The BBC Music Magazine has just published its list of its 25 Greatest British Composers — one that is sure to create plenty of debate.

It asked 167 'leading international musicians' to vote for their top 5 based on the criteria of originality, influence, technique and, sheer enjoyability to listen to and perform. 21 were male and just 4 female.

Strong as ever

The article stated that today, "the British composing scene is as strong as ever", yet of those voted for, 19 were dead. The youngest living composer was Helen Grime, aged 45.

The list is topped by Benjamin Britten, with a top 10 behind him of Edward Elgar; Henry Purcell; Ralph Vaughan Williams; William Byrd; William Walton; Michael Tippett; Thomas Ades; George Frideric Handel and James Macmillan.

The highest placed female composer is Ethel Smyth (14), followed by Judith Weir (18); Helen Grime (20), and Elizabeth Maconchy (25).

Brass band

Of them, some also wrote works for the brass band medium — including Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Tippett, MacMillan, Birtwistle (12), Benjamin (15), Holst (17), Arnold (22) and Howells (24).

Others such as Jonathan Dove (19), Judith Weir have already written, or are to write works, whilst an arrangement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's (23), 'Hiawatha' was used at the National Championships 1902.

Find out more

To find out more go to:
https://www.classical-music.com/features/composers/british-composers