National composer is an ideological term denoting a composer who largely employs national symbols and elements in his musical works; furthermore he is highly popular among the public of the national culture he belongs to, and is internationally recognised as an important composer.
It is comparable to a national poet, but has no titular history (i.e. poet laureate). The term has been formed during the national and patriot movements of the 19th century, primarily amongst European countries under foreign rule. Although there are many composers having employed national elements in their music, only few of them are regarded as national composers due to their lacking international recognition and popularity abroad.
National composers are mostly found in Scandinavia:
and in Eastern Europe:
There are also a few national composers in Western Europe, mostly from small countries where they are regarded as national idols without having employed national elements in their work:
There is no similar recognition of national composers in nations with vast musical traditions like Germany, Italy and France. However the Nazis used to stylize composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner and Anton Bruckner as German national composers.[1] Giuseppe Verdi may be regarded as an Italian national composer, especially in light of the political and national themes of such operas as Nabucco and Don Carlos.