finding composers

[keithjarrett]

Hi. I'm not that well experienced when it comes to classical music, and I would like a few tips on how to discover new composers.

For example, when I hear the word impressionism, the only two composers I can think of are Debussy and Ravel, maybe Satie in some cases.

Atonal music or twelve tone, I think of Schoenberg or Alban Berg. etc.

I would like to find more baroque composers as well, other than Bach and Henry Purcell to name two.

Chopin and Rachmaninoff I know of aswell of course. I would like to discover other, more "underground" composers.

I really like the format song/piano, and would be interested in composers who's written alot of pieces for that format.

How do you discover new composers?

[pinoypianist]

I think reading alot of books about music or composers will really help(there are alot of internet resources, you can just google it up). And lots of listening. Well for the songs, if you are refering to art songs (not pop) there's Franz Schubert who composed at least 600 of them, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Francis Poulenc, Debussy wrote some pretty nice ones aI there's more but these are the ones that came to my mind. Hope this helps a little


EDIT: If you have a local library or university music library, try to look up the "New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians", Tons of stuff about music, composers etc. in there. But im wondering why Alexander Alabieff(spelling?) is not listed there because I have a Liszt transcription of his work "the nightingale" and im trying to find out who he is.

[richard black]

How do you discover new composers?

Well, you're obviously connected to the internet.

[healdie]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rough-Guide-Classical-Music-Guides/dp/1843532476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225395379&sr=8-1

this book will tell you everything it goes through the major works of hundereds of composers from all eras all styles and discusses their major works and even makes cd recomendations i know i have found alot of new composers through this book

[mad_max2024]

You can use books, you can browse through this and other forums a bit, you can use wiki or google, etc, etc.
You can then use youtube to sample their music. If you like them you can look for  a good recording to buy.

I knew loads of composers I never heard about during my trips both here and in pianophilia.
Also, whenever I do some research on a composer whose piece I'm studying I usually discover several other composers that were in some way related to him during his life.

[j.s. bach the 534th]

Well, you're obviously connected to the internet.

haha, brilliant

[keithjarrett]

Thanks, I'll look for those two books, they seem like an interesting read.

[chopinmozart7]

wikipedia: word: composer. List on composers.