callings of the archive
Composer Biographies
Every archived life recorded as composer, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Roger Ver
February 27, 1944 – January 12, 2020
English conservative philosopher and writer (1944–2020)
Modern era
Norodom Suramarit
March 6, 1896 – April 3, 1960
Cambodian king (1896-1960)
Contemporary era
Ivo Josipović
b. August 28, 1957
Croatian politician, third President of Croatia
Modern era
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
December 5, 1927 – October 13, 2016
Former King of Thailand (1927–2016)
Medieval era
Hildegard of Bingen
1098 – September 17, 1179
German Benedictine abbess, polymath, mystic and Doctor of Church (1098–1179)
Contemporary era
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997
Pakistani musician, primarily a singer of qawwali (1948-1997)
Medieval era
Richard the Lionheart
September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199
King of England from 1189 to 1199 (1157–1199)
Modern era
William Wallace
July 3, 1860 – December 16, 1940
Scottish composer and writer (1860-1940)
Medieval era
Henry VIII
June 28, 1491 – January 28, 1547
King of England from 1509 to 1547 (1491–1547)
Early Modern era
Anne Boleyn
1501 – May 19, 1536
Second wife of Henry VIII of England (died 1536)
Early Modern era
William Herschel
November 15, 1738 – August 15, 1822
German-born British astronomer and composer (1738–1822)
Ancient era
Sappho
c. 650 BCE – c. 550 BCE
Ancient Greek poet from Lesbos (c. 630-c. 570 BC)
Modern era
Friedrich Nietzsche
October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900
German philosopher (1844-1900)
Modern era
Rabindranath Tagore
May 7, 1861 – August 7, 1941
Bengali poet, philosopher and polymath (1861–1941)
Contemporary era
Paulo Coelho
b. August 24, 1947
Brazilian lyricist and novelist (born 1947)
Early Modern era
Johann Sebastian Bach
March 21, 1685 – July 28, 1750
Baroque composer whose counterpoint remains music's foundation
Early Modern era
Antonio Vivaldi
March 4, 1678 – July 28, 1741
Italian composer and violinist (1678–1741)
Early Modern era
George Frideric Handel
February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759
German-British Baroque composer (1685–1759)
Early Modern era
Joseph Haydn
March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809
Austrian composer (1732–1809)
Early Modern era
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791
Prodigy composer of over 600 works of enduring genius
Modern era
Ludwig van Beethoven
December 16, 1770 – March 26, 1827
German composer who carried music from the classical to the romantic age
Early Modern era
Franz Schubert
January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828
Austrian composer (1797–1828)
Modern era
Frederic Chopin
February 22, 1810 – October 17, 1849
Polish composer and pianist (1810–1849)
Modern era
Robert Schumann
June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856
German composer, pianist and critic (1810–1856)
Modern era
Clara Schumann
September 13, 1819 – May 20, 1896
German musician and composer (1819–1896)
Modern era
Johannes Brahms
May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897
German composer (1833–1897)
Modern era
Richard Wagner
May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883
German composer (1813–1883)
Modern era
Giuseppe Verdi
April 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901
Italian opera composer (1813–1901)
Modern era
Giacomo Puccini
December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924
Italian opera composer (1858–1924)
Early Modern era
Gioachino Rossini
February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868
Italian opera composer (1792–1868)
Modern era
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
April 25, 1840 – October 25, 1893
Russian composer (1840–1893)
Modern era
Sergei Rachmaninoff
April 1, 1873 – March 28, 1943
Russian composer, pianist and conductor (1873–1943)
Modern era
Igor Stravinsky
June 18, 1882 – April 6, 1971
Russian, French, and American composer (1882–1971)
Modern era
Claude Debussy
August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918
French classical composer (1862–1918)
Modern era
Maurice Ravel
March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937
French composer (1875–1937)
Modern era
Erik Satie
May 17, 1866 – July 1, 1925
French composer and pianist (1866-1925)
Modern era
Gustav Mahler
July 7, 1860 – May 18, 1911
Austrian late-Romantic composer (1860–1911)
Modern era
Felix Mendelssohn
February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847
German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of Jewish descent (1809-1847)
Modern era
Camille Saint-Saens
October 9, 1835 – December 16, 1921
French composer, organist, conductor and pianist (1835–1921)
Modern era
Edvard Grieg
June 15, 1843 – September 4, 1907
Norwegian composer and pianist (1843–1907)
Modern era
Jean Sibelius
December 8, 1865 – September 20, 1957
Finnish composer (1865–1957)
Modern era
Sergei Prokofiev
April 23, 1891 – March 5, 1953
Russian and Soviet pianist, composer and conductor (1891–1953)
Modern era
George Gershwin
September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937
American composer and pianist (1898–1937)
Modern era
Leonard Bernstein
August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990
American conductor and composer (1918–1990)
Modern era
John Williams
b. February 8, 1932
American composer and conductor (born 1932)
Contemporary era
Hans Zimmer
b. September 12, 1957
German film composer (born 1957)
Modern era
Charlie Chaplin
April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977
Silent-film genius whose Tramp became cinema's first icon
Modern era
Satyajit Ray
May 2, 1921 – April 23, 1992
Indian filmmaker and writer (1921–1992)
Modern era
Duke Ellington
April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974
American jazz pianist and composer (1899–1974)
Modern era
Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996
American jazz singer (1917–1996)
Modern era
Miles Davis
May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991
American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)
Modern era
John Coltrane
September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967
American jazz saxophonist (1926–1967)
Modern era
Charlie Parker
August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955
American jazz saxophonist (1920–1955)
Modern era
B.B. King
September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015
American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter (1925–2015)
Modern era
Ray Charles
September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004
American singer, pianist and songwriter (1930–2004)
Modern era
James Brown
May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006
American musician (1933–2006)
Modern era
Chuck Berry
October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017
American musician (1926–2017)
Modern era
Buddy Holly
September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959
American rock and roll singer (1936–1959)
Modern era
Elvis Presley
January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977
American singer and actor (1935–1977)
Modern era
Ringo Starr
b. July 7, 1940
British musician, drummer for the Beatles (born 1940)