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Top 100 greatest classical composers of all time
The top 100 classical composers of all time, ranked by everyone, one head-to-head pick at a time. Build your own Top 10 and see it next to the world's.
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60 composers, from Palestrina, Vivaldi and Bach to John Williams, Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman. Film scores and musicals count too, so Andrew Lloyd Webber is judged against Beethoven.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austria · 1756–1791
- Ludwig van Beethoven Germany · 1770–1827
- Johann Sebastian Bach Germany · 1685–1750
- Frédéric Chopin Poland · 1810–1849
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Russia · 1840–1893
- Antonio Vivaldi Italy · 1678–1741
- Richard Wagner Germany · 1813–1883
- Giacomo Puccini Italy · 1858–1924
- George Frideric Handel United Kingdom · 1685–1759
- Giuseppe Verdi Italy · 1813–1901
- Johannes Brahms Germany · 1833–1897
- Hans Zimmer Germany · 1957–
- Joseph Haydn Austria · 1732–1809
- Ennio Morricone Italy · 1928–2020
- Igor Stravinsky Russia · 1882–1971
- Antonín Dvořák Czech Republic · 1841–1904
- Gustav Mahler Czech Republic · 1860–1911
- John Williams United States · 1932–
- Franz Schubert Austria · 1797–1828
- Claude Debussy France · 1862–1918
- Danny Elfman United States · 1953–
- Franz Liszt Austria · 1811–1886
- Edvard Grieg Norway · 1843–1907
- Hector Berlioz France · 1803–1869
- Leonard Bernstein United States · 1918–1990
- Dmitri Shostakovich Russia · 1906–1975
- Andrew Lloyd Webber United Kingdom · 1948–
- Herbie Hancock United States · 1940–
- Béla Bartók Hungary · 1881–1945
- Sergei Rachmaninoff Russia · 1873–1943
- Robert Schumann Germany · 1810–1856
- Georges Bizet France · 1838–1875
- Maurice Ravel France · 1875–1937
- James Horner United States · 1953–2015
- Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky Russia · 1839–1881
- Felix Mendelssohn Germany · 1809–1847
- George Gershwin United States · 1898–1937
- Erik Satie France · 1866–1925
- Sergei Prokofiev Ukraine · 1891–1953
- A. R. Rahman India · 1966–
- Duke Ellington United States · 1899–1974
- Richard Strauss Germany · 1864–1949
- Gioachino Rossini Italy · 1792–1868
- Jean-Michel Jarre France · 1948–
- Vangelis Greece · 1943–2022
- Camille Saint-Saëns France · 1835–1921
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Italy · 1525–1594
- Bedřich Smetana Czech Republic · 1824–1884
- Philip Glass United States · 1937–
- Arnold Schoenberg Austria · 1874–1951
- Antonio Salieri Italy · 1750–1825
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Russia · 1844–1908
- Jacques Offenbach Germany · 1819–1880
- Johann Strauss II Austria · 1825–1899
- Burt Bacharach United States · 1928–2023
- Jean Sibelius Finland · 1865–1957
- Irving Berlin United States · 1888–1989
- Glenn Miller United States · 1904–1944
- Edward Elgar United Kingdom · 1857–1934
- John Cage United States · 1912–1992