The Most Famous

Composers from Denmark

This page contains a list of the greatest Danish Composers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,451 Composers, 13 of which were born in Denmark. This makes Denmark the birth place of the 20th most number of Composers behind Finland and Sweden.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Danish Composers of all time. This list of famous Danish Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Danish Composers.

1. Carl Nielsen (1865 - 1931)

With an HPI of 73.51, Carl Nielsen is the most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 48 different languages on wikipedia.

2. Niels Gade (1817 - 1890)

With an HPI of 68.16, Niels Gade is the 2nd most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

3. Per Nørgård (1932 - 2025)

With an HPI of 63.00, Per Nørgård is the 3rd most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

4. Hans Christian Lumbye (1810 - 1874)

With an HPI of 62.57, Hans Christian Lumbye is the 4th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

5. Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805 - 1900)

With an HPI of 61.20, Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann is the 5th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

6. Rued Langgaard (1893 - 1952)

With an HPI of 60.40, Rued Langgaard is the 6th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

7. Vagn Holmboe (1909 - 1996)

With an HPI of 58.09, Vagn Holmboe is the 7th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

8. Peter Arnold Heise (1830 - 1879)

With an HPI of 55.81, Peter Arnold Heise is the 8th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

9. Emil Hartmann (1836 - 1898)

With an HPI of 54.83, Emil Hartmann is the 9th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

10. Poul Ruders (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 52.33, Poul Ruders is the 10th most famous Danish Composer. biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

People

Pantheon has 13 people classified as Danish composers born between 1805 and 1977. Of these 13, 4 (30.77%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Danish composers include Poul Ruders, Hans Abrahamsen, and Jesper Kyd. The most famous deceased Danish composers include Carl Nielsen, Niels Gade, and Per Nørgård.

Living Danish Composers

Go to all Rankings

Poul Ruders
1949 - Present
HPI: 52.33
Hans Abrahamsen
1952 - Present
HPI: 50.71
Jesper Kyd
1972 - Present
HPI: 49.41
Frederik Magle
1977 - Present
HPI: 45.69

Deceased Danish Composers

Go to all Rankings

Carl Nielsen
1865 - 1931
HPI: 73.51
Niels Gade
1817 - 1890
HPI: 68.16
Per Nørgård
1932 - 2025
HPI: 63.00
Hans Christian Lumbye
1810 - 1874
HPI: 62.57
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann
1805 - 1900
HPI: 61.20
Rued Langgaard
1893 - 1952
HPI: 60.40
Vagn Holmboe
1909 - 1996
HPI: 58.09
Peter Arnold Heise
1830 - 1879
HPI: 55.81
Emil Hartmann
1836 - 1898
HPI: 54.83

Overlapping Lives

Which Composers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 9 most globally memorable Composers since 1700.