COMPOSERS from Slovakia

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Slovak Composers of all time. This list of famous Slovak Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 - 1837)

With an HPI of 66.88, Johann Nepomuk Hummel is the most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 1778 – 17 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was a pupil of Mozart, Salieri and Haydn. Hummel significantly influenced later piano music of the 19th century, particularly in the works of Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn.

2. Ernst von Dohnányi (1877 - 1960)

With an HPI of 61.16, Ernst von Dohnányi is the 2nd most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Ernst von Dohnányi (Hungarian: Dohnányi Ernő, [ˈɛrnøː ˈdohnaːɲi]; 27 July 1877 – 9 February 1960) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor. He used the German form of his name on most published compositions.

3. Franz Schmidt (1874 - 1939)

With an HPI of 58.16, Franz Schmidt is the 3rd most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Franz Schmidt, also Ferenc Schmidt (Hungarian: [ˈʃmitː ˈfɛrɛnt͡s], 22 December 1874 – 11 February 1939) was an Austro-Hungarian composer, cellist and pianist.

4. Alexander Moyzes (1906 - 1984)

With an HPI of 48.81, Alexander Moyzes is the 4th most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Alexander Moyzes (4 September 1906 – 20 November 1984) was a Slovak neoromantic composer.

5. Ján Cikker (1911 - 1989)

With an HPI of 48.66, Ján Cikker is the 5th most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Ján Cikker (29 July 1911 – 21 December 1989) was a Slovak composer, a leading exponent of modern Slovak classical music. He was awarded the title National Artist in Slovakia, the Herder Prize (1966) and the IMC-UNESCO International Music Prize (1979).

6. Alphons Czibulka (1842 - 1894)

With an HPI of 46.83, Alphons Czibulka is the 6th most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alphons Czibulka (also written as Alfons or Alfonz; 14 May 1842 – 27 October 1894) was an Austro-Hungarian military bandmaster, composer, pianist and conductor.

7. Tibor Serly (1901 - 1978)

With an HPI of 43.93, Tibor Serly is the 7th most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Tibor Serly (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈtibor ˈʃɛrli]; Losonc, Kingdom of Hungary, 25 November 1901 – London, 8 October 1978) was a Hungarian violist, violinist, and composer.

8. Vladimír Godár (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 42.20, Vladimír Godár is the 8th most famous Slovak Composer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Vladimír Godár (born 16 March 1956, in Bratislava) is a Slovak classical and film score composer. He is also known for his collaboration with the Czech violinist, singer, and composer Iva Bittová. As an academic, he is a writer, editor, and translator of books on historical music research. He has been active in reviving the music and reputation of 19th-century Slovak composer Ján Levoslav Bella. Godár studied composition under Juraj Pospíšil and piano under Mária Masariková at the Bratislava Conservatory. In 1979, he began work as editor of the music books department of the record label OPUS, and he taught at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava from 1985. His work is little known outside Slovakia, with much of his music released by Slovart. Amongst his compositions is a large-scale sonata for cello dedicated to the memory of Victor Shklovsky. Godár won the 2001 Georges Delerue Award for the score of the film Landscape. His 1998 collection of essays Heretical Quodlibets" is scheduled to be published in English by Dalkey in 2024, as part of its Eastern European Literature series.