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 |
|
1833 |
1897 |
German |
Liebeslieder Waltzes (choir and piano 4 hands) Violin Concerto German Requiem (mass) |
CDs Scores |
|
1810 |
1849 |
Polish |
Nocturnes (piano) Mazurkas (piano) Minute Waltz (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
1841 |
1904 |
Czech |
Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" Rusalka (opera) String Quartet no. 12 "American" |
CDs Scores |
|
1811 |
1886 |
Hungarian |
Hungarian Rhapsodies (piano) Les Préludes (orchestra) Marche Funèbre (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
1860 |
1911 |
Austrian |
Symphony No. 5 (orchestra) Symphony No. 9 (orchestra) Kindertotenlieder (song cycle, voice and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1809 |
1847 |
German |
A Midsummer Night's Dream (orchestra) Symphony No. 4 "Italian" Songs Without Words (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
Puccini, Giacomo ML410 .P89 |
1858 |
1924 |
Italian |
La Bohème (opera) Tosca (opera) |
CDs Scores |
1844 |
1909 |
Russian |
Capriccio Espagnol (orchestra) Flight of the Bumblebee (orchestra) (from the opera Tale of the Tsar) Scheherazade (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
Rossini, Gioacchino ML410 .R8 |
1792 |
1868 |
Italian |
The Barber of Seville (opera) William Tell (opera) |
CDs Scores |
1835 |
1921 |
French |
Symphony No. 3 "Organ" Danse Macabre (orchestra) The Carnival of the Animals (chamber) |
CDs Scores |
|
1810 |
1856 |
German |
Kinderszenen (piano) Carnaval (piano) Dichterliebe (song cycle) |
CDs Scores |
|
1854 |
1932 |
American |
The Washington Post (march) The Stars and Stripes Forever (march) The Liberty Bell (march) |
CDs Scores |
|
Strauss, Johann II ML410 .S91 |
1825 |
1899 |
Austrian |
The Blue Danube Waltz (orchestra) Die Fledermaus (operetta) |
CDs Scores |
1840 |
1893 |
Russian |
The Nutcracker (ballet) Swan Lake (ballet) 1812 Overture (orchestra) Eugene Onegin (opera) Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" |
CDs Scores |
|
1813 |
1901 |
Italian |
Aida (opera) Rigoletto (opera) Requiem (mass) |
CDs Scores |
|
1813 |
1883 |
German |
The Ring Cycle (4 operas) Tristan und Isolde (opera) Parsifal (opera) |
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 |
|
1867 |
1944 |
American |
Three Browning Songs (voice and piano) Gaelic Symphony (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1803 |
1869 |
French |
Symphonie Fantastique (orchestra) Grand messe des mortes (requiem mass) |
CDs Scores |
|
Bizet, Georges ML410 .B62 |
1838 |
1875 |
French |
Carmen (opera) | CDs Scores |
1833 |
1887 |
Russian |
Polovtsian Dances (from the opera Prince Igor) In the Steppes of Central Asia (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1833 |
1897 |
German |
Liebeslieder Waltzes (choir and piano 4 hands) Violin Concerto German Requiem (mass) |
CDs Scores |
|
1824 |
1896 |
Austrian |
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (orchestra) Te Deum (choir and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1841 |
1894 |
French |
L'étoile (opera) España (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1854 |
1931 |
American |
Symphonic Sketches (orchestra) String Quartet No. 4 |
CDs Scores |
|
1860 |
1956 |
French |
La vie du poète (opera) Impressions d'Italie (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1810 |
1849 |
Polish |
Nocturnes (piano) Mazurkas (piano) Minute Waltz (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
1836 |
1891 |
French |
Coppélia (ballet) Lakmé (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
1797 |
1848 |
Italian |
Lucia di Lammermoor (opera) | CDs Scores |
|
1841 |
1904 |
Czech |
Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" Rusalka (opera) String Quartet no. 12 "American" |
CDs Scores |
|
1857 |
1934 |
English |
Pomp and Circumstance Marches (orchestra) Enigma Variations (orchestra) The Dream of Gerontius (voices and orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1845 |
1924 |
French |
Pavane (piano or orchestra) L'horizon chimérique (voice and piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
Franchetti, Alberto |
1860 |
1942 |
Italian |
Germania (opera) | |
1822 |
1890 |
Belgian/French |
Symphony in D Minor Panis Angelicus (voice, harp, cello, and organ) |
CDs Scores |
|
1804 |
1857 |
Russian |
Ruslan and Lyudmila (opera) Kamarinskaya (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1829 |
1869 |
American |
La Bananier (piano) A Night in the Tropics (Symphony No. 1) (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1818 |
1893 |
French |
Faust (opera) Ave Maria (voice and piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
1843 |
1907 |
Norwegian |
Peer Gynt (orchestra) Piano Concerto |
CDs Scores |
|
1854 |
1921 |
German |
Hänsel und Gretel (opera) Die Königskinder (melodrama and opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
Kalinnikov, Vasily |
1866 |
1901 |
Russian |
Symphony No. 1 in G Minor | |
1858 |
1919 |
Italian |
Pagliacci (opera) | CDs Scores |
|
1811 |
1886 |
Hungarian |
Hungarian Rhapsodies (piano) |
||
1796 |
1869 |
German |
Heinrich der Vogler (voice and piano) |
Name |
Birth |
Death |
Nationality |
Representative Pieces |
|
1860 |
1908 |
American |
|||
1860 |
1911 |
Austrian |
Symphony No. 5 (orchestra) |
||
1842 |
1912 |
French |
|||
1809 |
1847 |
German |
A Midsummer Night's Dream (orchestra) |
||
1839 |
1881 |
Russian |
Pictures at an Exhibition (piano) |
||
1819 |
1880 |
French |
The Tales of Hoffmann (opera) |
||
1782 |
1840 |
Italian |
Caprice No. 24 (violin) |
||
1858 |
1924 |
Italian |
|||
1844 |
1909 |
Russian |
Capriccio Espagnol (orchestra) Flight of the Bumblebee (orchestra) (from the opera Tale of the Tsar) Scheherazade (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1792 |
1868 |
Italian |
The Barber of Seville (opera) William Tell (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
1835 |
1921 |
French |
Symphony No. 3 "Organ" Danse Macabre (orchestra) The Carnival of the Animals (chamber) |
CDs Scores |
|
1844 |
1908 |
Spanish |
Zigeunerweise (violin and piano) | CDs Scores |
|
1866 |
1925 |
French |
Gymnopédies (piano) Gnossiennes (piano) |
CDs Scores |
|
1810 |
1856 |
German |
Kinderszenen (piano) Carnaval (piano) Dichterliebe (song cycle) |
CDs Scores |
|
1865 |
1957 |
Finnish |
Finlandia (orchestra) Symphony No. 2 (orchestra) Valse triste (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1824 |
1884 |
Czech |
Ma Vlast (orchestra) The Bartered Bride (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
1854 |
1932 |
American |
The Washington Post (march) |
||
1825 |
1899 |
Austrian |
The Blue Danube Waltz (orchestra) Die Fledermaus (operetta) |
CDs Scores |
|
1842 |
1900 |
English |
H.M.S. Pinafore (operetta) Pirates of Penzance (operetta) Overture di Ballo (orchestra) |
CDs Scores |
|
1819 |
1895 |
Austrian |
Light Cavalry (esp. the Overture) (operetta) | CDs Scores |
|
1840 |
1893 |
Russian |
The Nutcracker (ballet) Swan Lake (ballet) 1812 Overture (orchestra) Eugene Onegin (opera) Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" |
CDs Scores |
|
1813 |
1901 |
Italian |
Aida (opera) Rigoletto (opera) Requiem (mass) |
CDs Scores |
|
1830 |
1883 |
German |
The Ring Cycle (4 operas) Tristan und Isolde (opera) Parsifal (opera) |
CDs Scores |
|
1786 |
1826 |
German |
Der Freischütz (opera) Konzertstück (Concert Piece) (piano) Concertino for Horn and Orchestra |
CDs Scores |
|
1844 |
1937 |
French |
Symphony for Organ No. 5 (organ solo) | CDs Scores |
|
1860 |
1903 |
Austrian |
Mörike-Lieder (voice and piano) | CDs Scores |