List of Romantic-era composers

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)

Classical/Romantic era transition composers (born 1770-1799)

Name	Date born	Date died	Nationality	Notable works
Ludwig van Beethoven	1770	1827	German	regarded by many as the first Romantic era composer, famous for his nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, ten violin sonatas and piano trios
Ferdinando Carulli	1770	1841	Italian	composer for the guitar, wrote concertos and chamber music
Anton Reicha	1770	1836	Czech	composer who experimented with irregular time signatures, has significant works for wind quintet
Johann Wilhelm Wilms	1772	1847	Dutch-German	Best known for writing Wien Neêrlands Bloed, which served as the Dutch national anthem from 1815 to 1932.
Bernhard Henrik Crusell	1775	1838	Finnish	composer and clarinet player
Johann Nepomuk Hummel	1778	1837	Austrian	composer and pianist, his music bridged the Classical era of music and Romantic era
Fernando Sor	1778	1839	Spanish	composer for the classical guitar who is credited with elevating the guitar to the level of concert instrument
Mauro Giuliani	1781	1828	Italian	composer and virtuoso guitarist
Daniel Auber	1782	1871	French	opera composer noted for La muette de Portici
John Field	1782	1837	Irish	composer and pianist, notable for cultivating the nocturne
Niccolò Paganini	1782	1840	Italian	composer and virtuoso violinist, wrote the 24 Caprices for violin, five concerti for violin, string quartets and works for violin and guitar
Louis Spohr	1784	1859	German	composer, violinist and conductor, renowned for chamber music and compositions for violin and harp
George Pinto	1785	1806	English	composer, violinist and virtuoso pianist, known for his contribution to the piano repretoire
Carl Maria von Weber	1786	1826	German	composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant Romantic opera composers
Alexander Alyabyev	1787	1851	Russian	composer, conductor and pianist
Giacomo Meyerbeer	1791	1864	German	composer for grand opera (Il crociato in Egitto, Les Huguenots, L'Africaine)
Gioachino Rossini	1792	1868	Italian	prolific opera composer, best known for The Barber of Seville and overtures to various other operas
Ignaz Moscheles	1794	1870	Bohemian	composer and piano virtuoso, head of the Leipzig Conservatory after Felix Mendelssohn
Franz Berwald	1796	1868	Swedish	composer, little known in his lifetime, but his works, including his four symphonies are better known today
Gaetano Donizetti	1797	1848	Italian	opera composer, known for Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore among others
Franz Schubert	1797	1828	Austrian	composer, regarded as the first significant lieder writer, also known for his chamber music, piano works and symphonies

Repertoire key: B=In Classical Net's basic Timeline of Major Composers 1600–Present

Early Romantic era composers (born 1800-1819)

• Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835), Italian opera composer, known for I Puritani, Norma and La sonnambula among others
• Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy (1802–1880), French composer and pianist
• Eliza Flower (1803–1846), English composer
• Adolphe Adam (1803–1856), French composer best known for his ballet score Giselle
• Hector Berlioz (1803–1869), French composer famous for his programmatic symphony, the Symphonie Fantastique
• Henri Herz (1803–1888), Austrian composer and pianist
• Franz Lachner (1803–1890), German composer and conductor, brother of Ignaz Lachner
• Mikhail Glinka (1804–1857), Russian nationalist composer, wrote operas such as A Life for the Tsar
• Johann Strauss I (1804–1849), Austrian dance music composer famous for the Radetzky March
• Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847), sister of Felix Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist, remarkable for her vocal compositions and chamber music
• Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874), German composer and pianist, brother of Norbert Burgmüller
• Ignaz Lachner (1807–1895), German conductor, composer and organist, a prolific composer, notable for his chamber music such as his string quartets and trios
• Michael William Balfe (1808–1870), Irish conductor and composer, remembered for his opera The Bohemian Girl
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), brother of Fanny Mendelssohn, German conductor, music-director, composer and pianist, known for his Violin Concerto and the Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, also wrote five symphonies including the Symphony No. 4 'Italian', and several short lyrical piano pieces or Songs without Words.

Frédéric Chopin

• Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, his output includes nocturnes, ballades, scherzos, etudes, and a number of Polish dances such as mazurkas, polonaises, and waltzes (including the Minute Waltz)
• Ferenc Erkel (1810–1893), Hungarian composer of grand opera
• Norbert Burgmüller (1810–1836), German composer, praised by Robert Schumann
• Robert Schumann (1810–1856), German composer and pianist, husband of Clara Schumann, a significant lieder writer, a prolific composer, wrote many short piano pieces, four symphonies, concerti and chamber music
• Wilhelm Taubert (1811-1891) German Pianist, Composer and Conductor whose early works received praise from Felix Mendelssohn
• Franz Liszt (1811–1886), Hungarian composer and a virtuoso pianist, wrote a number of tone poems and extended piano technique, famous for his Hungarian Rhapsodies and other solo piano works, one of the most influential and distinguished pianist composers of the Romantic era
• Ferdinand Hiller (1811–1885), German composer, conductor, writer and music-director, close friend of Felix Mendelssohn
• Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896), French composer, best known for the operas Mignon and Hamlet
• Sigismond Thalberg (1812–1871), Swiss composer and one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era
• Louis Antoine Jullien (1812–1860), French eccentric conductor and composer of light music, king of promenade concerts in England
• Friedrich von Flotow (1812–1883), German composer, chiefly remembered for his opera Martha
• Stephen Heller (1813–1888), Hungarian composer, highly effected the late-Romantic composers
• Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869), Russian composer
• Alexandre Dubuque (1812–1898), Russian-resident French composer, known for teaching
• Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813–1888), French composer and virtuoso pianist
• Ernst Haberbier (1813–1869), German composer
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901), major Italian opera composer, best known for Nabucco, Rigoletto, La Traviata and Aida

Richard Wagner

• Richard Wagner (1813–1883), major German opera composer (Der Ring des Nibelungen, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal among others), also famous for the widely used Bridal Chorus in marriages.
• Giuseppe Lillo (1814-1863), Italian composer, best known for his operas amongst which is worth noting Odda di Bernaver and Caterina Howard
• Adolf von Henselt (1814–1889), German composer and pianist
• Robert Volkmann (1815–1883), German composer, companion of Johannes Brahms
• William Sterndale Bennett (1816–1875), English composer, conductor, and editor
• Émile Prudent (February 3, 1817 – May 14, 1863), French pianist and composer
• Károly Thern (1817–1886), Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher
• Niels Gade (1817–1890), Danish composer, violinist and organist
• Charles Gounod (1818–1893), French composer, best known for his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette
• Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), French opera and operetta composer, known for The Tales of Hoffmann and Orpheus in the Underworld
• Franz von Suppé (1819–1895), Austrian composer and conductor notable for his operettas
• Clara Schumann (1819–1896), German composer and pianist, wife of Robert Schumann, one of the leading pianists of the Romantic era

Middle Romantic era composers (born 1820-1839)

• Henri Vieuxtemps (1820–1881), Belgian composer and violinist
• Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889), Italian conductor, composer and double bass virtuoso
• Emilie Hammarskjöld (1821–1854), Swedish composer, consert pianist and organist
• Joachim Raff (1822–1882), Swiss-born German composer, best known for eleven symphonies, most of them program music
• César Franck (1822–1890), Belgian-born French composer, noted for his Symphony, also a significant composer for the organ
• Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), French composer remembered for his Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra and his Cello Concerto
• Theodor Kirchner (1823-1903), German composer and pianist, he wrote over 1000 piano pieces.
• Anton Bruckner (1824–1896), Austrian composer of nine large-scale symphonies (one incomplete) and two more unacknowledged
• Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884), Czech nationalist composer, perhaps best known for his cycle of symphonic poems, Má vlast and his opera The Bartered Bride
• Carl Reinecke (1824-1910), German composer, conductor and pianist, best known for his attachment to classical forms and conducted Gewandhausorchester for nearly 35 years
• Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825–1889), French virtuoso cornetist, wrote the "Grande méthode complète pour cornet à pistons et de saxhorn" now referred to as the "Trumpeter's Bible"
• Johann Strauss II (1825–1899), Austrian composer known as "The Waltz King", composed The Blue Danube and opera Die Fledermaus, son of the composer Johann Strauss I and elder brother of Josef Strauss and Eduard Strauss
• Ivar Christian Hallström (1826–1901), Swedish opera composer
• Josef Strauss (1827–1870), Austrian composer and younger brother of Johann Strauss II
• Adolphe Blanc (1828–1885), French composer of chamber music
• Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894), Russian conductor, composer and pianist
• Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829–1869), American composer famous for performing his own romantic piano works
• Karl Goldmark (1830–1915), Hungarian composer
• Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow (1830–1894), German conductor, composer and virtuoso pianist
• Jan Gerard Palm (1831–1906), Curaçao born composer, best known for his mazurkas, waltzes, danzas, tumbas, fantasies, and serenades.
• August Söderman (1832–1876), Swedish composer, best known for his lieder and choral works
• Alexander Borodin (1833–1887), Russian chemist and nationalist composer, wrote the opera Prince Igor

Johannes Brahms

• Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), German composer, one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period, famous for his working under and of being compared to Beethoven, and his most influential works include the four symphonies, Violin Concerto (Brahms), two piano concertos, and Double Concerto in A minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra (1887), aside from his other orchestral works, numerous chamber music and piano music pieces and lieder.
• Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–1886), Italian opera composer known for La Gioconda
• Julius Reubke (1834–1858), German piano and organ composer, known for Sonata on the 94th Psalm
• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), French music critic, composer, pianist and an exceptional organist, renowned for his Organ Symphony, numerous concert pieces, pieces of chamber music, mélodies, Danse Macabre and The Carnival of the Animals
• Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880), Polish composer and violinist, famous for two concertos and character pieces of exceptional difficulty
• Eduard Strauss (1835–1916), Austrian composer and younger brother of Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss
• César Antonovich Cui (1835–1918), Russian army officer, music critic, composer in Russian Five
• Friedrich Baumfelder (1836–1916), German piano, choral, and orchestra composer, in his day known for his 'Tirocinium musicae' and today known for his 'Melody in F major'
• Léo Delibes (1836–1891), one of the first significant ballet composers since the Baroque music, known for Coppélia, Sylvia, and Lakmé
• Bertha Tammelin (1836–1915), Swedish composer, consert pianist and opera singer
• Julius Weissenborn (1837–1888), German bassoonist, composer and music teacher, famous for his Practical Bassoon School
• Émile Waldteufel (1837–1915), French composer of light music
• Mily Balakirev (1837–1910), Russian nationalist composer and leader of the Russian Five
• Georges Bizet (1838–1875), French composer of the opera Carmen
• Max Bruch (1838–1920), German composer, known for his Violin Concerto No. 1, Scottish Fantasy, and Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881), Russian nationalist composer known for his intensely nationalist works including his opera Boris Godunov, and Pictures at an Exhibition, part of Russian Five
• John Knowles Paine (1839–1906), first native-born American composer to acquire fame for his large-scale orchestral music

Late Romantic era composers (born 1840-1859)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893), Russian composer, known for his ballets (The Nutcracker, Swan Lake), his operas (Eugene Onegin), the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, his Violin Concerto and his symphonies
• Johan Svendsen (1840–1911), Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist
• Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894), French composer who influenced Maurice Ravel, Les Six, Jean Françaix and many other French composers, known for the opera L'étoile
• Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), Czech composer, known for the "New World" Symphony
• Arrigo Boito (1842–1918), Italian composer and librettist, known as a composer for his opera Mefistofele
• Jules Massenet (1842–1912), French composer best known for his operas Manon and Werther and the Méditation for violin from the opera Thaïs
• Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), English composer known for his operettas in collaboration with W. S. Gilbert
• Émile Bernard (1843–1902), French composer and organist known for his Divertissement for Doubled Wind Quintet
• Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), Norwegian composer known for his Piano Concerto, Lyric Pieces for the piano, and incidental music to Peer Gynt
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908), Russian composer and member of The Five, best known for Flight of the Bumblebee from The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Scheherazade, and the Capriccio Espagnol
• Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908), Spanish virtuoso violinist and composer
• Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), French composer, known for his works for the organ
• Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), French composer, known for his chamber music and a requiem among other pieces
• Ignaz Brüll (1846–1907), Austrian composer and pianist
• Robert Fuchs (1847–1927), Austrian composer and music teacher
• Ludwig Philipp Scharwenka (1847–1917), German-Polish composer and music teacher, brother of Xaver Scharwenka
• Henri Duparc (1848–1933), French composer, noted for seventeen mélodies
• Hubert Parry (1848–1918), English composer, wrote choral song Jerusalem
• Ernesto Köhler (1849–1907), Italian flautist and composer, known by flautists for his instructional work Progress in Flute Playing
• Franz Xaver Scharwenka (1850–1924), Polish-German composer, pianist and music teacher, brother of Philipp Scharwenka
• Vincent d'Indy (1851–1931), French composer, teacher of Erik Satie and Darius Milhaud among others
• Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909) Spanish composer and virtuoso classical guitarist, known as the 'Father of modern classical guitar playing'
• Hans Huber (1852–1921), Swiss composer
• Ciprian Porumbescu (1853–1883), Romanian composer
• Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921), German opera composer influenced by Richard Wagner, famous for Hänsel und Gretel
• Leoš Janáček (1854–1928), Czech composer, known for his operas Káťa Kabanová and Jenůfa and orchestral pieces Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba
• Alfredo Catalani (1854–1893), Italian composer, known for the operas Loreley and La Wally
• Moritz Moszkowski (1854–1925), German Jewish composer-pianist who wrote prolifically for the piano, also composed a piano concerto and a violin concerto
• John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), American composer, "The March King"
• Ernest Chausson (1855–1899), French composer influenced by Franck and Wagner, seen as a bridge from them to Claude Debussy
• Julius Röntgen (1855–1932), German-Dutch composer influenced by Brahms, close friend to Grieg
• Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856–1915), Russian composer, pianist and music teacher
• Edward Elgar (1857–1934), English composer, wrote oratorios, chamber music, concerti and symphonies, most famous for his Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches
• Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944), French composer and pianist
• Ruggero Leoncavallo (1858–1919), Italian opera composer known almost exclusively for Pagliacci
• Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924), Italian opera composer known forLa bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly
• Sergei Lyapunov (1859–1924), Russian composer and pianist

Romantic era/20th century transition composers (born 1860-1880)

• Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909), Spanish composer, known for nationalist piano works such as Iberia and a 'set of 12 piano pieces'
• Gustave Charpentier (1860–1956), French composer best known for his opera Louise

Gustav Mahler

• Gustav Mahler (1860–1911), Austrian composer, one of the most important late-Romantic/early-Modernist composers, his works include nine innovative large-scale and sometimes programmatic symphonies, and many lieder
• Edward MacDowell (1860–1908), American composer best known for his piano concertos and piano suites, his works include his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"
• Hugo Wolf (1860–1903), Austrian composer of lieder, influenced by Richard Wagner
• Anton Arensky (1861–1906), Russian composer, pianist and music teacher
• Claude Debussy (1862–1918), French composer, one of the most prominent figures working within the field of Impressionist music, known for his compositions Clair de Lune (from Suite bergamasque), Deux Arabesques, and many others
• Frederick Delius (1862–1934), English composer, used chromaticism in many of his compositions
• Gabriel Pierné (1863–1937), French composer, conductor, and organist
• Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945), Italian opera composer, known for Cavalleria rusticana
• Ricardo Castro (1864–1907), Mexican composer, works include piano music

Richard Strauss

• Richard Strauss (1864–1949), German composer, known for Also sprach Zarathustra ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra"), wrote many tone poems, operas and lieder
• Paul Dukas (1865–1935), French composer, known for his piece of program music The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936), Russian composer, influenced by Wagner and Liszt
• Carl Nielsen (1865–1931), Danish composer, renowned for his six symphonies and concerti
• Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Finnish nationalist composer of seven symphonies, known for the symphonic poem Finlandia and Violin Concerto
• Erik Satie (1866-1925), French composer and pianist
• Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924), Italian composer and pianist, known for his opera Turandot and his many transcriptions and arrangements of Johann Sebastian Bach
• Samuel Maykapar (1867–1938), Russian composer
• Umberto Giordano (1867–1948), Italian opera composer
• Enrique Granados (1867–1916), Spanish composer and pianist, known for his piano works and chamber music
• Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867–1942), Swedish composer, wrote symphonies, operas, vocal and piano music
• Amy Beach (1867–1944), American composer and pianist
• Vittorio Monti (1868–1922), Italian composer, violinist, and conductor
• Zygmunt Stojowski (1869/70–1946), Polish composer and pianist
• Julius Conus (1869–1942), Russian composer and violinist
• Franz Lehár (1870–1948), Hungarian composer, mainly known for his operettas
• Guillaume Lekeu (1870–1894), Belgian (Wallon) composer, known for his violin sonata
• Henry Kimball Hadley (1871–1937), American composer and conductor, composed the opera Cleopatra's Night
• Oreste Ravanello (1871–1938), Italian composer, known for works for choir, and for organ
• Alexander Zemlinsky (1871–1942), Austrian composer and music teacher, his students include Schoenberg and Korngold
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), English composer, his works include nine symphonies, Fantasia on Greensleeves, and other orchestral poems
• Hugo Alfvén (1872–1960), Swedish composer, known for Swedish Rhapsody, works include choral music, and five symphonies
• Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915), Russian, known for his harmonically adventurous piano sonatas and theatrical, orchestral works

Sergei Rachmaninoff

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943), Russian composer, conductor and virtuoso pianist, wrote three symphonies, four piano concertos, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and solo piano music
• Max Reger (1873–1916), prolific German composer, known for his Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart
• Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947), Venezuelan composer, known for his strikingly beautiful and unabashedly tonal melodies
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951), Austrian composer, whose early works (e.g. "Verklarte Nacht") are influenced by Mahler, but subsequently developed atonalism and serialism with such watershed works as "Moses und Aron"
• Franz Schmidt (1874–1939), Austrian composer, influenced by Bruckner and Brahms
• Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), French composer, despite a limited number of compositions, famous for his virtuosic piano music such as "Gaspard de la nuit", and orchestral showpieces most notably "Bolero", his musical style strongly influenced by the Russian Five
• Reinhold Glière (1875–1956), Russian composer, his works reflect Romantic era
• Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876–1909), Polish composer, his style is of late Romantic era and nationalist character
• Manuel de Falla (1876–1946), Spanish composer, best known for The Three-Cornered Hat
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876–1948), Italian composer and music teacher, known for his comic operas
• Ernő Dohnányi (1877–1960), Hungarian conductor, composer and pianist
• Franz Schreker (1878–1934), Austrian conductor, composer and music teacher, primarily a composer of operas
• Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936), Italian composer, known for symphonic poems The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome
• Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951), Russian composer, known for his piano sonatas and concerti

See also

• List of 20th-century classical composers by birth date
• List of classical music composers by era
• List of piano composers

References

Notes

Sources

• Classical Net (PDF), Timeline of Major Composers 1600-Present, http://www.classical.net/music/composer/dates/timelin2.pdf, retrieved 2009-05-06  from Classical Net - Composers and Their Works - Timelines
• Classical Composers Database: Composers timeline (1800-1900). Retrieved 5 July 2006.
• Machlis, Joseph and Forney, Kristine. The Enjoyment of Music: Seventh Edition, W.W. Norton & Company, 1995, ISBN 0-393-96643-7
• Moss, Charles K. Claude Debussy and Impressionism at the Wayback Machine (archived February 9, 2008). Retrieved 17 January 2009.
• Sadie, Julie Anne and Rhian Samuel. The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers, W.W. Norton & Company, 1995, ISBN 0-333-51598-6