The best classical composers of all time ranked from best to worst. These classical composers are some of the best musicians in history, and are responsible for some of the greatest works of classical music the world has ever heard. Though these were men of a classical era of music, their concertos, sonatas, and movements are present in everything from rock concerts to blockbuster movies and are some of the most popular classical songs.
These top classical composers have written some of the most relaxing music, the most inspirational music, and the most beautiful music in the world. They are the greatest composers who ever have lived.
Who are the greatest classical composers? What are the characteristics of the best classical composers? Who wrote the best classical music? This list of the top classical composers aims to answer these questions and others that have to do with determining who the best composers of classical music were and are. If your favorite classical composer isn't on the list of the best
If classical music is your thing (and you're checking out a list of the best classical composers, so it probably is), check out the hottest men in classical music and the hottest women in classical music.1
6,7583,090Johann Sebastian Bach
Dec. at 65 (1685-1750)2
6,2532,876Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Dec. at 35 (1756-1791)3
6,7183,102Ludwig van Beethoven
Dec. at 57 (1770-1827)4
4,6312,166Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dec. at 53 (1840-1893)5
3,2001,314Sergei Rachmaninoff
Dec. at 70 (1873-1943)6
2,7601,845Franz Schubert
Dec. at 31 (1797-1828)7
2,1171,223Giuseppe Verdi
Dec. at 88 (1813-1901)8
2,6521,677Richard Wagner
Dec. at 70 (1813-1883)9
3,9162,613Frédéric Chopin
Dec. at 39 (1810-1849)10
1,292463Alexander Scriabin
Dec. at 43 (1872-1915)11
2,5851,743Claude Debussy
Dec. at 56 (1862-1918)12
1,8601,237Igor Stravinsky
Dec. at 89 (1882-1971)13
2,8341,954Johannes Brahms
Dec. at 64 (1833-1897)14
1,401902Béla Bartók
Dec. at 64 (1881-1945)15
2,1881,452Gustav Mahler
Dec. at 51 (1860-1911)16
1,5061,020Richard Strauss
Dec. at 85 (1864-1949)17
1,387940Giacomo Puccini
Dec. at 66 (1858-1924)18
1,141755Anton Bruckner
Dec. at 72 (1824-1896)19
2,1791,562Joseph Haydn
Dec. at 77 (1732-1809)20
2,3041,685Franz Liszt
Dec. at 75 (1811-1886)21
1,5551,110Maurice Ravel
Dec. at 62 (1875-1937)22
1,5791,112Sergei Prokofiev
Dec. at 62 (1891-1953)23
1,4031,014Robert Alexander Schumann
Dec. at 46 (1810-1856)24
2,0381,484Dmitri Shostakovich
Dec. at 69 (1906-1975)25
1,378991Jean Sibelius
Dec. at 92 (1865-1957)