TIMELINER

History's most surprising connections

Music

From Bach's fugues to Hendrix's guitar, meet the musicians and composers who defined the soundtrack of human history.

Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
1678–1741 · The Four Seasons
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
1685–1750 · Master of Baroque composition
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
1685–1759 · Messiah oratorio
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756–1791 · Musical prodigy, symphonies & operas
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770–1827 · Symphonies composed while going deaf
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
1782–1840 · Virtuoso violinist, the Devil's violinist
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
1810–1849 · Romantic piano virtuoso
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
1813–1901 · La Traviata, Aida — operatic master
Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
1813–1883 · Ring Cycle, revolutionary opera
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
1840–1893 · Swan Lake, The Nutcracker
Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
1862–1918 · Clair de Lune, Impressionist music
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
1868–1917 · King of Ragtime
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
1882–1971 · The Rite of Spring, modern classical
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
1899–1974 · Jazz legend, big band pioneer
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
1901–1971 · What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
1915–1998 · My Way, Ol' Blue Eyes
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
1915–1959 · Strange Fruit, jazz vocal legend
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
1917–1996 · First Lady of Song, jazz icon
B.B. King
B.B. King
1925–2015 · King of the Blues
Ray Charles
Ray Charles
1930–2004 · The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
1932–2003 · The Man in Black, country music legend
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
1935–1977 · The King of Rock and Roll
John Lennon
John Lennon
1940–1980 · The Beatles, Imagine
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
1941–present · Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
1942–2018 · Queen of Soul, Respect
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
1942–1970 · Greatest electric guitarist of all time
George Harrison
George Harrison
1943–2001 · The Beatles, My Sweet Lord
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
1943–1970 · Piece of My Heart, rock and blues
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
1943–1971 · The Doors, Light My Fire
Bob Marley
Bob Marley
1945–1981 · Reggae icon, One Love
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
1946–1991 · Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody
David Bowie
David Bowie
1947–2016 · Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
1958–2009 · King of Pop, Thriller
Prince
Prince
1958–2016 · Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
1963–2012 · The Voice, I Will Always Love You
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
1967–1994 · Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
1971–1996 · Influential rapper, Changes
Beyoncé
Beyoncé
1981–present · Global pop icon, Lemonade
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
1983–2011 · Back to Black, soulful voice
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
1989–present · Best-selling music artist of the 2020s
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish
2001–present · Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

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