list of famous gay, lesbian or bisexual composers

The following is a list of famous gay, lesbian, or bisexual composers of music from many genres.

See also: List of famous gay, lesbian or bisexual people

A

Ruth Anderson ²
Peter Allen ⁴, once married Liza Minnelli, partnered with Gregory Connell from 1973 till his own death in 1992

Samuel Barber ^1,2
Jean Barraque, dated Michel Foucault
Eve Beglarian ²
Leonard Bernstein ^1,4, though married had "indiscretions"
Chester Biscardi ²
Chris de Blasio ²
Marc Blitzstein ^1,2,3
Konrad Boehmer
Pierre Boulez
David Bowie, ⁴, came out as bisexual to Playboy in 1975, married Iman in 1992 and said he had been 'a closet heterosexual' in the 70's but that he does not regret it
Paul Bowles, ⁴, though married to lesbian Jane Auer
Baron Benjamin Britten ^1,4, partnered with singer Sir Peter Pears from 1936 till his own death in 1976
Sylvano Bussoti
Madelyn Byrne ²

John Cage ^1,2
Cazuza ⁴ bisexual
Frederic Chopin ¹. He was not exactly homosexual, having been involved in several tragic love affairs with society beauties, notably Konstantia Gladkowska and Maria Wodzinski, before he established his (in)famous relationship with the female novelist George Sand. However, by this time, the previously robust interest Chopin had once expressed in the opposite sex had lapsed into an aloof indifference bordering on pessimism. Whether his relationship with Sand was of a sexual nature has never been conclusively proven. On the other hand, there is no substantial evidence to show that Chopin possessed homosexual tendencies either, so he can be more accurately described as asexual. See List of asexuals.
David Conte
Aaron Copland ^1,2
Marghreta Cordero
John Corigliano ^1,3
Arcangelo Corelli ¹
Henry Cowell ²
Conrad Cummings ²

Peter Maxwell Davies ^1,3
David Del Tredici ^1,2
David Diamond
Ani DiFranco ^1,3, bisexual, she was married to Andrew Gilchrist for five years starting in 1998

Melissa Etheridge ³, publicly came out as a lesbian during President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in January 1993

Harry Partch ²
Thomas Pasatieri
Linda Perry
Daniel Pinkham
Cole Porter ³
Francis Poulenc ^1,3,4 French composer, openly gay from his first serious relationship, that with painter Richard Chanelaire to whom he wrote, "You have changed my life, you are the sunshine of my thirty years, a reason for living and working." He also said, "You know that I am as sincere in my faith, without any messianic screamings, as I am in my Parisian sexuality."

Camille Saint-Sans. He might also be described as 'bisexual', because Saint-Sans did fall in love with nineteen-year-old Marie-Laure Truffot in 1875, but their marriage later proved to be mediocre at best. After the untimely deaths of their two young children, Saint-Sans blamed Marie and left her; she never saw him again.
Fred Schneider ³
Alexander Scriabin
Marc Shaiman ¹, coupled with lyricist/director Scott Wittman since 1979
Zola Shaulis
Sławek Słarosta, ⁴
Dame Ethel Smyth ¹
Jimmy Somerville ^3,4
Stephen Sondheim ¹
Michael Stipe ³
William Thomas Strayhorn ¹
Conrad Susa
Sylvester ⁴
Karol Maciej Szymanowski

Hordur Torfason, ⁴
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ^1,3
Neil Tennant ³
Virgil Thomson ^1,2
Nurit Tilles ²
Sir Michael Tippett ^1,4, Of his one time partner painter Wilfred Franks Tippett wrote, "Meeting with Wilf was the deepest, most shattering experience of falling in love; and I am quite certain that it was a major factor underlying the discovery of my own individual musical voice...all that love flowed out in the slow movement of my First String Quartet. He was partnered with Meirion Bowen till his own death in 1998.
'Blue' Gene Tyranny

Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture
included on CRI's Gay American Composers Vol. 1 (ASIN B000005TY0) or 2 (ASIN B000005TYR), or Lesbian American Composers (ASIN B000006HHZ)
Wikipedia
Aldrich, Robert and Wotherspoon, Gary (Eds.) (2001). Who's Who in Contemporary Gay & Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. New York: Routledge. ISBN 041522974X.
Larivire, Michel, Homosexuels et bisexuels clbres: le dictionnaire, preface by Pierre Berg, drawings by Jean Cocteau - Paris, Deltraz, 1997. - 393 p., ill., 22 cm. - ISBN 2-911110-19-6
Bredel, Marc, Erik Satie - Paris, Mazarine, 1982 - 232 p. - ISBN 2-86374-055-5

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