The Romantic era of Western Classical music spanned the 19th century to the early 20th century, encompassing a variety of musical styles and techniques. Part of the broader Romanticism movement of Europe, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Gaspare Spontini, Niccolò Paganini, Gioachino Rossini and Franz Schubert are often seen as the dominant transitional figures composers from the preceding Classical era. Many composers began to channel nationalistic themes, such as Mikhail Glinka, The Five and Belyayev circle in Russia; Frédéric Chopin in Poland; Carl Maria von Weber and Heinrich Marschner in Germany; Edvard Grieg in Norway; Jean Sibelius in Finland; Giuseppe Verdi in Italy; Niels Gade and Carl Nielsen in Denmark; Pablo de Sarasate, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados in Spain; Frederick Delius and Edward Elgar in England; Stephen Foster, Edward MacDowell, Horatio Parker and Scott Joplin in the United States; Mykola Lysenko in Ukraine; and Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák in what is now the Czech Republic.
A European-wide debate took place, particularly in Germany, on what the ideal course of music was, following Beethoven's death. The New German School—primarily Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner—promoted progressive ideas, in opposition to more conservative composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Note that this list is purely chronological, and includes a substantial number of composers, especially those born after 1860, whose works cannot be conveniently classified as "Romantic", or those whose early compositions did begin in the Romantic style but later developed beyond it in the 20th century.
Late Classical/Proto-Romantic (born 1770–1799)
NameDate bornDate diedNationalityComments Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 1827 German composer and pianist, regarded by many as the first Romantic-era composer, most famous for Symphony No. 5 and Für Elise among others Ferdinando Carulli 1770 1841 Italian composer for the guitar, wrote concertos and chamber music Édouard Du Puy 1770 1822 Swiss composer, singer, director and violinist Peter Hänsel 1770 1831 German-Austrian composer and violinist James Hewitt 1770 1827 American composer, conductor and music publisher Anton Reicha 1770 1836 Czech-French composer who experimented with irregular time signatures in his keyboard fugues, composed a large number of significant works for wind quintet Christian Heinrich Rinck 1770 1846 German composer and organist Jan August Vitásek 1770 1839 Bohemian composer Friedrich Witt 1770 1836 German composer and cellist Johann Baptist Cramer 1771 1858 English musician of German origin Ferdinando Paer 1771 1839 Italian composer Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia 1772 1806 German member of the Prussian royal family, soldier, and composer. At the time of his premature death in the Battle of Saalfeld, he left behind 13 published works, many of which are imbued with a greater expressive depth than the Classical style which was then still prevalent Maria Frances Parke 1772 1822 English composer, pianist and soprano François-Louis Perne 1772 1832 French composer and musicographer Josef Triebensee 1772 1846 Bohemian composer and oboist Johann Wilhelm Wilms 1772 1847 Dutch-German composer, best known for writing Wien Neêrlands Bloed, which served as the Dutch national anthem from 1815 to 1932 Sophie Bawr 1773 1860 French composer, writer and playwright Pietro Generali 1773 1832 Italian composer of operas and vocal music Wenzel Thomas Matiegka 1773 1830 Czech composer Bartolomeo Bortolazzi 1773 1820 Italian mandolin and guitar virtuoso and composer Pierre Rode 1774 1830 French composer and violinist Gaspare Spontini 1774 1851 Italian opera composer and conductor, famous for La vestale Václav Tomášek 1774 1850 Czech composer and music teacher Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse 1774 1842 Danish composer in the Danish Golden Age Johann Anton André 1775 1842 German composer and music publisher François-Adrien Boieldieu 1775 1834 French composer João Domingos Bomtempo 1775 1842 Portuguese composer, pianist and pedagogue Bernhard Crusell 1775 1838 Finnish composer and clarinet player Sophia Dussek 1775 1831 Scottish composer of Italian descent, singer, pianist and harpist François de Fossa 1775 1849 French composer and guitarist Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann 1776 1822 German composer, author of fantasy and horror, jurist, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist Joseph Küffner 1776 1856 German composer and musician Philipp Jakob Riotte 1776 1856 German composer Ignaz von Seyfried 1776 1841 Austrian composer, musician and conductor Ludwig Berger 1777 1839 German composer, pianist and piano teacher Pauline Duchambge 1778 1858 French composer and pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel 1778 1837 Austrian composer and pianist, his music bridged the Classical era of music and Romantic era of music Sigismund von Neukomm 1778 1858 Austrian composer and pianist Fernando Sor 1778 1839 Spanish composer for the classical guitar who is credited with elevating the guitar to the level of concert instrument Rochus Dedler 1779 1822 German composer William Knyvett 1779 1856 British composer and singer Louise Reichardt 1779 1826 German composer and songwriter Luigi Antonio Calegari 1780 1849 Italian opera composer Conradin Kreutzer 1780 1849 German composer and conductor Louis François Dauprat 1781 1868 French composer, horn player and music professor at the Conservatoire de Paris Anton Diabelli 1781 1858 Austrian composer, music publisher and editor Mauro Giuliani 1781 1828 Italian composer and virtuoso guitarist Anthony Heinrich 1781 1861 American composer Sophie Lebrun 1781 1863 German composer and pianist François-Joseph Naderman 1781 1835 French composer, harpist and teacher Daniel Auber 1782 1871 French opera composer, noted for La muette de Portici Carlo Coccia 1782 1873 Italian opera composer John Field 1782 1837 Irish composer and pianist, notable for cultivating the nocturne Niccolò Paganini 1782 1840 Italian composer and virtuoso violinist, wrote the 24 Caprices for violin, five concerti for violin, string quartets and works for violin and guitar Charlotta Seuerling 1782 1828 Swedish composer, concert singer, harpsichordist and poet Friedrich Dotzauer 1783 1860 German composer and cellist Teresa Belloc-Giorgi 1784 1855 Italian composer and contralto Martin-Joseph Mengal 1784 1851 Belgian composer and instructor Francesco Morlacchi 1784 1841 Italian composer George Onslow 1784 1853 Anglo-French composer Ferdinand Ries 1784 1838 German composer, friend and pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven Louis Spohr 1784 1859 German composer, violinist and conductor, renowned for chamber music and compositions for violin and harp Bettina von Arnim 1785 1859 German composer, writer and novelist Marie Bigot 1785 1820 French composer and piano teacher Alexandre Pierre François Boëly 1785 1858 French composer, organist and pianist Isabella Colbran 1785 1845 Spanish composer and opera singer Catherina Cibbini-Kozeluch 1785 1858 Austrian composer of Bohemian ancestry and pianist Friedrich Kalkbrenner 1785 1849 German composer, pianist and piano teacher Karol Kurpiński 1785 1857 Polish composer, conductor and pedagogue Henry Bishop 1786 1855 English composer Friedrich Kuhlau 1786 1832 German-Danish composer Pietro Raimondi 1786 1853 Italian composer Friedrich Schneider 1786 1853 German composer, pianist, organist and conductor Carl Maria von Weber 1786 1826 German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant Romantic opera composers Alexander Alyabyev 1787 1851 Russian composer, conductor and pianist Franz Xaver Gruber 1787 1863 Austrian school teacher, church organist and composer, best known for his Christmas carol, Silent Night Michele Carafa 1787 1872 Italian opera composer Johann Peter Pixis 1788 1874 German composer and pianist Simon Sechter 1788 1867 Austrian prolific composer, renowned music theorist, teacher, organist and conductor Elena Asachi 1789 1877 Romanian composer of Austrian birth, pianist and singer Nicolas-Charles Bochsa 1789 1856 French composer and musician Friedrich Ernst Fesca 1789 1826 German composer of instrumental music and violinist Maria Szymanowska 1789 1831 Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Harriet Browne 1790 1858 English composer and writer Isaac Nathan 1790 1864 English composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist known as "the father of Australian music" Carl Czerny 1791 1857 Austrian composer, teacher and pianist Ferdinand Hérold 1791 1833 French operatic composer Giacomo Meyerbeer 1791 1864 German composer for grand opera (Il crociato in Egitto, Les Huguenots, L'Africaine) Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart 1791 1844 Austrian composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and the youngest child of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Carlo Evasio Soliva 1791 1853 Swiss-Italian composer Jan Václav Voříšek 1791 1825 Czech composer, pianist and organist Francis Johnson 1792 1844 American composer, bugler and violinist Gioachino Rossini 1792 1868 Italian prolific opera composer, best known for The Barber of Seville among other operas Hedda Wrangel 1792 1833 Swedish composer Cipriani Potter 1792 1871 English composer, teacher and pianist Gertrude van den Bergh 1793 1840 Dutch composer and pianist Bernhard Klein 1793 1832 German composer Caroline Ridderstolpe 1793 1878 Swedish composer and singer Princess Amalie of Saxony 1794 1870 German composer Ignaz Moscheles 1794 1870 Czech composer and piano virtuoso, head of the Leipzig Conservatory after Felix Mendelssohn Heinrich Marschner 1795 1861 German composer, considered to be the most important composer of German opera between Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner Saverio Mercadante 1795 1870 Italian composer Nikolaos Mantzaros 1795 1872 Italian-Greek composer Helene Liebmann 1795 1835 German composer and pianist Franz Berwald 1796 1868 Swedish composer, little known in his lifetime, but his works, including his four symphonies are better known today Carl Loewe 1796 1869 German composer, baritone singer and conductor Mathilda d'Orozco 1796 1863 Swedish composer, noble, salonist, poet, writer, singer, amateur actress and harpsichordist Giovanni Pacini 1796 1867 Italian composer Emilie Zumsteeg 1796 1857 German composer, pianist, songwriter and choir conductor Luigi Castellacci 1797 1845 Italian virtuoso on the mandolin and guitar, instrumental composer and author of popular French romances with guitar and piano accompaniments Gaetano Donizetti 1797 1848 Italian opera composer, known for Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore among others Franz Schubert 1797 1828 Austrian composer, best known for his more than 600 lieder, chamber music, piano works and symphonies Annette von Droste-Hülshoff 1797 1848 German composer and writerPeter IV of Portugal 1798 1834 Portuguese king of Portugal and Emperor of Brazil who was also a composer Antonio Rolla 1798 1837 Italian composer and violin and viola virtuoso Olivia Buckley 1799 1847 English composer, harpist and organist Marie von Stedingk 1799 1868 Swedish composer and courtier Fromental Halévy 1799 1862 French composer Oscar I of Sweden 1799 1859 Swedish composer and king of Sweden and Norway Alexey Verstovsky 1799 1862 Russian composer, musical bureaucrat and rival of Mikhail Glinka
Repertoire key: B=In Classical Net's basic Timeline of Major Composers 1600–presentClassical Net
Early Romantic (born 1800–1819)