Famous british 20th century composers biography

Tallis was a composer throughout the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I and, in spite of upheavals in the church created by these monarchs, remained a steadfast composer of sacred music, able to adapt his style and set texts in both English and Latin. Byrd wrote some of the most sublime music known to the human ear. A Renaissance master, his music defined the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who had a deep love for his music and so turned a blind eye to his devout Roman Catholicism.

No other English composers managed to approach his stardom, until Elgar came along two centuries later. Elgar is perhaps the quintessential English composer, many of his works having entered the classical music canon. And his famous Enigma Variations , two symphonies, and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches all demonstrate his superlative orchestral and instrumental writing.

English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was one of the most important figures in classical music in the 20th century.

Famous british classical composers

Taking inspiration from sources as diverse as Tudor polyphony and English folksong, Vaughan Williams wrote nine symphonies, six operas, a ballet and hymn tunes as well as scores for the stage and screen. A contemporary of Vaughan Williams and Holst, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer and conductor famous for rich orchestral works and brilliant instrumental writing.

For English composer, conductor and pianist Britten , the human experience and psyche was an endless source of inspiration. His operas especially, including The Turn of the Screw and Peter Grimes , use powerful music to set stories of the isolated individual increasingly at odds with a hostile society.