List of German composers

Contents
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

• Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787), performer on the viola da gamba and Classical composer
• Johan Agrell (1701–1765), Baroque/Classical composer of symphonies
• Michael Altenburg (1584–1640), Baroque composer

B

• Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788), early Classical era composer
• Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Baroque composer, known for the Mass in B Minor and many other compositions
• Friedrich Baumfelder (1836-1916), Middle Romantic composer, conductor, and pianist, known in his day for his Tirocinium musicae, and today known for his Melody in F major
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), regarded by some as the first Romantic composer, famous for his symphonies, piano sonatas and many other works
• Jean Berger (1909-2002), 20th-century composer known for his choral works
• Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), early church music composer, wrote sacred works including her morality play with music Ordo Virtutum
• Hans-Jürgen von Bose (born 1953), 20th-century Post-Modernist composer
• Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), Romantic composer
• Caspar Joseph Brambach (1833-1902), Romantic musician, pedagog, composer and conductor
• Max Bruch (1838–1920), Romantic era composer, today known mostly for his Violin Concerto No. 1

D

• Franz Danzi (1763–1826), Classical composer and noted cellist
• Albert Dietrich (1829–1908), composer and conductor

E

• Johann Ernst Eberlin (1702–1762), organist and composer, a bridge between the Baroque and Classical eras

F

• Frederick II of Prussia (1712–1786), king of Prussia, composer and flautist

G

• Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729–1774)[1], Classical composer of opera buffa
• Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787), early Classical era composer
• Berthold Goldschmidt (1903–1996)
• Carl Heinrich Graun (1704–1759), Baroque composer and tenor singer
• Johann Gottlieb Graun (1703–1771), Baroque composer and violinist

H

• Andreas Hakenberger (1574–1627), Baroque composer
• George Frideric Handel (1685–1759), Baroque composer, wrote a significant amount of music for the church including Messiah
• Hans Werner Henze (born 1926), 20th-century modernist composer.
• Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), 20th-century composer, conductor and theorist, developer of "Gebrauchsmusik"
• Gottfried August Homilius (1714–1785), church music composer, wrote passions, oratorios, and cantatas
• Bertold Hummel (1925–2002), 20th-century modernist composer
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837), Classical composer

J

• Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (1708–c1763), musician at the court of Frederick II of Prussia, wrote 28 quadro sonatas

K

• Richard Rudolf Klein (* 1921), musician, university professor, composer and conductor
• Julius Klengel (1859–1933), cellist and composer
• Paul Klengel (1854–1935), violinist, pianist
• August Friedrich Martin Klughardt (1847–1902), composer and conductor
• Joseph Martin Kraus (1756–1792), Classical composer who moved to Sweden
• Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713–1780), composer and organist
• Peter Anton Kreusser (1765–1831)

L

• Alexander Ledkovsky (1944–2004), German-American conductor, composer, and music editor of Russian descent.
• Johann Carl Gottfried Löwe (1796–1869), Romantic era composer of lieder
• Henning Lohner (born 1961), film score composer

M

• Simon Mayr (1763–1845), Classical era opera composer, rarely performed today
• Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), sister of Felix Mendelssohn, pianist and composer
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), Romantic composer, known for Wedding March from his music to A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864), Romantic era opera composer, known for Les Huguenots
• Jan Morgenstern (born 1980), film score composer
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), son of Leopold, influential composer of operas, piano concertos, chamber music, symphonies, sacred works, and much else

O

• Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), Romantic composer and cellist
• Carl Orff (1895–1982), 20th century modernist composer
• Caspar Othmayr (1515–1553), Renaissance composer

P

• Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), Baroque composer known for his Canon in D major
• Hans Pfitzner (1869–1949), composer and self-described anti-modernist
• Michael Praetorius (1571–1621), Baroque composer, organist and writer on music

R

• Carl Reinecke (1824–1910), musician and composer
• Wolfgang Rihm (born 1952), 20th Century Post-Modernist composer.

S

• Christoph Schaffrath (1709–1763), chamber music composer, a bridge between the Baroque and Classical eras
• Samuel Scheidt (1587–1653), Baroque composer, organist and teacher
• Martin Scherber (1907–1974), 20th century composer of three symphonies
• Johann Schop (1590–1667), composer of violin music
• Clara Schumann (1819–1896), Romantic composer, wife of Robert Schumann and pianist who also wrote piano music, chamber music and songs
• Robert Schumann (1810–1856), Romantic composer, a significant lieder writer, also wrote many short piano pieces
• Georg Caspar Schürmann (c. 1673–1751), Baroque composer
• Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672), Baroque composer and organist
• Philipp Scharwenka (1847–1917), composer and teacher
• Fritz Seitz (1848–1918), Romantic era violin teacher
• Louis Spohr (1784–1859), Romantic composer of symphonies, operas, and other works
• Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007), 20th Century serial and electronic music composer.
• Richard Strauss (1864–1949), late Romantic composer, known for Also Sprach Zarathustra, based on Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy

T

• Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), Baroque composer with more than 800 credited works
• Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn (1811-1886), Romantic composer, conductor and music writer

V

• Friedrich Robert Volkmann (1815–1883)

W

• Max Wagenknecht (1857–1922), composer of organ and piano music
• Ignatz Waghalter (1881-1949), composer of operas, operettas, songs, and works for violin and orchestra.
• Richard Wagner (1813–1883), opera composer, made use of extreme chromaticism, known for Tristan und Isolde as well as the famous four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen
• Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826), composer who was a bridge between the Classical and Romantic styles, noted for Der Freischütz
• Franz Wohlfahrt (1833–1884), Romantic era violin teacher

Z

• Adolf Zander (1843-1914), Middle Romantic composer, organist, music director, choir director and founder of the Berliner Liedertafel choir.
• Hans Zimmer (born 1957), composer for over 100 film scores, notable for blending electronic music and orchestral arrangements

See also

• Chronological list of German classical composers