The following is a list of those born in Britain or of British citizenship who have worked in the classical music tradition.

A

B

• William Babell (c. 1690–1723) • Francis Edward Bache (1833–1858) • Francis Baines (1917–1999) • William Baines (1899–1922) • Edgar Bainton (1880–1956) • Edward Bairstow (1874–1946) • Christopher Ball (born 1936) • Granville Bantock (1868–1946) • Richard Barrett (born 1959) • Stanley Bate (1911–1959) • Hubert Bath (1883–1945) • Arnold Bax (1883–1953) • Sally Beamish (born 1956) • David Bedford (1937–2011) • Luke Bedford (born 1978) • Arthur Benjamin (1893–1960) • George Benjamin (born 1960) • Richard Rodney Bennett (1936–2012) • William Sterndale Bennett (1816–1875) • Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989) • Michael Berkeley (born 1948) • Lord Berners (1883–1950) • Ronald Binge (1910–1979) • Judith Bingham (born 1952) • Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022) • Henry Bishop (1787–1856) • Arthur Bliss (1891–1975) • John Blow (1649–1708) • Carey Blyton (1932–2002) • Capel Bond (1730–1790) • Nimrod Borenstein (born 1969) • Rutland Boughton (1878–1960) • Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017) • York Bowen (1884–1961) • William Boyce (1711–1779) • Charlotte Bray (born 1982) • Havergal Brian (1876–1972) • Frank Bridge (1879–1941) • Reginald Smith Brindle (1917–2003) • Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) • Nigel Brooks (born 1936) • David Bruce (born 1970) • Gavin Bryars (born 1943) • John Bull (1562 or 1563–1628) • Geoffrey Burgon (1941–2010) • Diana Burrell (born 1948) • Alan Bush (1900–1995) • Geoffrey Bush (1920–1998) • Arthur Butterworth (1923–2014) • George Butterworth (1885–1916) • William Byrd (c. 1539 or 1543–1623)

C

• Thomas Campion (1567–1620) • Alexander Campkin (born 1984) • Philip Cannon (1929–2016) • Gary Carpenter (born 1951) • Cornelius Cardew (1936–1981) • Doreen Carwithen (1922–2003) • Robert Carver (c. 1485 – c. 1570) • John Casken (born 1949) • Ronald Center (1913–1973) • Bob Chilcott (born 1955) • Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674–1707) • Nigel Clarke (born 1960) • Rebecca Helferich Clarke (1886–1979) • Frederic Cliffe (1857–1931) • Hubert Clifford (1904–1959) • Anna Clyne (born 1980) • Eric Coates (1886–1957) • Julian Cochran (born 1974) • Roger Sacheverell Coke (1912–1972) • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) • Justin Connolly (1933–2020) • Arnold Cooke (1906–2005) • Benjamin Cooke (1734–1793) • Deryck Cooke (1919–1976) • Frank Corcoran (born 1937) • Frederic Hymen Cowen (1852–1935) • Harold Craxton (1885–1971) • William Croft (1678–1727) • Gordon Crosse (1937–2021) • Peter Crossley-Holland (1916–2001) • William Crotch (1775–1847) • Joe Cutler (born 1968) • Francis Cutting (c. 1550–1595/1596)

D

• Benjamin Dale (1885–1943) • Christian Darnton (1905–1981) • Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016) • Tansy Davies (born 1973) • Walford Davies (1869–1941) • Frederick Delius (1862–1934) • James Dillon (born 1950) • Stephen Dodgson (1924–2013) • James Douglas (born 1932) • Jonathan Dove (born 1959) • John Dowland (1563–1626) • Andrew Downes (born 1950) • Patrick Doyle (born 1953) • Paul Drayton (born 1944) • Thomas Dunhill (1877–1946) • John Dunstable (c. 1390–1453) • George Dyson (1883–1964)

E

• Henry Eccles, also Henri (1670–1742) • Edward Elgar (1857–1934) • Rosalind Ellicott (1857–1924) • Brian Eno (born 1948) • Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie (1732–1781)

F

• David Fanshawe (1942–2010) • Giles Farnaby (c. 1563–1640) • Robert Fayrfax (1464–1521) • Eric Fenby (1906–1997) • Brian Ferneyhough (born 1943) • Michael Finnissy (born 1946) • Gerald Finzi (1901–1956) • Arthur Elwell Fisher (1848–1912) • Graham Fitkin (born 1963) • Eliza Flower (1803–1846) • Cecil Forsyth (1870–1941) • Christopher Fox (born 1955) • Cheryl Frances-Hoad (born 1980) • Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973) • Peter Racine Fricker (1920–1990) • John Foulds (1880–1939)

G

• Hans Gál (1890–1987) • Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877–1950) • William Gardiner (1770–1853) • John Gardner (1917–2011) • Edward German (1862–1936) • Jack Gibbons (born 1962) • Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) • Armstrong Gibbs (1889–1960) • Anthony Gilbert (born 1934) • Ruth Gipps (1921–1999) • Alexander Goehr (1932–2024) • Berthold Goldschmidt (1903–1996) • Jonathan Goldstein (1968–2019) • Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893–1962) • Jonny Greenwood (born 1971) • Edward Gregson (born 1945) • Ivor Gurney (1890–1937)

H

• Patrick Hadley (1899–1973) • Emily Hall (born 1978) • Richard Hall (1903–1982) • Iain Hamilton (1922–2000) • George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) • Richard Harris (born 1968) • Hamilton Harty (1879–1941) • Basil Harwood (1859–1949) • Patrick Hawes (born 1958) • Michael Head (1900–1976) • Christopher Headington (1930–1996) • Anthony Hedges (1931–2019) • Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901–1947) • Muriel Emily Herbert (1897–1984) • William Herschel (1738–1822) • Kenneth Hesketh (born 1968) • Alistair Hinton (born 1950) • Christopher Hobbs (born 1950) • Alun Hoddinott (1929–2008) • Joseph Holbrooke (1878–1958) • Alfred Hollins (1865–1942) • Robin Holloway (born 1943) • Derek Holman (1931–2019) • Gustav Holst (1874–1934) • Imogen Holst (1907–1984) • Simon Holt (born 1958) • James Hook (1746–1827) • Bill Hopkins (1943–1981) • David Horne (born 1970) • Joseph Horovitz (born 1926) • Dorothy Howell (1898–1982) • Herbert Howells (1892–1983) • Dani Howard (born 1993) • Emily Howard (born 1979) • Vic Hoyland (born 1945) • Michael Hurd (1928–2006) • William Hurlstone (1876–1906)

I

J

• Gordon Jacob (1895–1984) • Philip Jeck (born 1952) • Rupert Jeffcoat (born 1970) • Karl Jenkins (born 1944) • Daniel Jones (1912–1993) • Wilfred Josephs (1927–1997) • John Joubert (1927–2019)

K

• Lydia Kakabadse (born 1955) • Minna Keal (1909–1999) • Albert Ketèlbey (1875–1959) • George Kiallmark (1781–1835) • Oliver Knussen (1952–2018)

L

• Constant Lambert (1905–1951) • Frederic Lamond (1868–1948) • Philip Lane (born 1950) • Walter Leigh (1905–1942) • Kenneth Leighton (1929–1988) • Thomas Linley the elder (1733–1795) • Thomas Linley the younger (1756–1778) • Malcolm Lipkin (1932–2017) • George Lloyd (1913–1998) • William Lloyd Webber (1914–1982) • Jon Lord (1941–2012) • Elisabeth Lutyens (1906–1983)

M

• Hamish MacCunn (1868–1916) • Malcolm MacDonald (1916–1992) • Emma Maria Macfarren (1824–1895), pseudonym Jules Brissac • George Alexander Macfarren (1813–1887) • Walter Cecil Macfarren (1826–1905) • Alexander Mackenzie (1847–1905) • James MacMillan (born 1959) • Elizabeth Maconchy (1907–1994) • John Marsh (1752–1828) • Roger Marsh (born 1949) • Carlo Martelli (born 1935) • George William Martin (1828–1881) • Steve Martland (1954–2013) • Benedict Mason (born 1954) • Grace-Evangeline Mason (born 1994) • William Mathias (1934–1992) • Colin Matthews (born 1946) • David Matthews (born 1943) • Nicholas Maw (1935–2009) • Billy Mayerl (1902–1959) • Rita McAllister (born 1946) • John McCabe (1939–2015) • Cecilia McDowall (born 1951) • John Blackwood McEwen (1868–1948) • William McGibbon (1690–1756) • Edward McGuire (born 1948) • Donna McKevitt (born 1970) • John McLeod (born 1934) • Luigi Merci (c. 1695 – c. 1750) • Anna Meredith (born 1978) • Robin Milford (1903–1959) • Silvina Milstein (born 1956) • Ernest John Moeran (1894–1950) • Dominic Muldowney (born 1952) • William Mundy (c. 1529–1591) • Thea Musgrave (born 1928)

N

• Isaac Nathan (c. 1791–1864) • Ivor Novello (1893–1951) • Patrick Nunn (born 1969) • Michael Nyman (born 1944)

O

• Norman O'Neill (1875–1934) • Buxton Orr (1924–1997) • Robin Orr (1909–2006) • Albert Alan Owen (born 1948) • Janet Owen Thomas (1961–2002)

P

• Roxanna Panufnik (born 1968) • Hubert Parry (1848–1918) • Paul Patterson (born 1947) • Harry Parr-Davies (1914–1955) • Ian Parrott (1916–2012) • Michael Parsons (born 1938) • Anthony Payne (1936–2021) • Martin Peerson (1571/1573–1650/1651) • David Pentecost (born 1940) • Norman Peterkin (1886–1982) • Polo Piatti (born 1954) • George Frederick Pinto (1785–1806) • Thomas Pitfield (1903–1999) • Jocelyn Pook (born 1960) • Cipriani Potter (1792–1871) • Leonel Power (1370/1385–1445) • Alwynne Pritchard (born 1968) • Gwyn Pritchard (born 1948) • Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

Q

R

• Simon Rackham (born 1964) • Bernard Rands (born 1934) • Alan Rawsthorne (1905–1971) • Alan Richardson (1904–1978) • Max Richter (born 1966) • Alan Ridout (1934–1996) • Betty Roe (born 1930) • Cyril Rootham (1875–1938) • Edmund Rubbra (1901–1986) • John Rutter (born 1945)

S

• Malcolm Sargent (1895–1967) • Lionel Sainsbury (born 1958) • Leonard Salzedo (1921–2000) • Kevin Sargent (living) • Rebecca Saunders (born 1967) • Sinan Savaskan (born 1954) • David Sawer (born 1961) • Robert Saxton (born 1953) • Cyril Scott (1879–1970) • Francis George Scott (1880–1958) • Marion Scott (1877–1953) • Peter Seabourne (born 1960) • Humphrey Searle (1915–1982) • Mátyás Seiber (1905–1960) • Martin Shaw (1875–1958) • John Sheppard (c. 1515–1558) • Hugh Shrapnel (born 1947) • Obadiah Shuttleworth (died 1734) • Sasha Siem (born 1984) • Mark Simpson (born 1988) • Robert Simpson (1921–1997) • Howard Skempton (born 1947) • William Smethergell (1751–1836) • Alice Mary Smith (1839–1884) • Dave Smith (born 1949) • Ethel Smyth (1858–1894) • John Stafford Smith (1750–1836) • Naresh Sohal (1939–2018) • Arthur Somervell (1863–1937) • Philip Sparke (born 1951) • Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892–1988) • Patric Standford (1939–2014) • Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924) • John Stanley (1712–1786) • Christopher Steel (1938 or 1939–1991 or 1992) • Bernard Stevens (1916–1983) • James Stevens (1892–1971) • Haldane Stewart (1868–1942) • Robert Prescott Stewart (1825–1894) • Richard Stoker (1938–2021) • Martin Suckling (born 1981) • Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900)

T

• Joby Talbot (born 1971) • Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585) • Phyllis Tate (1911–1987) • John Tavener (1944–2013) • John Taverner (c. 1490–1545) • Mansel Thomas (1909–1986) • Shirley Thompson (born 1958) • Michael Tippett (1905–1998) • Will Todd (born 1970) • Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656) • Ernest Tomlinson (1924–2015) • Paolo Tosti (1846–1916) • Donald Tovey (1875–1940) • Harold Truscott (1914–1992) • Mark-Anthony Turnage (born 1960)

V

• Robert Valentine (c. 1671–1747) • Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) • John Veale (1922–2006) • Ian Venables (born 1955)

W

• Julian Wagstaff (born 1970) • William Wallace (1860–1940) • Errollyn Wallen (born 1958) • William Walton (1902–1983) • John Ward (1590–1638) • Peter Warlock (1894–1930) • Thomas Weelkes (1576–1623) • Judith Weir (born 1954) • Samuel Wesley (1766–1837) • Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876) • Douglas Weiland (born 1954) • Janet Wheeler (born 1957) • John White (born 1936) • Percy Whitlock (1903–1946) • Grace Williams (1906–1977) • James Wilson (1922–2005) • Thomas Wilson (1927–2001) • Beth Wiseman (1951–2007) • Stevie Wishart (living) • Charles Wood (1866–1926) • Hugh Wood (1932–2021) • John Wooldridge (1919–1958) • John Woolrich (born 1954) • William Wordsworth (1908–1988) • David Wright (born 1953) • David Wynne (1900–1983)