical (early), modernist
Herman David Koppel 1908-1998 Danish 13 symphonies neoclassical
Lars-Erik Larsson 1908-1986 Swedish 3 symphonies
Olivier Messiaen 1908-1992 French Turangalila Symphony; Quartet for the End of Time; Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus; Saint François d'Assise (opera) mysticism, post-impressionist
Svend Erik Tarp 1908-1994 Danish
Geirr Tveitt 1908-1981 Norwegian 6 piano concertos folk-influenced
Vagn Holmboe 1909-1996 Danish 13 symphonies Neo-classicism

1910s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Samuel Barber 1910-1981 American Adagio for Strings; Violin Concerto; Symphony in One Movement Romanticism
Rolf Liebermann 1910-1999
Pierre Schaeffer 1910-1995 French musique concrète
William Schuman 1910-1992 American Symphony No. 3
Jehan Alain 1911-1940 French organ music
Alan Hovhaness 1911-2000 American more than 60 symphonies mysticism
Gian Carlo Menotti 1911-2007 Italian operas
Allan Pettersson 1911-1980 Swedish 17 symphonies neo-romanticism
José Pablo Moncayo 1912-1958 Mexican Huapango
John Cage 1912-1992 American 4'33"; Sonatas and Interludes Aleatoric music, Extended technique
Jean Françaix 1912-1997 French
Peggy Glanville-Hicks 1912–1990 Australian Etruscan Concerto; The Transposed Heads (opera); Nausicaa (opera)
Daniel Jones 1912-1993 Welsh
Igor Markevitch 1912-1983 Russian
Xavier Montsalvatge 1912-2002 Spanish
Conlon Nancarrow 1912-1997 American-Mexican
Benjamin Britten 1913-1976 British Sinfonia da Requiem; Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; War Requiem; Cello Symphony; Peter Grimes (opera) Neo-classicism
Morton Gould 1913-1996 American
George Lloyd 1913-1998 British 12 symphonies
Witold Lutosławski 1913-1994 Polish Concerto for Orchestra; Musique funebre; Jeux vénitiens; Preludes and a Fugue; Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3 Neo-classicism, folk-influenced, later Aleatoric music
Maurice Ohana 1913-1992 French
Irving Fine 1914–1963 American serial
Wilfrid Mellers 1914–2008 British
Andrzej Panufnik 1914–1991 Polish 10 symphonies
Harold Truscott 1914–1992
David Diamond 1915–2005 American 11 symphonies neoclassicism
Douglas Lilburn 1915–2001 New Zealand 3 symphonies; Aotearoa
Vincent Persichetti 1915–1987 American neoclassicism
Milton Babbitt 1916– American Composition for Four Instruments; six string quartets; Philomel serialism, electronic music
Henri Dutilleux 1916– French 2 symphonies; Tout un Monde Lointain; Timbres, espace, mouvement Neo-impressionism
Einar Englund 1916–1999 Finnish Symphony No. 2
Alberto Ginastera 1916–1983 Argentine Panambi (ballet); Malambo; 2 piano concertos; 3 piano sonatas
Richard Arnell 1917- British 6 symphonies
John Gardner 1917- British 3 symphonies; Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Isang Yun 1917-1995 Korean 5 symphonies folk-influenced
Lou Harrison 1917-2003 American
Leonard Bernstein 1918-1990 American West Side Story (musical); Candide; Serenade jazz and popular music influence
Gottfried von Einem 1918-1996 Austrian operas eclectic
Gara Garayev 1918-1982 Azerbaijani
George Rochberg 1918-2005 American 6 symphonies; 7 string quartets serialism, later neo-romanticism
Bernd Alois Zimmermann 1918-1970 German Die Soldaten; Musique pour les soupers du Roi Ubi; Tratto; Tempus loquendi serialism, musical quotation, collage, electronic music, jazz-influenced, eclectic
Jacob Avshalomov 1919- son of Aaron Avshalomov
Leon Kirchner 1919- American
Galina Ustvolskaya 1919-2006 Russian
Mieczyslaw Weinberg 1919-1996 Polish 22 symphonies; 17 string quartets

1920s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Geoffrey Bush 1920-1998 British
Peter Racine Fricker 1920-1990 British
Earl Kim 1920-1998 Korean
Bruno Maderna 1920-1973 Italian Satyricon (opera) avant-garde, electronic music
Harold Shapero 1920- American
Malcolm Arnold 1921-2006 British Symphony No. 5 and No. 7; English Dances; film music
Chaya Arbel 1921– Israeli
Karel Husa 1921– Czech
Andrew Imbrie 1921–2007 American serialism, neoclassicism
Joonas Kokkonen 1921–1996 Finnish
Ástor Piazzolla 1921–1992 Argentine tangos
Ralph Shapey 1921–2002 American
Robert Simpson 1921–1997 British 11 symphonies
Raffaello de Banfield 1922–2008 British
Iain Hamilton 1922–2000 Scottish
Kazimierz Serocki 1922–1981 Polish
Iannis Xenakis 1922–2001 Greek Metastasis avant-garde
Chou Wen-chung 1923– Chinese/American Landscapes student of Edgar Varese
Karel Goeyvaerts 1923–1993 Belgian Aquarius (opera) serialism, minimalism, postminimalism, mysticism, electronic music
György Ligeti 1923-2006 Hungarian Atmosphères avant-garde
Peter Mennin 1923-1983 American 9 symphonies
Ned Rorem 1923- American songs
Simeon ten Holt 1923– Dutch Canto Ostinato minimalism
Joly Braga Santos 1924-1988 Portuguese 6 symphonies
Benjamin Lees 1924- American
Luigi Nono 1924-1990 Italian Avant-garde
Luciano Berio 1925–2003 Italian Sequenza; Sinfonia Avant-garde
Pierre Boulez 1925- French Le marteau sans maître; ...explosante-fixe... Avant-garde, serialism, aleatory
Aldo Clementi 1925- Italian
Andrei Yakovlevich Eshpai 1925- Russian
Julián Orbón 1925–1991 Spanish/Cuban Three Symphonic Versions
Gunther Schuller 1925– American jazz influence
Boris Tchaikovsky 1925–1996 Russian 4 symphonies
Mikis Theodorakis 1925- Greek
Earle Brown 1926–2002 American
Morton Feldman 1926–1987 American
Hans Werner Henze 1926– German 10 symphonies
Lee Hoiby 1926– American
György Kurtág 1926– Hungarian
Franco Donatoni 1927-2000 Italian
Donald Erb 1927–2008 American Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra jazz-influenced, aleatory, electronic music, eclectic
John Joubert 1927– British
Tadeusz Baird 1928-1981 Polish
Jacob Druckman 1928-1996 American
Nicolas Flagello 1928-1994 American Neo-classicism
Robert Helps 1928–2001 American
Ennio Morricone 1928- Italian
Thea Musgrave 1928- Scottish
Einojuhani Rautavaara 1928- Finnish Cantus Arcticus; Symphony No. 7: Angel of Light; Piano Concerto No. 3: The Gift of Dreams Mysticism
Karlheinz Stockhausen 1928–2007 German Gruppen; Kontakte; Hymnen; Stimmung; Mantra; Tierkreis; Licht Avant-garde, electronic music, serialism, aleatory, world music, intuitive music, formula composition
Antonio Braga 1929– Italian
George Crumb 1929– American Ancient Voices of Children Extended technique
Edison Denisov 1929-1996 Russian
Alun Hoddinott 1929– Welsh
Kenneth Leighton 1929–1988 British
Theo Bruins 1929–1993 Dutch
Frédéric Devreese 1929– Belgian
André Previn 1929– German also a conductor
Henri Pousseur 1929– Belgian Scambi; Votre Faust; Trois visages à Liège; Couleurs croisées serialism, aleatory, eclectic, electronic music, world music, popular music influence
Josef Anton Riedl 1929- German
Bogusław Schaeffer 1929- Polish
Peter Sculthorpe 1929- Australian Kakadu; Earth Cry world music

1930s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Cristóbal Halffter 1930– Spanish Líneas y puntos; Don Quixote avant-garde, eclectic, electronic music
Theo Loevendie 1930- Dutch
William Perry 1930-
Tōru Takemitsu 1930-1996 Japanese A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden; Toward the Sea Neo-impressionism
Sofia Gubaidulina 1931- Russian Offertorium
Derek Holman 1931-
Mauricio Kagel 1931-2008 Argentine Staatstheater
André Laporte 1931– Belgian Das Schloss eclectic
Arne Nordheim 1931- Norwegian
Ib Nørholm 1931- Danish
Makoto Shinohara 1931– Japanese Fragmente electronic music, influence of traditional Japanese music
Malcolm Williamson 1931-2003 Australian
Wojciech Kilar 1932- Polish Krzesany; Dracula (film music) Holy minimalism
Niccolò Castiglioni 1932-1996 Italian
Alexander Goehr 1932– English (German born) Behold the Sun Romanza for cello and orchestra twelve-tone, later modal, eclectic
Richard Meale 1932- Australian Voss avant-garde
Per Nørgård 1932- Danish 7 symphonies; Voyage into the Golden Screen
Rodion Shchedrin 1932- Russian
Gilles Tremblay 1932– Canadian Sonorisation du Pavillion du Québec; Fleuves electronic music, serialism
John Williams 1932- American Jaws (film music); Star Wars (film music)
Leonardo Balada 1933- Spanish 6 symphonies; concertos Avant-garde, later folk-influenced
Henryk Górecki 1933- Polish Symphony of Sorrowful Songs Holy minimalism
Bo Linde 1933-1970 Swedish Neo-romanticism
Krzysztof Penderecki 1933- Polish Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima; St. Luke Passion; A Polish Requiem; Symphony No. 2: Christmas Avant-garde, Extended technique, later Neo-romanticism
Yves Prin 1933- French Neo-impressionism
Harrison Birtwistle 1934- British The Mask of Orpheus
William Mathias 1934-1992 Welsh 3 symphonies
Peter Maxwell Davies 1934- British Eight Songs for a Mad King; 8 symphonies
Alfred Schnittke 1934-1998 Russian 10 symphonies Polystylism
Giya Kancheli 1935- Georgian 7 symphonies Holy minimalism
Helmut Lachenmann 1935- German Schwankungen am Rand; Gran Torso; Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern (opera) extended technique
François-Bernard Mâche 1935- French
Nicholas Maw 1935- British Odyssey; The World in the Evening
Arvo Pärt 1935- Estonian Tabula Rasa; Fratres; Summa; Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten Holy minimalism
Terry Riley 1935- American In C Minimalism
Aulis Sallinen 1935- Finnish 8 symphonies; The King Goes Forth to France (opera)
Peter Schat 1935–2003 Dutch
La Monte Young 1935– The Well-Tuned Piano minimalism, microtonal music, improvisation, Asian-music influence
Gilbert Amy 1936– French serialism, film music, electronic music; also a noted conductor
Richard Rodney Bennett 1936- British
Cornelius Cardew 1936–1981 British Treatise; The Great Learning serialism, improvisation, aleatory
Frans Geysen 1936– Belgian Periferisch-Diagonaal-Concentrisch; Twee orgels twelve-tone technique, minimalism, atonal
Steve Reich 1936– American Piano Phase; Music for 18 Musicians Minimalism
Aribert Reimann 1936– German
Osvaldas Balakauskas 1937– Lithuanian 5 symphonies; concertos
Azio Corghi 1937- Italian Divara - Wasser und Blut (opera)
David Del Tredici 1937- American Child Alice
Philip Glass 1937- American Violin Concerto; operas; 8 symphonies Minimalism
Walter Hekster 1937-
Nikolai Kapustin 1937- Russian
Bo Nilsson 1937- Swedish
Valentin Silvestrov 1937- Ukrainian Symphony No. 5
Yehuda Yannay 1937-
Gregory Short 1938-1998
Bart Berman 1938-
William Bolcom 1938- American Songs of Experience; Songs of Innocence
Gloria Coates 1938- American Music on Open Strings; 15 symphonies
John Corigliano 1938- American Symphony No. 2; A Dylan Thomas Trilogy; The Red Violin (film music) Polystylism
John Harbison 1938- American
Lorenzo Palomo 1938- Spanish Andalusian Nocturnes folk-influenced
Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee 1938- American
Frederic Rzewski 1938- American The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Joan Tower 1938- American Concerto for Orchestra
Jan Vriend 1938- Dutch
Charles Wuorinen 1938- American Time's Encomium; 8 symphonies; chamber music Serialism
Louis Andriessen 1939- Dutch son of Hendrik Andriessen
Wendy Carlos 1939-
Heinz Holliger 1939- Swiss Schneewittchen (opera)
John McCabe 1939- British
Tomas Svoboda 1939- Czech
Boris Tishchenko 1939- Russian 7 symphonies
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich 1939- American 4 symphonies

1940s

Name Years Nationality Notable works Remarks
Jorge Peixinho 1940–1995 Portuguese electronic music
Frank Zappa 1940–1993 American The Yellow Shark also an electric guitarist
Stephen Albert 1941–1992 American Symphony No. 1: Riverrun Pulitzer Prize winner
Konrad Boehmer 1941– Dutch (born in Germany) Aspekt, Apocalipsis cum figuris, Doktor Faustus (opera) serialism, jazz and rock music influence, electronic music
Paul Alan Levi 1941–
Emmanuel Nunes 1941– Portuguese Machina Mundi; Quodlibet electronic music
Jonathan Kramer 1942–2004 American postmodernism
Jon Lord 1942- British Concerto for Group and Orchestra; Durham Concerto member of Deep Purple
Paul McCartney 1942- British Ecce Cor Meum member of Beatles
John McGuire 1942– American Pulse Music III; A Capella