Classical
About Classical
The foundation of Western art music, spanning the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. From Bach and Handel through Mozart and Beethoven to Wagner and Brahms, its composers built the symphony, the concerto, and opera into the bedrock of the canon. Its works remain among the most performed and recognized in the world.
Key Artists
Johann Sebastian Bach
1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1730s, 1740s
Ludwig van Beethoven
1790s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s
Hector Berlioz
1820s, 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s
Georges Bizet
1860s, 1870s
Johannes Brahms
1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s
Benjamin Britten
1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Anton Bruckner
1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s
Claude Debussy
1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s
Edward Elgar
1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s
Ennio Morricone
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s
Gabriel Fauré
1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s
Edvard Grieg
1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s
George Frideric Handel
1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s
Joseph Haydn
1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1800s
Gustav Holst
1900s, 1910s, 1920s
Joe Hisaishi
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s
Kiri Te Kanawa
1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
Lang Lang
2000s, 2010s, 2020s
Gustav Mahler
1890s, 1900s, 1910s
Felix Mendelssohn
1820s, 1830s, 1840s
Claudio Monteverdi
1600s, 1610s, 1640s
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1770s, 1780s
Niccolò Paganini
1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s
Giacomo Puccini
1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s
Henry Purcell
1680s, 1690s
Maurice Ravel
1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s
Richard Strauss
1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s
Gioachino Rossini
1810s, 1820s, 1830s
Camille Saint-Saëns
1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s
Erik Satie
1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s
Arnold Schoenberg
1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s
Franz Schubert
1810s, 1820s
Robert Schumann
1830s, 1840s, 1850s
Ralph Vaughan Williams
1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s
Giuseppe Verdi
1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s
Heitor Villa-Lobos
1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s
Antonio Vivaldi
1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1730s
Richard Wagner
1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s
Frequently Asked Questions
What defines classical music from Austria?+
Austrian classical music is primarily associated with the First and Second Viennese Schools. The First Viennese School, centered around Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven (who adopted Vienna), established the foundations of the Classical period including the symphony, string quartet, and piano sonata. The Second Viennese School, led by Schönberg, Berg, and Webern in the early 20th century, revolutionized music with twelve-tone composition and atonality.
Why was Vienna so important for classical music?+
Vienna became the capital of classical music due to a unique convergence of factors: generous Habsburg court patronage that attracted composers from across Europe, a wealthy aristocratic class that commissioned new works, a thriving public concert culture, and a geographic position at the crossroads of European musical traditions. This combination made Vienna an irresistible destination for composers seeking audiences, patrons, and creative peers.
Who are the essential classical composers from Austria?+
The essential Austrian classical composers span several centuries: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) for his extraordinary range across symphonies, operas, and chamber music; Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) as the 'Father of the Symphony'; Franz Schubert (1797–1828) for his lieder and chamber works; Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) for his monumental symphonies; Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) for his emotionally intense symphonic works; and Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951) for pioneering atonal and twelve-tone music.