If you wish to be generally familiar with classical music, here is a short list of composers you should know from this period:
|
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Nationality |
Representative Pieces |
|
|
1910 |
1981 |
American |
Adagio for Strings (check out original String Quartet) Knoxville Summer 1915 (soprano & orchestra) Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance (orchestra) Three Essays for Orchestra |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1881 |
1945 |
Hungarian |
Six string quartets (all) Mikrokosmos (piano solos) Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion Music for the Strings, Percussion, & Celeste Miraculous Mandarin (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1918 |
1990 |
American |
West Side Story (musical) Mass (a theatre piece) Serenade (violin & orchestra) Jeremiah Symphony (orchestra) Chichester Psalms (chorus & orchestra) On the Waterfront (film score) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1912 |
1992 |
American |
Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Aria (with or without Fontana Mix) (voice with tape) 4’33” (piano solo) Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (12 analog radios) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1900 |
1990 |
American |
Appalachian Spring (both 13 player and full orchestra) Third Symphony (orchestra) Piano Variations (piano solo) Organ Symphony (organ & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1862 |
1918 |
French |
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (orchestra) Preludes Books I & II (piano) Pelleas et Mellisande (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1898 |
1937 |
American |
Porgy and Bess (opera) Rhapsody in Blue (piano & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1882 |
1961 |
Australian-American |
Lincolnshire Posy (band) |
||
| Hindemith, Paul ML410 .H685 |
1895 |
1963 |
German |
Mathis der Maler (opera) Ludus Tonalis (piano solo) Symphonic Metamorphosis (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1874 |
1934 |
English |
The Planets (orchestra) 2 Suites for Military Band |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1874 |
1954 |
American |
Third Symphony (orchestra) Three Places in New England (orchestra) Unanswered Question (chamber orchestra) Concord Sonata (piano solo) General Booth Enters Heaven (voice & piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1908 |
1992 |
French |
Turangalila Symphony (orchestra & ondes martenot) Quartet for the End of Time (chamber) Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jesus (piano solo) La Nativité du Seigneur (organ) |
CDs Scores |
|
| Orff, Carl ML410 .O65 |
1895 |
1982 |
German |
Carmina Burana (soloists, chorus & orchestra) | CDs Scores |
|
1891 |
1953 |
Russian |
Peter and the Wolf (orchestra & narrator) Third Piano Concerto (piano & orchestra) Fifth Symphony (orchestra) Scythian Suite (orchestra) Love for Three Oranges (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1875 |
1937 |
French |
Daphnis et Chloé (ballet) Bolero (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1874 |
1951 |
Austrian-American |
Verklärte Nacht (string sextet) Gurre-Lieder Pierrot Luniare (chamber with voice) Survivor from Warsaw (chamber orchestra w/narrator & men’s choir) Kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 33a&b (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1864 |
1949 |
German |
Der Rosenkavalier (opera) Salome (opera) Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (orchestra) Death and Transfiguration (orchestra) Four Last Songs (voice and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1882 |
1971 |
Russian |
Firebird (ballet, orchestra) Petrushka (ballet, orchestra) Rite of Spring (ballet, orchestra) Histoire du Soldat (chamber) Symphony in C (orchestra) Symphony of Psalms (chorus & orchestra) In Memorium Dylan Thomas (chamber) Mass (choral) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1883 |
1965 |
French-American |
Ionisation (percussion ensemble) Ameriques (orchestra) Poeme Electronique (multi-channel tape) Density 21.5 (flute solo) |
CDs Scores |
If you are a student of Music History or Composition, here is a more detailed list of composers you should know from this period:
|
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Nationality |
Representative Pieces |
|
|
1900 |
1959 |
American |
Ballet Mechanique (12 pianos, percussion, chamber) | ||
|
1916 |
2011 |
American |
Whirled Series (saxophone & piano) Homily (snare drum) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1910 |
1981 |
American |
Adagio for Strings (check out original String Quartet) Knoxville Summer 1915 (soprano & orchestra) Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance (orchestra) Three Essays for Orchestra |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1881 |
1945 |
Hungarian |
Six string quartets (all) Mikrokosmos (piano solos) Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion Music for the Strings, Percussion, & Celeste Miraculous Mandarin (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1885 |
1935 |
Austrian |
Lyric Suite (string quartet) Wozzeck (opera) Violin Concerto (violin & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1918 |
1990 |
American |
West Side Story (musical) Mass (a theatre piece) Serenade (violin & orchestra) Jeremiah Symphony (orchestra) Chichester Psalms (chorus & orchestra) On the Waterfront (film score) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1925 |
|
French |
Pli selon pli (soprano & orchestra) Structures (2 pianos) La marteau sans maitre (alto & chamber group) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1913 |
1976 |
English |
War Requiem (chorus, soloists & orchestra) Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (narrator & orchestra) Peter Grimes (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1912 |
1992 |
American |
Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano Aria (with or without Fontana Mix) (voice with tape) 4’33” (piano solo) Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (12 analog radios) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1908 |
2012 |
American |
Eight Etudes and a Fantasy (woodwind quartet) Concerto for Orchestra (orchestra) Second String Quartet (string quartet) |
||
|
1926 |
2000 |
American |
A Box of View (woodwind quintet) Trombone Sonata |
Scores |
|
|
1900 |
1990 |
American |
Appalachian Spring (both 13 player and full orchestra) Third Symphony (orchestra) Piano Variations (piano solo) Organ Symphony (organ & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1897 |
1965 |
American |
Banshee (piano solo) Aeolian Harp (piano solo) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1862 |
1918 |
French |
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (orchestra) Preludes Books I & II (piano) Pelleas et Mellisande (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1899 |
1974 |
American |
Anatomy of a Murder (film score) Black, Brown, and Beige (jazz symphony) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1926 |
1987 |
American |
String Quartet Rothko Chapel (chamber & vocals) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1922 |
2009 |
German-American |
String Quartet No. 1 Baroque Variations (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1911 |
1993 |
Italian-American |
Germania (voice & piano) Married Men Go to Hell (opera) |
||
|
1898 |
1937 |
American |
Porgy and Bess (opera) Rhapsody in Blue (piano & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1916 |
1983 |
Argentine |
Danzas argentinas (piano) Piano Concerto No. 1 |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1913 |
1996 |
American |
Stringmusic (orchestra) Fall River Legend (ballet) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1882 |
1961 |
Australian-American |
Lincolnshire Posy (band) |
If you are a student of Music History or Composition, here is a more detailed list of composers you should know from this period:
|
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Nationality |
Representative Pieces |
|
|
1896 |
1981 |
American |
Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" |
||
|
1926 |
2012 |
German |
New Folk Songs and Shepherd’s Melodies (chamber ensemble) |
||
| Hindemith, Paul ML410 .H685 |
1895 |
1963 |
German |
Mathis der Maler (opera) Ludus Tonalis (piano solo) Symphonic Metamorphosis (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1874 |
1934 |
English |
The Planets (orchestra) 2 Suites for Military Band |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1892 |
1955 |
Swiss / French |
Pacific 231 (orchestra) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1911 |
2000 |
Armenian-American |
Symphony No. 60 "To the Appalachian Mountains" (orchestra) And God Created Great Whales (orchestra & tape) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1921 |
|
Czech-American |
Music for Prague 1968 (orchestra – also transcribed for wind ensemble) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1874 |
1954 |
American |
Third Symphony (orchestra) Three Places in New England (orchestra) Unanswered Question (chamber orchestra) Concord Sonata (piano solo) General Booth Enters Heaven (voice & piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1854 |
1928 |
Czech |
Taras Bulba (orchestra) Glagolitic Mass (chorus and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1870 |
1948 |
Austro-Hungarian |
The Merry Widow (opera) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1900 |
1996 |
German-American |
Low Speed (tape) Concertino (flute & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1913 |
1994 |
Polish |
Piano Concerto (piano & orchestra) Concerto for Orchestra (orchestra) Jeux Vénitiens (Venetian Games) (chamber orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1929 |
1997 |
Japanese |
Nirvana Symphony (male chorus & orchestra) | Scores |
|
|
1911 |
2007 |
Italian-American |
Amahl and the Night Visitors (opera) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1908 |
1992 |
French |
Turangalila Symphony (orchestra & ondes martenot) Quartet for the End of Time (chamber) Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jesus (piano solo) La Nativité du Seigneur (organ) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1892 |
1974 |
French |
La Création du Monde (ballet) Scaramouche (saxophone & orchestra) Saudades do Brasil (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1924 |
1990 |
Italian |
Il canto sospeso (soloists, chorus & orchestra) Intolleranza 1960 (opera) |
Scores |
|
|
1895 |
1982 |
German |
Carmina Burana (soloists, chorus & orchestra) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1915 |
1987 |
American |
Symphony No. 6 (band) Flower Songs (choir & chamber orchestra) Hymns and Responses for the Church Year (choir) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1923 |
2006 |
American |
Christmas Cantata (choir & orchestra) Versets (organ) |
Scores |
|
|
1899 |
1963 |
French |
Organ Concerto (organ & orchestra) Gloria (choir & orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1891 |
1953 |
Russian |
Peter and the Wolf (orchestra & narrator) Third Piano Concerto (piano & orchestra) Fifth Symphony (orchestra) Scythian Suite (orchestra) Love for Three Oranges (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1873 |
1943 |
Russian |
Piano Concerto No. 2 Symphony No. 3 in A Minor Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (choir) The Isle of the Dead (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1875 |
1937 |
French |
Daphnis et Chloé (ballet) Bolero (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1879 |
1936 |
Italian |
The Pines of Rome (orchestra) | CDs Scores |
|
|
1918 |
2005 |
American |
String Quartet No. 3 Concord Quartets (Nos. 4-6) (string quartet) Symphony No. 2 |
CDs Scores |
If you are a student of Music History or Composition, here is a more detailed list of composers you should know from this period:
|
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Nationality |
Representative Pieces |
|
|
1874 |
1951 |
Austrian-American |
Verklärte Nacht (string sextet) Gurre-Lieder Pierrot Luniare (chamber with voice) Survivor from Warsaw (chamber orchestra w/narrator & men’s choir) Kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 33a&b (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1910 |
1992 |
American |
A Free Song (cantata) New England Triptych (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1872 |
1915 |
Russian |
Piano Sonata No. 7 "White Mass" Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1901 |
1953 |
American |
String Quartet | CDs Scores |
|
|
1896 |
1985 |
American |
String Quartet No. 1 When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (cantata) The Black Maskers (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1906 |
1975 |
Russian |
Fifth Symphony (orchestra) Eighth String Quartet (string quartet) Piano Trio No. 2 in e minor (piano trio) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1864 |
1949 |
German |
Der Rosenkavalier (opera) Salome (opera) Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (orchestra) Death and Transfiguration (orchestra) Four Last Songs (voice and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1882 |
1971 |
Russian |
Firebird (ballet, orchestra) Petrushka (ballet, orchestra) Rite of Spring (ballet, orchestra) Histoire du Soldat (chamber) Symphony in C (orchestra) Symphony of Psalms (chorus & orchestra) In Memorium Dylan Thomas (chamber) Mass (choral) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1930 |
1996 |
Japanese |
November Steps (orchestra) Les Yeux Clos I & II (piano solo) Ran (soundtrack) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1905 |
1998 |
English |
Concerto for Double String Orchestra A Child of Our Time (chorus and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1911 |
1990 |
Russian-American |
4 Studies (clarinet & tape) Sonic Contours (tape) |
CDs | |
|
1883 |
1965 |
French-American |
Ionisation (percussion ensemble) Ameriques (orchestra) Poeme Electronique (multi-channel tape) Density 21.5 (flute solo) |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1887 |
1959 |
Brazilian |
Bachiannas Brasilieras (various combinations of instruments) String Quartet No. 6 |
CDs Scores |
|
|
1883 |
1945 |
Austrian |
Five Pieces for Orchestra, op. 10 (orchestra) String Quartet, op. 28 (string quartet) Drei Lieder, op. 25 (voice & piano) |
CDs Scores |