# Major art song composers



## tenoredigrazia (Feb 3, 2013)

Hey folks,

Can y'all do me a favor and help me build a list of "major" art song composers in:

1.) German (the tradition I know the least about)

2.) French (my favorite)

3.) English (British or American, doesn't matter.)

4.) Russian (for learning purposes)

By "major," I mean people with works in the so-called standard repertory for recitalists, concert singers, and students.

If, by any chance, someone can help me out with Portuguese-language composers (I'm bilingual in English and Brazilian Portuguese,) that would be awesome. I've only sung or heard a few pieces by Villa-Lobos. I've heard there are other composers who are highly-regarded and more prolific, but their works are hard to find here.

Thanks!


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Extracted from the 'TC Top 100 Recommended Art Songs' thread

"Major" art song composers in:

1.) German: Mahler, Schubert, R. Strauss, R. Schumann, Schoenberg, Brahms, Beethoven, Hugo Wolf, Wagner, Berg, Webern, Zemlinsky

2.) French: Ravel, Berlioz, Debussy, Fauré, Boulez, Messiaen, Poulenc, Canteloube, Chausson, Machaut (mediaeval French or Latin, I presume), Satie, Hahn

3.) English language: Barber, Vaughan-Williams, Britten, Dowland, Copland, Elgar, Finzi, Lieberson, Delius, Ives

4.) Russian: Stravinsky, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich

5.) Czech: Janáček, Martinů, Dvořák

6.) Scandinavian languages: Sibelius, Grieg, Nystroem

7.) Spanish: Falla, Alfonso X El Sabio

8.) Portuguese: Villa-Lobos

Others were nominated but didn't make the top 100 - if you looked at the thread you'd find a few more fairly major composers of song. I hope this fits the bill

T-Vox


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

TurnaboutVox said:


> 2.) French: Ravel, Berlioz, Debussy, Fauré, Boulez, Messiaen, Poulenc, Canteloube, Chausson, Machaut (mediaeval French or Latin, I presume), Satie, Hahn


I think Duparc should be in the list



TurnaboutVox said:


> 3.) English language: Barber, Vaughan-Williams, Britten, Dowland, Copland, Elgar, Finzi, Lieberson, Delius, Ives


also Peter Warlock, Ivor Gurney, Ned Rorem


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

TurnaboutVox said:


> 7.) Spanish: Falla, Alfonso X El Sabio


I believe Alfonso X El Sabio's "Cantigas de Santa Maria" are actually written in Portuguese.

EDIT: ok just checked and it is Galician-Portuguese. So a common ancestor of both languages.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

I was tempted to add Peter Warlock, Norman, but the rest had been mutually agreed by the thread participants. In any case, you have just added those four.

Thanks, Winterreisender, for your clarification - I am 'whistling in the dark' in that repertoire!

T-Vox


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