If you want to become more familiar with composers from throughout history, this is the guide for you. Each time period has two lists: a short list for general use and a long list for students of music history and composition.

The various time periods of music history are not clearly defined and there is considerable overlap during every transitional time.

The time periods I have used in this guide are as follows:

These time periods reflect when the various composers were primarily active, not their specific birth years.