Gershwin died of a brain tumor at age 38. John Cage (1912–1992). An American student of Arnold Schoenberg, Cage took avant-garde to a new level, and may be considered a Dada composer because he believed in aleatory, or “chance” music.

Franz Schubert is best remembered for his songs—also called lieder—and his chamber music. He also created symphonies, masses, and piano works. His most notable works included Erlkönig, written in 1815 and based on a poem by Goethe; Ave Maria!, written in 1825; and the Symphony No. 9 in C Major, begun in 1825.

10 Classical Music Composers to Know

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91)
• Johannes Brahms (1833–97)
• Richard Wagner (1813–83)
• Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93)
• Frédéric Chopin (1810–49)

Max Steiner

AFI’s 100 Years of Film Scores

composer John Barry

The Greatest Film Scores Of All Time

• 8: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
• 7: Rocky (1976)
• 6: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
• 5: Casablanca (1942)
• 4: Gone With The Wind (1939)
• 3: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
• 2: The Godfather (1972)
• 1: Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Best-selling soundtrack albums

1 John Williams Williams has become synonymous with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, two of the most successful filmmakers of all time. He has over 450 soundtrack credits, more than 250 music department credits, and over 150 credits as a composer.