Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill ( / w aɪ l / ; German: [vaɪl] ; March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950) was a composer born in Germany who later became an American citizen. He worked in Germany during the 1920s and later moved to the United States. Weill was a well-known composer for plays and musicals, and he had a successful partnership with the writer Bertolt Brecht.
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith ( / ˈ p aʊ l ˈ h ɪ n d ə m ɪ t / POWL HIN -də-mit ; German: [ˌpaʊ̯l ˈhɪndəmɪt] ; 16 November 1895 – 28 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist, and conductor. In 1921, he founded the Amar Quartet and traveled widely across Europe. As a composer, he helped promote the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) style of music in the 1920s.
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was born on July 7, 1911, and died on February 1, 2007. He was an Italian composer, writer of opera scripts, director, and playwright. He is best known for writing 25 operas.
William Schuman
William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910 – February 15, 1992) was an American composer and someone who managed arts programs.
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator. He was one of the most well-known composers of the mid-20th century. His music was mostly influenced by nine years of composition lessons with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute and more than 25 years of study with his uncle, Sidney Homer.
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein (born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music teacher, writer, and humanitarian. He was considered one of the most important conductors of his time and the first American-born conductor to gain international recognition. Music critic Donal Henahan called Bernstein “one of the most extremely talented and successful musicians in American history.” Bernstein received many honors, including seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, 16 Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), and an Academy Award nomination.
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland ( / ˈ k oʊ p l ə n d / KOHP -lənd ; November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. His peers and critics called him the “Dean of American Music.” The open, slowly changing harmonies in his music are often seen as a representation of American music, reflecting the large American landscape and the spirit of early settlers. He is best known for the works he created in the 1930s and 1940s, which used a style that was easy for people to understand and enjoy.
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (Catalan pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto eβaˈɾisto dʒinaˈsteɾa]) was born in Argentina on April 11, 1916, and passed away on June 25, 1983. He was a classical music composer who is regarded as one of the most important 20th-century classical composers from the Americas.
Carlos Chávez
Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez was born on June 13, 1899, and died on August 2, 1978. He was a Mexican composer, conductor, music expert, teacher, writer, and founder of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was inspired by traditional Mexican cultures.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was born on March 5, 1887, and died on November 17, 1959. He was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist. He is known as “the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music.” Villa-Lobos is one of the most well-known South American composers in music history.