Baroque, a term originally applied to the art and architecture of the time, means overly elaborate or ornate. Baroque music was filled with musical flourishes either through improvisation or by composer’s design. Most Baroque music features: A basso continuo played by a harpsichord and a bassoon.

Purcell composed many works for organ, harpsichord, strings, and other instruments.

Peter’s Westminster. The Words by Mr. Dryden, and Sett to Musick by Dr. In the last five years of his life, Purcell composed music for a number of Dryden’s plays, including Amphitryon(1690), King Arthur (1691),Cleomenes (1692), and Love Triumphant (1694).

From the period’s beginnings in the early 1600s to when the Classical period style began to take over in the mid 1700s, the sound of the Baroque period remained distinct – ordered, ornate and increasingly emotive as the period went on.

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
• George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
• Henry Purcell (1659-95)
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
• Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
• Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
• Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

The German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven is widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived.

With 16 of the 300 most popular works having come from his pen, Mozart remains a strong contender but ranks second after Ludwig van Beethoven, overtaking Amadeus with 19 of his works in the Top 300 and three in the Top 10.

Perhaps the most iconic piano composer is Ludwig van Beethoven. His ninth symphony contains some of the most recognizable melodies and has been featured in such films as “A Clockwork Orange” and “Immortal Beloved.” Johann Sebastian Bach is another one of the most famous piano composers of all time.