The Most Famous

COMPOSERS from Switzerland

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This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Composers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,451 Composers, 16 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 16th most number of Composers behind Estonia, and Hungary.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Composers of all time. This list of famous Swiss 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 Swiss Composers.

Photo of Siegfried Wagner

1. Siegfried Wagner (1869 - 1930)

With an HPI of 70.65, Siegfried Wagner is the most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.

Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner (6 June 1869 – 4 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930.

Photo of Ernest Bloch

2. Ernest Bloch (1880 - 1959)

With an HPI of 69.07, Ernest Bloch is the 2nd most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Ernest Bloch (; German: [blɔx]; July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. Several of his most notable compositions reflect his Jewish heritage. As well as producing musical scores, Bloch had an academic career that culminated in his recognition as Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley in 1952.

Photo of Sigismond Thalberg

3. Sigismond Thalberg (1812 - 1871)

With an HPI of 67.00, Sigismond Thalberg is the 3rd most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century.

Photo of Frank Martin

4. Frank Martin (1890 - 1974)

With an HPI of 66.07, Frank Martin is the 4th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Frank Martin (15 September 1890 – 21 November 1974) was a Swiss composer, who spent much of his life in the Netherlands.

Photo of Ernest Ansermet

5. Ernest Ansermet (1883 - 1969)

With an HPI of 65.81, Ernest Ansermet is the 5th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (French: [ɛʁnɛst alɛksɑ̃dʁ ɑ̃sɛʁmɛ]; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969) was a Swiss conductor.

Photo of Grock

6. Grock (1880 - 1959)

With an HPI of 64.50, Grock is the 6th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Grock (born Charles Adrien Wettach; 10 January 1880 – 14 July 1959) was a Swiss clown. Called "the king of clowns" and "the greatest of Europe's clowns", Grock was once the most highly paid entertainer in Europe.

Photo of Joachim Raff

7. Joachim Raff (1822 - 1882)

With an HPI of 63.91, Joachim Raff is the 7th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Joseph Joachim Raff (27 May 1822 – 24 or 25 June 1882) was a German-Swiss composer, pedagogue and pianist.

Photo of Pancho Vladigerov

8. Pancho Vladigerov (1899 - 1978)

With an HPI of 63.53, Pancho Vladigerov is the 8th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Pancho Haralanov Vladigerov (or Wladigeroff, Wladigerow, Vladiguerov, Vladigueroff; Bulgarian: Панчо Хараланов Владигеров [ˈpant͡ʃo xɐrɐˈɫanov vɫɐdiˈɡɛrof]; 13 March 1899 – 8 September 1978) was a Bulgarian composer, pedagogue, and pianist. Vladigerov is arguably the most influential Bulgarian composer of all time. He was one of the first to successfully combine idioms of Bulgarian folk music and classical music. Part of the so-called Second Generation Bulgarian Composers, he was among the founding members of the Bulgarian Contemporary Music Society (1933), which later became the Union of Bulgarian Composers. Vladigerov marked the beginning of a number of genres in Bulgarian music, including the violin sonata and the piano trio. He was also a very respected pedagogue; his students include practically all notable Bulgarian composers of the next generation, such as Alexander Raichev, Alexander Yossifov, Stefan Remenkov, and many others, as well as the pianist Alexis Weissenberg.

Photo of Ludwig Senfl

9. Ludwig Senfl (1486 - 1542)

With an HPI of 62.16, Ludwig Senfl is the 9th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Ludwig Senfl (born around 1486, died between December 2, 1542 and August 10, 1543) was a Swiss composer of the Renaissance, active in Germany. He was the most famous pupil of Heinrich Isaac, was music director to the court of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and was an influential figure in the development of the Franco-Flemish polyphonic style in Germany. He and his teacher Isaac played an important role in the development of the German folksongs and their adoption as models for polyphonic compositions as well.

Photo of Heinz Holliger

10. Heinz Holliger (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 61.79, Heinz Holliger is the 10th most famous Swiss Composer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss composer, virtuoso oboist, and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classical pieces, but he has regularly engaged in lesser known pieces of Romantic music, as well as his own compositions. He often performed contemporary works with his wife, the harpist Ursula Holliger. Many composers have written works for him, including Messiaen, Berio, Carter, Henze, Krenek, Lutosławski, Martin, Penderecki, Stockhausen and Yun. A noted composer himself, Holliger has written works such as the opera Schneewittchen (1998).

People

Pantheon has 16 people classified as Swiss composers born between 1486 and 1939. Of these 16, 1 (6.25%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss composers include Heinz Holliger. The most famous deceased Swiss composers include Siegfried Wagner, Ernest Bloch, and Sigismond Thalberg. As of April 2024, 16 new Swiss composers have been added to Pantheon including Siegfried Wagner, Ernest Bloch, and Sigismond Thalberg.

Living Swiss Composers

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Deceased Swiss Composers

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Newly Added Swiss Composers (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Composers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 14 most globally memorable Composers since 1700.