contrapuntist - a composer who specializes in counterpoint

musician - artist who composes or conducts music as a profession

psalmist - a composer of sacred songs; "David is called The Psalmist because he is believed to be the author of the Book of Psalms"

ballad maker, songster, songwriter - a composer of words or music for popular songs

Ambrose, Saint Ambrose, St. Ambrose - (Roman Catholic Church) Roman priest who became bishop of Milan; the first Church Father born and raised in the Christian faith; composer of hymns; imposed orthodoxy on the early Christian church and built up its secular power; a saint and Doctor of the Church (340?-397)

Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach - German baroque organist and contrapuntist; composed mostly keyboard music; one of the greatest creators of Western music (1685-1750)

Barber, Samuel Barber - United States composer (1910-1981)

Bartok, Bela Bartok - Hungarian composer and pianist who collected Hungarian folk music; in 1940 he moved to the United States (1881-1945)

Beethoven, Ludwig van Beethoven, van Beethoven - German composer of instrumental music (especially symphonic and chamber music); continued to compose after he lost his hearing (1770-1827)

Bellini, Vincenzo Bellini - Italian composer of operas (1801-1835)

Alban Berg, Berg - Austrian composer in Schoenberg's twelve-tone music system (1885-1935)

Berlioz, Hector Berlioz, Louis-Hector Berlioz - French composer of Romantic works (1803-1869)

Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein - United States conductor and composer (1918-1990)

Bizet, Georges Bizet - French composer best known for his operas (1838-1875)

Blitzstein, Marc Blitzstein - United States pianist and composer of operas and musical plays (1905-1964)

Bloch, Ernest Bloch - United States composer (born in Switzerland) who composed symphonies and chamber music and choral music and a piano sonata and an opera (1880-1959)

Aleksandr Borodin, Aleksandr Porfirevich Borodin, Borodin - Russian composer (1833-1887)

Boulez, Pierre Boulez - French composer of serial music (born in 1925)

Brahms, Johannes Brahms - German composer who developed the Romantic style of both lyrical and classical music (1833-1897)

Benjamin Britten, Britten, Edward Benjamin Britten, Lord Britten of Aldeburgh - major English composer of the 20th century; noted for his operas (1913-1976)

Bruch, Max Bruch - German composer (1838-1920)

Anton Bruckner, Bruckner - Austrian organist and composer of Romantic music (1824-1896)

Byrd, William Byrd - English organist and composer of church music; master of 16th century polyphony; was granted a monopoly in music printing with Thomas Tallis (1543-1623)

John Cage, John Milton Cage Jr., Cage - United States composer of avant-garde music (1912-1992)

Carlos Chavez, Chavez - Mexican composer of nationalistic works using themes from Indian folk music (1899-1978)

Cherubini, Luigi Cherubini, Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Cherubini - Italian composer of church music and operas (1760-1842)

Frederic Francois Chopin, Chopin - French composer (born in Poland) and pianist of the romantic school (1810-1849)

Aaron Copland, Copland - United States composer who developed a distinctly American music (1900-1990)

Couperin, Francois Couperin - French composer of music for organ and a member of a family of distinguished organists (1668-1733)

Noel Coward, Sir Noel Pierce Coward, Coward - English dramatist and actor and composer noted for his witty and sophisticated comedies (1899-1973)

Czerny, Karl Czerny - Austrian virtuoso pianist and composer of many works for the piano; studied with Beethoven and was a teacher of Liszt (1791-1857)

Claude Achille Debussy, Claude Debussey, Debussy - French composer who is said to have created impressionism in music (1862-1918)