List of organ composers

The following is a list of organ composers. As well as citing the most regarded composers of music for the pipe organ, this list includes important anonymous and early-music sources, as well as composers from under-researched regions and countries.

Much keyboard music of the late-medieval and Renaissance was often played interchangeably on organ, harpsichord, clavichord and the like, with the exception of liturgical music (Mass, Magnificat and Latin hymns versets, chorale settings, etc.) which are thought to have been played primarily on the organ. Several early sources clearly specify the use of organ in free works, such as the Ileborgh Tablature of 1448, which in the third praeambulum has the first-known indication for pedal notes.

Eras of composition are roughly categorized as follows: Medieval: before 1440 Renaissance: 1440–1600 Baroque: 1600–1750 Classical: 1750–1810 Romantic: 1810–1870 Late Romantic: 1870–1910 20th Century: 1910–1990 Millennial: after 1990 (composers born after 1960)

Tablatures, manuscripts, and printed music before 1580

Robertsbridge Codex (c. 1360) Groningen University: Incunabulum No. 70 (late 14th C.) Codex Faenza (c. 1420) Ileborgh Tablature (1448) Lochamer-Liederbuch and Fundamentum Organisandi of Conrad Paumann (mid-15th century) Buxheimer Orgelbuch (1460/1470) Codex of Nikolaus Apel (c. 1500) Tabulaturen etlicher Lobgesang of Arnolt Schlick (1512). First known printed organ music Amerbach (Bonifacius) Tablatures of Hans Kotter (1513 and c. 1522) [includes music of Paul Hofhaimer] Fundamentbuch of Hans Buchner (early 16th C.) Frottole intabulate da sonare of Andrea Antico (1517) British Library: Royal Appendix MS 58 (early 16th C.) Venice: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana ital. 1227 (early 16th C.) Trent, Archivio di Stato Sezione tedesco Miscellanea codicetto 105 (includes music of Arnolt Schlick (c. 1521) Recerchari Motetti Canzoni of Marc'Antonio Cavazzoni (1523) Tablature of Leonhard Kleber (1524) St. Gallen: Tablature of Fridolin Sicher (sometime between 1517 and 1531) Organ tablatures of Pierre Attaingnant, in 7 Volumes (1531) Intavolatura cioè recercari, canzoni, himni, Magnificat... libro primo of Girolamo Cavazzoni (1543) Bergamo Organ Book, Bergamo, Italy (16th C.) Krakow "Holy Ghost" Tablature, Poland (1548) Intavolatura d'organo, cioè misse, himni, Magnificat... libro secondo of Girolamo Cavazzoni (before 1549) The Tablature of Jan of Lublin [Johannes of Lublin], Poland (mid-16th C.) Castell'Arquato Manuscript (mid-16th C.) Libro primero de la Declaración de instrumentos of Juan Bermudo (1549) Intavolatura Nova di Balli of Antonio Gardano [Gardane] (1551) Libro de cifra nueva para tecla, arpa, y vihuela of Luis Venegas de Henestrosa (1557) Klagenfurt Tablature (c. 1560): http://adartemmusicae.com/klagenfurt_en.html Arte de tañer fantasía of Tomás de Santa María (1565) The Mulliner Book (1570) Canzoni francese intavolate per sonar d’organo and Tocate, Ricercari et Canzoni francese intavolate per sonar d’organo of Sperindio Bertoldo (before 1571, publ. posthumously in 1591) Orgel oder Instrument Tabulatur of Elias Ammerbach (1571/revised and expanded 1583) Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela of Antonio de Cabezón (1578) British Library: Add MS 29,996 (16th–17th C.)

Argentina

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries García Morillo, Roberto 1911 2003 20th Century Argentina Ginastera, Alberto 1916 1983

Australia

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Koehne, Graeme 1956 — 20th Century Australia Helleman, Christian 1881 1954 Truman, Ernest 1869 1948 Late Romantic Bainton, Edgar 1880 1956 20th Century United Kingdom emigrated to Australia Nixon, June 1942 — Australia Rea, Alexander 1830 1909 19th Century

Austria (see also Germany)

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Hofhaimer, Paul 1459 1537 Renaissance Austria Muffat, Georg 1653 1704 Baroque Muffat, Gottlieb 1690 1770 Poglietti, Alessandro 1600 (c.) 1683 Richter, Ferdinand Tobias 1651 1711 Wagenseil, Georg Christoph 1715 1777 Albrechtsberger, Johann Georg 1736 1809 Classical Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus 1756 1791 Sechter, Simon 1788 1867 Labor, Josef 1842 1924 Late Romantic born in Bohemia Fuchs, Robert 1847 1927 Herzogenberg, Heinrich von 1843 1900 Schmidt, Franz 1874 1939 David, Johann Nepomuk 18951977 20th Century Gál, Hans 1890 1987 Grabner, Hermann 1886 1969 Hauer, Josef Matthias 1883 1959 Heiller, Anton 1923 1979 Krenek, Ernst 1900 1991 Mitterer, Wolfgang 1958 — Planyavsky, Peter 1947 — Schlee, Thomas Daniel 1957 2025 Von Einem, Gottfried 1918 1996

Belgium (see also France)

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Chaumont, Lambert 1630 1712 Baroque Belgium Cornet, Peeter 1570/80 1633 Van den Kerckhoven, Abraham 1618 (c.) 1701 (c.) Benaut, Josse-François-Joseph 1743 (c.) 1794 Classical Vanden Gheyn, Matthias 1721 1785 Callaerts, Joseph 1830 1901 Romantic Lemmens, Jacques-Nicolas 1823 1881 Foccroulle, Bernard 1953 — 20th Century Jongen, Joseph 1873 1953 Late Romantic Maleingreau, Paul de 1887 1956 20th Century Meulemans, Arthur 1884 1966 Peeters, Flor 1903 1986 Swinnen, Firmin 1885 1972 emigrated to the U.S.

Brazil

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Nepomuceno, Alberto 1864 1920 Late Romantic Brazil Costa, Fabio 1971 — Millennial

Canada

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Gagnon, Gustave 1842 1930 Late Romantic Canada Bernier, Joseph-Arthur 1877 1944 Poirier, Benoit 1882 1965 Willan, Healey 1880 1968 20th Century born in the U.K. Bales, Gerald 1919 2002 Bancroft, H. Hugh 1904 1988 born in the U.K. Daveluy, Raymond 1926 2016 Kloppers, Jacobus 1937 — born in South AfricaBédard, Denis1950— Laurin, Rachel 1961 2023 Millennial MacMillan, Ernest 1893 1973 20th Century Tanguay, Georges-Émile 1964

Chile

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Allende-Blin, Juan 1928 — 20th Century Chile emigrated to Germany Orrego-Salas, Juan 1919 2019 emigrated to the U.S. Schidlowsky, León 1931 2022 emigrated to Israel Vargas, Darwin 1925 1988

China

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Chen Gang 1935 2026 20th Century China Chen Qigang 1951 — emigrated to France

Croatia

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Dugan, Franjo 1874 1948 Late Romantic Croatia Štolcer-Slavenski, Josip 1896 1955 20th Century Papandopulo, Boris 1906 1991 Bjelinski, Bruno 1909 1992 Lang, Ivana 1912 1982 Šulek, Stjepan 1914 1986 Malec, Ivo 1925 2019 emigrated to France Klobučar, Anđelko 1931 2016

Cuba

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries García Caturla, Alejandro 1906 1940 20th Century Cuba Diez Nieto, Alfredo 1918 2021 Martinez, Odaline de la 1949 — emigrated to the U.K.

Czech Republic (Bohemia)

Name Date of birth Date of death Era Country/Region Other Countries Černohorský, Bohuslav Matěj 1684 1742 Baroque Czech Republic (Bohemia) Kopřiva, Václav Jan 1708 1789 Zach, Jan 1713 1773 Seger, Josef 1716 1782 Brixi, František Xaver 1732 1771 Classical Kuchař, Jan Křtitel 1751 1829 Kopřiva, Karel Blažej 1756 1785 Klička, Josef 1855 1937 Late Romantic Wiedermann, Bedřich Antonín 1883 1951 20th Century Hába, Alois 1893 1973 Dalibor Cyril Vačkář 1906 1984 Czech Republic Croatia Kabeláč, Miloslav 1908 1979 Czech Republic (Bohemia) Luboš Sluka 1928 — Eben, Petr 1929 2007 Pololáník, Zdeněk 1935 2024

Denmark

Romantic

Camillo Carlsen Niels Gade Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann Gustav Helsted Edgar Henrichsen Otto Malling Carl Nielsen

20th–21st centuries

Bernhard Christensen Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen Knud Jeppesen Leif Kayser Rued Langgaard Bernhard Lewkovitch Frederik Magle Per Nørgård Ib Nørholm Niels Otto Raasted Poul Ruders Paul Rung-Keller Leif Thybo Finn Viderø

Estonia

Romantic Rudolf Tobias

20th–21st centuries

Alfred Karindi Arvo Pärt Peeter Süda

Finland

Romantic Oskar Merikanto

20th–21st centuries

Kalevi Aho Paavo Heininen Kalevi Kiviniemi Joonas Kokkonen Taneli Kuusisto Erkki Melartin Väinö Raitio Einojuhani Rautavaara

France (see also Belgium)

Renaissance

Pierre Attaingnant (publisher) Jean Titelouze

Baroque (French classical)

Late Classical

Claude-Bénigne Balbastre Jacques-Marie Beauvarlet-Charpentier Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier Alexandre Pierre François Boëly Jean-Baptiste Charbonnier Michel Corrette Armand-Louis Couperin Guillaume Lasceux Jean-Nicolas Marrigues Jean-Baptiste Nôtre Louis-Nicolas Séjan Nicolas Séjan

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Germany (See also Austria)

Renaissance

Baroque

Classical

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Hungary

Romantic Franz Liszt

20th–21st centuries

Israel

20th–21st centuries Josef Tal

Italy

Renaissance

Baroque

Classical

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Japan Shigeru Kan-no

Korea Isang Yun

Latvia

Lithuania

Mexico

Netherlands

Renaissance

Baroque

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Norway

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Peru

Domenico Zipoli (emigrated to Córdoba, Peru from Italy)

The Philippines Marcelo Adonay

Poland

Renaissance

Baroque Adam of Wągrowiec

Classical Karol Kurpiński

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Portugal (see also Spain)

Renaissance

Baroque Carlos Seixas

Classical João de Sousa Carvalho

20th–21st centuries Luís de Freitas Branco

Romania

20th–21st centuries Christian Wilhelm Berger

Russia

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Slovakia

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

South Africa

20th–21st centuries Stefans Grové

Spain (see also Portugal)

Renaissance

Baroque

Classical

Romantic Eduardo Torres

20th–21st centuries Jesús Guridi

Sweden

Baroque Andreas Düben

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Switzerland

Renaissance Fridolin Sicher

20th–21st centuries

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Renaissance

Baroque

Classical

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

United States

Romantic

20th–21st centuries

Uruguay

List of organ composers

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