The great 20th-century performers
Anderson or Jansons? Lang or Mehta? It is difficult for inquiring minds to tackle a field as large and diverse as classical music, covering 10 centuries of history: there are uncountable numbers of classical music performers in the world. Making a selection of musicians, such as a “top 10” for example, is a difficult and subjective exercise. A musical selection is often the expression of personal preferences or artistic opinions, very interesting but also very different according to critics or musicologists, or simply influenced by the context: will an English performer/musician not be instinctively privileged by an English critic?
For example: in Canada, Marc-André Hamelin, a Quebec pianist and composer, is at least as popular as the German violinist Anne-Sofie Mutter, who is more internationally renowned.
Timeline of classical musicians, between 1900 and 2000+
Whoever wants to discover classical music does not always have an experienced music lover, an expert or an educator at his or her side to support and guide him or her in this field. So : Anderson (African-American contralto (1897–1993)) or Jansons (Latvian conductor (1943–2019)) ? Haitink (Dutch conductor and violinist (1929-2021)) or Cortot (Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor) ? However, the knowledge available about musicians is enormous. It was processed to select the 10, 25, 50... most popular performers around the world, for those living or having lived between 1900 and 2000+. And this objectively, and for the first time (soclassiq exclusivity).
Performers rendered as a timeline to bring a little perspective:
.
ComposersConductorsLyrical singersPerformersT 2024
This timeline is interactive to navigate through the ages or across continents (with ).
Why are all these composers included in this timeline?
Many composers have also been concert performers or conductors, although their fame is associated with their work today. On the other hand, some conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Georg Solti ... or musicians such as Martha Argerich, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould ... have also composed. Itzhak Perlman, David Oïstrakh... very well known as concert performers, have also conducted orchestras. Others, such as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, William Christie ..., are renowned as much for their careers as composers, conductors and performers.
Top 10 classical musicians for the years 1900-2000+
Who are these greatest performers, the most famous over the 1900-2000+ era? The carreer of these musician has marked the history of classical music. There are those you probably know, or at least by name and the others.
Here are these 10 performers, renowned artists from around the world:
The musicians and artists who also composed were removed from this ranking.
The selections of musicians (performers) proposed by soclassiq are based exclusively on algorithms. The same applies to the composers, their works, the lyrical singers, les orchestras, the conductors and the venues : opera houses, concert halls or festivals.
What about the others? 25, 50 or more?
Summarizing to 10 musician names such a wide and diverse field may seem extreme or too simplistic for those who know classical music well, for those who can easily name 50 or more classical music performers. Szeryng, Rubinstein, Buniatishvili, Muti, Pré, Heifetz, Barenboim...
At this time, soclassiq has listed more than 13000 performers. So here is a selection of some performers for the years 1900-2000+, widely recognized around the world:
Note:
- This selection may include highly reputed artists and musicians who have occasionally devoted themselves to classical music and not exclusively.
- It may also include performers who have been or are composers, some more renowned for the work they have left than for their careers as musicians.
Claudio Abbado The great 20th-century performers
1933-2014 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
John Adams The great 20th-century performers
age 77 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Theodor W. Adorno The great 20th-century performers
1903-1969 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Isaac Albéniz The great 20th-century performers
1860-1909 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Marian Anderson The great 20th-century performers
1897-1993 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Ernest Ansermet The great 20th-century performers
1883-1969 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Martha Argerich The great 20th-century performers
age 82 (20th century)
Performer
Claudio Arrau The great 20th-century performers
1903-1991 (20th century)
Performer
Vladimir Ashkenazy The great 20th-century performers
age 86 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leopold von Auer The great 20th-century performers
1845-1930 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Mily Balakirev The great 20th-century performers
1836-1910 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Samuel Barber The great 20th-century performers
1910-1981 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Daniel Barenboim The great 20th-century performers
age 81 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
John Barry The great 20th-century performers
1933-2011 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Béla Bartók The great 20th-century performers
1881-1945 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Lena Belkina The great 20th-century performers
age 36 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alban Berg The great 20th-century performers
1885-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Luciano Berio The great 20th-century performers
1925-2003 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leonard Bernstein The great 20th-century performers
1918-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Andrea Bocelli The great 20th-century performers
age 65 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Nadia Boulanger The great 20th-century performers
1887-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Pierre Boulez The great 20th-century performers
1925-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Benjamin Britten The great 20th-century performers
1913-1976 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Khatia Buniatishvili The great 20th-century performers
age 36 (20th century)
Performer
Ferruccio Busoni The great 20th-century performers
1866-1924 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
John Cage The great 20th-century performers
1912-1992 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Maria Callas The great 20th-century performers
1923-1977 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Pau Casals The great 20th-century performers
1876-1973 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Alfredo Casella The great 20th-century performers
1883-1947 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Boris Christoff The great 20th-century performers
1914-1993 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Francesco Cilea The great 20th-century performers
1866-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Aaron Copland The great 20th-century performers
1900-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Alfred Cortot The great 20th-century performers
1877-1962 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
György Cziffra The great 20th-century performers
1921-1994 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Eugen d'd'Albert The great 20th-century performers
1864-1932 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Luigi Dallapiccola The great 20th-century performers
1904-1975 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Peter Maxwell Davies The great 20th-century performers
1934-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Claude Debussy The great 20th-century performers
1862-1918 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leonardo de De Lorenzo The great 20th-century performers
1875-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ernő von Dohnányi The great 20th-century performers
1877-1960 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Gustavo Dudamel The great 20th-century performers
age 43 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Paul Dukas The great 20th-century performers
1865-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Marcel Dupré The great 20th-century performers
1886-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Antonín Dvořák The great 20th-century performers
1841-1904 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
George Enescu The great 20th-century performers
1881-1955 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Manuel de Falla The great 20th-century performers
1876-1946 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Gabriel Fauré The great 20th-century performers
1845-1924 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau The great 20th-century performers
1925-2012 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
Renée Fleming The great 20th-century performers
age 65 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Wilhelm Furtwängler The great 20th-century performers
1886-1954 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Aida Garifullina The great 20th-century performers
age 36 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Lisa Gerrard The great 20th-century performers
age 62 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
George Gershwin The great 20th-century performers
1898-1937 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Michael Giacchino The great 20th-century performers
age 56 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Emil Gilels The great 20th-century performers
1916-1985 (20th century)
Performer
Philip Glass The great 20th-century performers
age 87 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Alexander Glazunov The great 20th-century performers
1865-1936 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jerry Goldsmith The great 20th-century performers
1929-2004 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Henryk Górecki The great 20th-century performers
1933-2010 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Midori Gotō The great 20th-century performers
age 52 (20th century)
Performer
Glenn Gould The great 20th-century performers
1932-1982 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Enrique Granados The great 20th-century performers
1867-1916 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Edvard Grieg The great 20th-century performers
1843-1907 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Edita Gruberová The great 20th-century performers
1946-2021 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Ida Haendel The great 20th-century performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Performer
Hilary Hahn The great 20th-century performers
age 44 (20th century)
Performer
Bernard Haitink The great 20th-century performers
1929-2021 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Uzeyir Hajibeyov The great 20th-century performers
1885-1948 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nikolaus Harnoncourt The great 20th-century performers
1929-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Clara Haskil The great 20th-century performers
1895-1960 (20th century)
Performer
Jascha Heifetz The great 20th-century performers
1901-1987 (20th century)
Performer
Paul Hindemith The great 20th-century performers
1895-1963 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Joe Hisaishi The great 20th-century performers
age 73 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
Gustav Holst The great 20th-century performers
1874-1934 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Arthur Honegger The great 20th-century performers
1892-1955 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
James Horner The great 20th-century performers
1953-2015 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Vladimir Horowitz The great 20th-century performers
1903-1989 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Leoš Janáček The great 20th-century performers
1854-1928 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Janine Jansen The great 20th-century performers
age 46 (20th century)
Performer
Mariss Jansons The great 20th-century performers
1943-2019 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Joseph Joachim The great 20th-century performers
1831-1907 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Scott Joplin The great 20th-century performers
1868-1917 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Dmitri Kabalevsky The great 20th-century performers
1904-1986 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Aram Khachaturian The great 20th-century performers
1903-1978 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Wojciech Kilar The great 20th-century performers
1932-2013 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Evgeny Kissin The great 20th-century performers
age 52 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Zoltán Kodály The great 20th-century performers
1882-1967 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leonid Kogan The great 20th-century performers
1924-1982 (20th century)
Performer
Erich Wolfgang Korngold The great 20th-century performers
1897-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Fritz Kreisler The great 20th-century performers
1875-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Gidon Kremer The great 20th-century performers
age 77 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Wanda Landowska The great 20th-century performers
1879-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Lang Lang The great 20th-century performers
age 41 (20th century)
Performer
Alicia de Larrocha The great 20th-century performers
1923-2009 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ruggero Leoncavallo The great 20th-century performers
1857-1919 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Gustav Leonhardt The great 20th-century performers
1928-2012 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
James Levine The great 20th-century performers
1943-2021 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Yundi Li The great 20th-century performers
age 41 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Borys Liatoshynsky The great 20th-century performers
1895-1968 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
György Ligeti The great 20th-century performers
1923-2006 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Dinu Lipatti The great 20th-century performers
1917-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Valentina Lisitsa The great 20th-century performers
age 53 (20th century)
Performer
Paco de Lucía The great 20th-century performers
1947-2014 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Christa Ludwig The great 20th-century performers
1928-2021 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Witold Lutosławski The great 20th-century performers
1913-1994 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Yo-Yo Ma The great 20th-century performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Lorin Maazel The great 20th-century performers
1930-2014 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Gustav Mahler The great 20th-century performers
1860-1911 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Mischa Maisky The great 20th-century performers
age 76 (20th century)
Performer
Clint Mansell The great 20th-century performers
age 61 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Neville Marriner The great 20th-century performers
1924-2016 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Bohuslav Martinů The great 20th-century performers
1890-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Jules Massenet The great 20th-century performers
1842-1912 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Zubin Mehta The great 20th-century performers
age 87 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Yehudi Menuhin The great 20th-century performers
1916-1999 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Olivier Messiaen The great 20th-century performers
1908-1992 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Darius Milhaud The great 20th-century performers
1892-1974 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Nathan Milstein The great 20th-century performers
1902-1992 (20th century)
Performer
Ennio Morricone The great 20th-century performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Yevgeny Mravinsky The great 20th-century performers
1903-1988 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Riccardo Muti The great 20th-century performers
age 83 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Anne-Sophie Mutter The great 20th-century performers
age 60 (20th century)
Performer
Nikolai Myaskovsky The great 20th-century performers
1881-1950 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Carl Nielsen The great 20th-century performers
1865-1931 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Luigi Nono The great 20th-century performers
1924-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
David Oistrakh The great 20th-century performers
1908-1974 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Carl Orff The great 20th-century performers
1895-1982 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Ignacy Jan Paderewski The great 20th-century performers
1860-1941 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arvo Pärt The great 20th-century performers
age 88 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Krzysztof Penderecki The great 20th-century performers
1933-2020 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Murray Perahia The great 20th-century performers
age 76 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Itzhak Perlman The great 20th-century performers
age 78 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Astor Piazzolla The great 20th-century performers
1921-1992 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Maria João Pires The great 20th-century performers
age 79 (20th century)
Performer
Francis Poulenc The great 20th-century performers
1899-1963 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jacqueline du Pré The great 20th-century performers
1945-1987 (20th century)
Performer
Zbigniew Preisner The great 20th-century performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Sergei Prokofiev The great 20th-century performers
1891-1953 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Giacomo Puccini The great 20th-century performers
1858-1924 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Sergei Rachmaninoff The great 20th-century performers
1873-1943 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Simon Rattle The great 20th-century performers
age 69 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Maurice Ravel The great 20th-century performers
1875-1937 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Max Reger The great 20th-century performers
1873-1916 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Ottorino Respighi The great 20th-century performers
1879-1936 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Sviatoslav Richter The great 20th-century performers
1915-1997 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
André Rieu The great 20th-century performers
age 74 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov The great 20th-century performers
1844-1908 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Mstislav Rostropovich The great 20th-century performers
1927-2007 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Nino Rota The great 20th-century performers
1911-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Miklós Rózsa The great 20th-century performers
1907-1995 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Arthur Rubinstein The great 20th-century performers
1887-1982 (20th century)
Performer
Camille Saint-Saëns The great 20th-century performers
1835-1921 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Pablo de Sarasate The great 20th-century performers
1844-1908 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Erik Satie The great 20th-century performers
1866-1925 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jordi Savall The great 20th-century performers
age 82 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Wolfgang Sawallisch The great 20th-century performers
1923-2013 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
András Schiff The great 20th-century performers
age 70 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Alfred Schnittke The great 20th-century performers
1934-1998 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arnold Schoenberg The great 20th-century performers
1874-1951 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf The great 20th-century performers
1915-2006 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Renata Scotto The great 20th-century performers
1933-2023 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alexander Scriabin The great 20th-century performers
1872-1915 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Andrés Segovia Torres The great 20th-century performers
1893-1987 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Rodion Shchedrin The great 20th-century performers
age 91 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Howard Shore The great 20th-century performers
age 77 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Dmitri Shostakovich The great 20th-century performers
1906-1975 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Jean Sibelius The great 20th-century performers
1865-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Georg Solti The great 20th-century performers
1912-1997 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Charles Villiers Stanford The great 20th-century performers
1852-1924 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Karlheinz Stockhausen The great 20th-century performers
1928-2007 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Leopold Stokowski The great 20th-century performers
1882-1977 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Richard Strauss The great 20th-century performers
1864-1949 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Igor Stravinsky The great 20th-century performers
1882-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Josef Suk The great 20th-century performers
1874-1935 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arthur Sullivan The great 20th-century performers
1842-1900 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Johan Svendsen The great 20th-century performers
1840-1911 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Georgy Sviridov The great 20th-century performers
1915-1998 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Valentyn Sylvestrov The great 20th-century performers
age 86 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henryk Szeryng The great 20th-century performers
1918-1988 (20th century)
Performer
Władysław Szpilman The great 20th-century performers
1911-2000 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Karol Szymanowski The great 20th-century performers
1882-1937 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Francisco Tárrega The great 20th-century performers
1852-1909 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Yann Tiersen The great 20th-century performers
age 53 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Arturo Toscanini The great 20th-century performers
1867-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Vanessa Vanessa-Mae The great 20th-century performers
age 45 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Ralph Vaughan Williams The great 20th-century performers
1872-1958 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Giuseppe Verdi The great 20th-century performers
1813-1901 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Pauline Viardot The great 20th-century performers
1821-1910 (Romantic)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Louis Vierne The great 20th-century performers
1870-1937 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Heitor Villa-Lobos The great 20th-century performers
1887-1959 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Émile Waldteufel The great 20th-century performers
1837-1915 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
William Walton The great 20th-century performers
1902-1983 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Anton Webern The great 20th-century performers
1883-1945 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Kurt Weill The great 20th-century performers
1900-1950 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Charles-Marie Widor The great 20th-century performers
1844-1937 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
John Williams The great 20th-century performers
age 92 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Eugène Ysaÿe The great 20th-century performers
1858-1931 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Hans Zimmer The great 20th-century performers
age 66 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
See also...
Timelines : Performers
- The great classical music performers
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [II.] (1950 - 2000)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [I.] (1900 - 1950)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 19th-century performers (1850 - 1900)
Indexes
- All performers : by instrument * by country
- by alphabetical order : 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
- Young artists (Performers)
Other timelines
- Composers : 10 centuries of classical music
- The great classical music conductors
- The great lyrical singers
Commemorations 2024, 2025, ...
Last update : 2024-03-10