# List of composers for the classical guitar

The following is a non-comprehensive list of composers who have composed original music for the classical guitar, or music which has been arranged for it. This list is sortable by name, nationality and years of birth or death.
| Composer | Born | Died | Nationality | Notable works | Remarks |
| Jean Absil | 1893 | 1974 | Belgium | Pièces caractéristiques, Op. 123 | |
| Samuel Adler | 1928 | | United States | | |
| Dionisio Aguado | 1784 | 1849 | Spain | | |
| Miguel del Aguila | 1957 | | | | |
| Kalevi Aho | 1949 | | Finland | | |
| Mateo Albéniz | 1755 | 1831 | Spain | | |
| Heinrich Albert | 1870 | 1950 | Germany | | |
| Laurindo Almeida | 1917 | 1995 | Brazil | | |
| Gabriel Fernández Álvez | 1943 | 2008 | Spain | Liturgia de Cristal | |
| André Amellér | 1912 | 1990 | France | | |
| Julian Anderson | 1967 | | United Kingdom | | |
| William Anderson | 1962 | | United States | | |
| Louis Andriessen | 1939 | 2021 | Netherlands | | |
| Maria Luisa Anido | 1907 | 1996 | Argentina | | |
| Denis ApIvor | 1916 | 2004 | United Kingdom | | |
| Julián Arcas | 1832 | 1882 | Spain | | |
| Malcolm Arnold | 1921 | 2006 | United Kingdom | | |
| Eduardo Arolas | 1892 | 1924 | Argentina | | |
| Boris Asafiev | 1884 | 1949 | Russia | | |
| Vicente Asencio | 1908 | 1979 | Spain | Collectici intim, Suite Valencia | |
| Daniel Asia | 1953 | | United States | | |
| Sérgio Assad | 1952 | | Brazil | | |
| Nicolas Astrinidis | 1921 | 2010 | Greece | Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra | |
| Olivier Aubert | 1763 | 1830 | France | | |
| Hector Ayala | 1914 | 1990 | Argentina | Serie Americana | |
| Milton Babbitt | 1916 | 2011 | United States | | |
| Salvador Bacarisse | 1898 | 1963 | | | |
| Henk Badings | 1907 | 1987 | Netherlands | | |
| Simon Bainbridge | 1952 | 2021 | United Kingdom | | |
| Leonardo Balada | 1933 | | United States | | Born in Spain. |
| Claude Ballif | 1924 | 2004 | France | | |
| Carlos Barbosa-Lima | 1944 | 2022 | Brazil | | Re-located to the United States in 1981. |
| Vytautas Barkauskas | 1931 | 2020 | Lithuania | | |
| Milton Barnes | 1931 | 2001 | Canada | | |
| Richard Barrett | 1959 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Ángel Barrios | 1882 | 1964 | Spain | | |
| Agustin Barrios | 1885 | 1944 | Paraguay | | |
| Ary Barroso | 1903 | 1964 | Brazil | | |
| Bruno Bartolozzi | 1911 | 1980 | Italy | | |
| Abramo Basevi | 1818 | 1885 | Italy | | |
| Leslie Bassett | 1923 | 2016 | United States | | |
| Herbert Baumann | 1925 | 2020 | Germany | | |
| Jürg Baur | 1918 | 2010 | Germany | | |
| Julian Bautista | 1901 | 1961 | Spain | | |
| Eduard Bayer | 1822 | 1908 | Germany | | |
| Sally Beamish | 1956 | | | | |
| Robert Beaser | 1954 | | United States | | |
| Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt | 1925 | 2010 | Chile | | |
| David Bedford | 1937 | 2011 | United Kingdom | | |
| Franz Behr | 1837 | 1898 | Germany | | |
| Siegfried Behrend | 1933 | 1990 | Germany | | |
| Paulo Bellinati | 1950 | | Brazil | | |
| Carl Michael Bellman | 1740 | 1795 | Sweden | | |
| Richard Rodney Bennett | 1936 | 2012 | United Kingdom | Five Impromptus | |
| Gunnar Berg | 1909 | 1989 | Denmark | | |
| Luciano Berio | 1925 | 2003 | Italy | Sequenza XI for guitar | |
| Lennox Berkeley | 1903 | 1989 | United Kingdom | | |
| Michael Berkeley | 1948 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Hector Berlioz | 1803 | 1869 | France | | |
| Leonard Bernstein | 1918 | 1990 | United States | | |
| Bruno Bettinelli | 1913 | 2004 | Italy | | |
| Frank Michael Beyer | 1928 | 2008 | Germany | | |
| Günter Bialas | 1907 | 1995 | Germany | | |
| Antonio Bibalo | 1922 | 2008 | Norway | | |
| Gilbert Biberian | 1944 | 2023 | Turkey | | Active in England. |
| Ronald Binge | 1910 | 1979 | United Kingdom | | |
| Howard Blake | 1938 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Michael Blake | 1951 | | South Africa | | |
| Juan Blanco | 1919 | 2008 | Cuba | | |
| Manuel Blasco de Nebra | 1750 | 1784 | Spain | | |
| Carl Blum | 1786 | 1844 | Germany | | |
| Carey Blyton | 1932 | 2002 | United Kingdom | | |
| Vladimir Bobri | 1898 | 1986 | United States | | Born in Ukraine. |
| Jan Nepomucen Bobrowicz | 1805 | 1881 | Poland | | |
| Luigi Boccherini | 1743 | 1805 | Italy | | |
| John Boda | 1922 | 2002 | United States | | |
| Seóirse Bodley | 1933 | | Ireland | | |
| Philippe Boesmans | 1936 | 2022 | Belgium | | |
| Dusan Bogdanovic | 1955 | | Serbia | | |
| Rob du Bois | 1934 | 2013 | Netherlands | | |
| William Bolcom | 1938 | | United States | | |
| Claude Bolling | 1930 | 2020 | France | | |
| Carlos Bonell | 1949 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Luiz Bonfá | 1922 | 2001 | Brazil | | |
| Carlos Bonilla Chávez | 1923 | 2010 | Ecuador | | |
| Carlos Bonnet | 1892 | 1983 | Venezuela | | |
| Raúl Borges | 1882 | 1967 | Venezuela | | |
| Axel Borup-Jørgensen | 1924 | 2012 | Denmark | | |
| Jacques Bosch | 1825 | 1895 | Spain | | |
| Jean-Yves Bosseur | 1947 | | France | | |
| Pierre Boulez | 1925 | 2016 | France | | |
| Timothy Bowers | 1954 | | United Kingdom | Five Preludes (1986) Guitar Concerto (2019) | |
| Brian Boydell | 1917 | 2000 | Ireland | | |
| Eugene Bozza | 1905 | 1991 | France | | |
| Philip Bračanin | 1942 | | Australia | | |
| Charlotte Bray | 1982 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Reiner Bredemeyer | 1929 | 1995 | Germany | | |
| Benjamin Britten | 1913 | 1976 | United Kingdom | Nocturnal after John Dowland | |
| José Brocá | 1805 | 1882 | Spain | | |
| Leo Brouwer | 1939 | | Cuba | | |
| Humberto Bruni Lamanna | 1957 | | Venezuela | | |
| Ole Buck | 1943 | | Denmark | | |
| John Buckley | 1951 | | Ireland | | |
| Jarmil Burghauser | 1921 | 1997 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Geoffrey Burgon | 1941 | 2010 | United Kingdom | | |
| Willy Burkhard | 1900 | 1955 | Switzerland | | |
| Howard J. Buss | 1951 | | United States | | |
| Sylvano Bussotti | 1931 | 2021 | Italy | | |
| Charlie Byrd | 1925 | 1999 | United States | | |
| German Cáceres | 1954 | | El Salvador | | |
| Bartolomé Calatayud | 1882 | 1973 | Spain | | |
| Leonhard von Call | 1767 | 1815 | Austria | | |
| Charles Camilleri | 1931 | 2009 | Malta | | |
| Dmitri Capyrin | 1960 | | Russia | | |
| Matteo Carcassi | 1792 | 1853 | Italy | | |
| Cornelius Cardew | 1936 | 1981 | United Kingdom | | |
| Jorge Cardoso | 1949 | | Argentina | | |
| Carlo Carfagna | 1940 | | Italy | | |
| Abel Carlevaro | 1918 | 2001 | Uruguay | Preludios Americanos | |
| Roberto Carnevale | 1966 | | Italy | | |
| Inocente Carreño | 1919 | 2016 | Venezuela | | |
| Elliott Carter | 1908 | 2012 | United States | | |
| Ferdinando Carulli | 1770 | 1841 | Italy | | Re-located to France in 1808. |
| Tristram Cary | 1925 | 2008 | | | |
| Benet Casablancas | 1956 | | Spain | | |
| Francisco Casanovas | 1899 | 1986 | Spain | | |
| Philip Cashian | 1963 | | | | |
| Gaspar Cassadó | 1897 | 1966 | Spain | | |
| Frantz Casseus | 1915 | 1993 | Haiti | | |
| Luigi Castellacci | 1797 | 1845 | Italy | | |
| Evencio Castellanos | 1915 | 1984 | Venezuela | | |
| Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco | 1895 | 1968 | Italy | | Re-located to the United States in 1939. |
| Jacques Casterede | 1926 | 2014 | France | | |
| Ignacio Cervantes | 1847 | 1905 | Cuba | | |
| Luciano Chailly | 1920 | 2002 | Italy | | |
| Carlos Chávez | 1899 | 1978 | Mexico | | |
| Flores Chaviano | 1946 | | Cuba | | |
| Charles Chaynes | 1925 | 2016 | France | | |
| Gian Paolo Chiti | 1939 | | Italy | | |
| Loris Chobanian | 1933 | 2023 | Iraq | | Re-located to the United States in 1960. |
| Domenico Cimarosa | 1749 | 1801 | Italy | | |
| Pier Luigi Cimma | 1941 | 2006 | Italy | | |
| Charles Clagget | 1740 | 1790 | Ireland | | Year of death is approximate |
| Aldo Clementi | 1925 | 2011 | Italy | | |
| Joaquín Clerch | 1965 | | Cuba | | |
| Graziella Concas | 1970 | | | | |
| Marius Constant | 1925 | 2004 | | | |
| Sidney Corbett | 1960 | | | | |
| Ernesto Cordero | 1946 | | Puerto Rico | | |
| Roque Cordero | 1917 | 2008 | Panama | | |
| John Corigliano | 1938 | | | | |
| Dan Cosley | 1979 | | United States | | |
| Napoléon Coste | 1805 | 1883 | France | | |
| Terence Croucher | 1944 | | United Kingdom | | |
| George Crumb | 1929 | 2022 | | | |
| Salim Dada | 1975 | | Algeria | | |
| Georges Dandelot | 1895 | 1975 | France | | |
| Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur | 1908 | 2002 | France | | |
| Adam Darr | 1811 | 1866 | Germany | | |
| Johann Nepomuk David | 1895 | 1977 | Austria | | |
| Thomas Christian David | 1925 | 2006 | Austria | | |
| Mario Davidovsky | 1934 | 2019 | Argentina, United States | | |
| Peter Maxwell Davies | 1934 | 2016 | United Kingdom | | |
| Jerome de Bromhead | 1945 | | Ireland | | |
| Ernesto De Curtis | 1860 | 1926 | Italy | | |
| Paco de Lucia | 1947 | 2014 | Spain | | |
| Jean Michel Defaye | 1932 | | France | | |
| Søffren Degen | 1816 | 1885 | Denmark | | |
| David Del Tredici | 1937 | | United States | | |
| Georges Delerue | 1925 | 1992 | France | | |
| Mark Delpriora | 1959 | | United States | | |
| Santiago de Murcia | 1673 | 1739 | Spain | | |
| Michael Denhoff | 1955 | | Germany | | |
| Luigi Denza | 1846 | 1922 | Italy | | |
| Ettore Desderi | 1892 | 1974 | Italy | | |
| Yvonne Desportes | 1903 | 1993 | France | | |
| Paul Dessau | 1894 | 1979 | Germany | | |
| Eduardo di Capua | 1864 | 1917 | Italy | | |
| Anton Diabelli | 1781 | 1858 | Austria | | |
| David Diamond | 1915 | 2005 | United States | | |
| James Dillon | 1950 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Violeta Dinescu | 1953 | | | | |
| Stephen Dodgson | 1924 | 2013 | United Kingdom | | |
| Friedhelm Döhl | 1936 | 2018 | Germany | | |
| Uroš Dojčinović | 1959 | | Serbia | | |
| Carlo Domeniconi | 1947 | | Italy | | |
| Franco Donatoni | 1927 | 2000 | Italy | | |
| Andrew Downes | 1950 | 2023 | United Kingdom | | |
| František Drdla | 1868 | 1944 | Bohemia | | |
| Riccardo Drigo | 1846 | 1930 | Italy | | |
| John W. Duarte | 1919 | 2004 | United Kingdom | | |
| Johann Dubez | 1828 | 1891 | Austria | | |
| Pierre Max Dubois | 1930 | 1995 | France | | |
| Zsolt Durkó | 1934 | 1997 | Hungary | | |
| Frantisek Xaver Dusek | 1731 | 1799 | Bohemia | | |
| Antonín Dvořák | 1841 | 1904 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Benjamin Dwyer | 1965 | | Ireland | | |
| Roland Dyens | 1955 | 2016 | | | |
| Tom Eastwood | 1922 | 1999 | United Kingdom | | |
| Petr Eben | 1929 | 2007 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Ross Edwards | 1943 | | Australia | | |
| René Eespere | 1953 | | | | |
| Gottfried von Einem | 1918 | 1996 | Austria | | |
| Richard Emsley | 1951 | | | | |
| Manuel Enriquez | 1926 | 1994 | | | |
| József Eötvös | 1962 | | Hungary | | |
| Heimo Erbse | 1924 | 2005 | Germany | | |
| Susanne Erding-Swiridoff | 1955 | | Germany | | |
| Óscar Esplá | 1889 | 1976 | Spain | | |
| Sveinn Eythorsson | 1964 | | Iceland | | |
| Kenjiro Ezaki | 1926 | | Japan | | |
| Sebastian Fagerlund | 1972 | | Finland | | |
| Markus Fagerudd | 1961 | | Finland | | |
| Manuel de Falla | 1876 | 1946 | Spain | Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy | Re-located to Argentina in 1939. |
| Eduardo Falú | 1923 | 2013 | Argentina | | |
| Juan Falú | 1948 | | Argentina | | |
| Dimitris Fampas | 1921 | 1996 | Greece | | |
| Carlos Farinas | 1934 | 2002 | Cuba | | |
| Ferenc Farkas | 1905 | 2000 | Hungary | | |
| David Farquhar | 1928 | 2007 | New Zealand | | |
| Ciarán Farrell | 1969 | | Ireland | | |
| Jindřich Feld | 1925 | 2007 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Jim Ferguson | 1948 | | United States | | |
| Heraclio Fernández | 1851 | 1886 | Venezuela | | |
| Oscar Lorenzo Fernández | 1897 | 1948 | Brazil | | |
| Gabriel Fernández Álvez | 1943 | 2008 | Spain | | |
| Brian Ferneyhough | 1943 | | United Kingdom | | |
| José Ferrer | 1835 | 1916 | Spain | | |
| Paul Fetler | 1920 | 2018 | United States | | |
| Michael Finnissy | 1946 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Graciane Finzi | 1945 | | | | |
| Graham Fitkin | 1963 | | United Kingdom | | |
| David Flynn | 1977 | | Ireland | | |
| William Foden | 1860 | 1947 | United States | | |
| Daniel Fortea | 1878 | 1953 | Spain | | |
| Lukas Foss | 1922 | 2009 | | | |
| François de Fossa | 1775 | 1849 | France | | |
| Yorgos Foudoulis | 1964 | | Greece | | |
| Jean Françaix | 1912 | 1997 | France | | |
| Peter Racine Fricker | 1920 | 1990 | United Kingdom | | Re-located to the United States in the 1960s |
| Gunnar de Frumerie | 1908 | 1987 | Sweden | | |
| James Fulkerson | 1945 | | United States | | |
| Blas Galindo | 1910 | 1993 | Mexico | | |
| Boris Gaquere | 1977 | | Belgium | | |
| Gerald García | 1949 | | United Kingdom | | Born in Hong Kong. |
| Héctor García (guitarist) | 1930 | 2022 | USA | | Born in Cuba. |
| Anton García Abril | 1933 | 2021 | Spain | | |
| Rosa García Ascot | 1906 | 2002 | Spain | | |
| Celso Garrido Lecca | 1926 | | Peru | | |
| Odette Gartenlaub | 1922 | 2014 | France | | |
| Éric Gaudibert | 1936 | 2012 | Switzerland | | |
| Hans Gefors | 1952 | | Sweden | | |
| Harald Genzmer | 1909 | 2007 | Germany | | |
| Roberto Gerhard | 1896 | 1970 | Spain | | Re-located to England in 1939. |
| Giorgio Federico Ghedini | 1892 | 1965 | Italy | | |
| Gilardo Gilardi | 1889 | 1963 | Argentina | | |
| Angelo Gilardino | 1941 | 2022 | Italy | | |
| Alberto Ginastera | 1916 | 1983 | | | |
| Egberto Gismonti | 1947 | | Brazil | | |
| Mauro Giuliani | 1781 | 1829 | Italy | | |
| Barbara Giuranna | 1898 | 1998 | Italy | | |
| Detlev Glanert | 1960 | | Germany | | |
| Stanley Glasser | 1926 | 2018 | South Africa | | |
| Anthony Glise | 1956 | | | | |
| Radames Gnattali | 1906 | 1988 | Brazil | | |
| Vincente Gomez | 1911 | 2001 | Spain | | |
| Chiquinha Gonzaga | 1847 | 1935 | Brazil | | |
| Nikos Gounaris | 1915 | 1965 | Greece | | |
| Filippo Gragnani | 1768 | 1820 | Italy | | |
| Harold Gramatges | 1918 | 2008 | Cuba | | |
| Agustí Grau | 1893 | 1964 | Spain | | |
| Deirdre Gribbin | 1967 | | Ireland | | |
| Cor de Groot | 1914 | 1993 | Netherlands | | |
| Camargo Guarnieri | 1907 | 1993 | Brazil | | |
| Carlos Guastavino | 1912 | 2000 | Argentina | | |
| Gerardo Guevara | 1930 | | Ecuador | | |
| Róbert Gulya | 1973 | | Hungary | | |
| Gustav Gunsenheimer | 1934 | | Germany | | |
| Alexander Gurilev | 1803 | 1858 | Russia | | |
| Guyún | 1908 | 1987 | Cuba | | Actual name is Vincente Gonzalez Rubiera. |
| Sampo Haapamäki | 1979 | | Finland | | |
| Alois Hába | 1893 | 1973 | | | |
| Manos Hadjidakis | 1925 | 1996 | Greece | | |
| Georg Hajdu | 1960 | | Germany | | |
| Kimmo Hakola | 1958 | | Finland | | |
| Cristóbal Halffter | 1930 | 2021 | Spain | | |
| Ernesto Halffter | 1905 | 1989 | Spain | | |
| Rodolfo Halffter | 1900 | 1987 | Spain | | |
| Haflidi Hallgrimsson | 1941 | | Iceland | | |
| Hilding Hallnäs | 1903 | 1984 | Sweden | | |
| Eero Hämeenniemi | 1951 | | Finland | | |
| Peter Michael Hamel | 1947 | | Germany | | |
| Albert Harris | 1916 | 2005 | United States | | |
| Lou Harrison | 1917 | 2003 | United States | | |
| Heinz Friedrich Hartig | 1907 | 1969 | Germany | | |
| Jonathan Harvey | 1939 | 2012 | United Kingdom | | |
| Roman Haubenstock-Ramati | 1919 | 1994 | Poland | | |
| Halvor Haug | 1952 | | Norway | | |
| Hans Haug | 1900 | 1967 | Switzerland | | |
| Brian Head | 1964 | | United States | | |
| Anton Heiller | 1923 | 1979 | Austria | | |
| Paavo Heininen | 1938 | 2022 | Finland | | |
| Mikko Heiniö | 1948 | | Finland | | |
| Walter Hekster | 1937 | 2012 | Netherlands | | |
| Hans Werner Henze | 1926 | 2012 | Germany | Royal Winter Music | |
| Ernst Hess | 1912 | 1968 | Switzerland | | |
| Jacques Hétu | 1938 | 2010 | Canada | | |
| Paul Hindemith | 1895 | 1963 | Germany | | |
| Takekuni Hirayoshi | 1936 | 1998 | Japan | | |
| Evan Hirschelman | 1976 | | United States | | |
| Alun Hoddinott | 1929 | 2008 | United Kingdom | | |
| Justin Holland | 1819 | 1887 | United States | | |
| Vagn Holmboe | 1909 | 1996 | Denmark | | |
| Joaquim Homs | 1906 | 2003 | Spain | | |
| Felix Horetzky | 1796 | 1870 | Poland | | |
| Joseph Horovitz | 1926 | 2022 | | | |
| Alan Hovhaness | 1911 | 2000 | United States | | |
| Klaus Huber | 1924 | 2017 | Switzerland | | |
| Josiah Andrew Hudleston | 1799 | 1865 | United Kingdom | | Mostly composed while living in India. |
| Georges Hugon | 1904 | 1980 | France | | |
| Bertold Hummel | 1925 | 2002 | Germany | | |
| Jacques Ibert | 1890 | 1962 | France | | |
| Akira Ifukube | 1914 | 2006 | Japan | | |
| Adina Izarra | 1959 | | Venezuela | | |
| David A. Jaffe | 1955 | | | | |
| Stephen Jaffe | 1954 | | | | |
| Hanns Jelinek | 1901 | 1969 | Austria | | |
| Jiří Jirmal | 1925 | 2019 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Otto Joachim | 1910 | 2010 | | | |
| Antonio Carlos Jobim | 1927 | 1994 | Brazil | | |
| Bryan Johanson | 1951 | | United States | | |
| André Jolivet | 1905 | 1974 | France | | |
| Antonio José Martínez Palacios | 1902 | 1936 | | | |
| Wilfred Josephs | 1927 | 1997 | | | |
| Dimitri Kabalevsky | 1904 | 1987 | Russia | | |
| Pál Kadosa | 1903 | 1983 | Hungary | | |
| Mauricio Kagel | 1931 | 2008 | Argentina | | |
| Jouni Kaipainen | 1956 | 2015 | Finland | | |
| Viktor Kalabis | 1923 | 2006 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Shigeru Kan-no | 1959 | | Japan | | |
| Ahti Karjalainen | 1907 | 1986 | Finland | | |
| Elena Kats-Chernin | 1957 | | | | |
| Bryan Kelly | 1934 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Rudolf Kelterborn | 1931 | 2021 | Switzerland | | |
| Aaron Jay Kernis | 1960 | | United States | | |
| Harrison Kerr | 1897 | 1978 | United States | | |
| Aram Khachaturian | 1903 | 1978 | Russia | | |
| Peter Klatzow | 1945 | 2021 | South Africa | | |
| Giselher Klebe | 1925 | 2009 | Germany | | |
| Anđelko Klobučar | 1931 | 2016 | | | |
| Erland von Koch | 1910 | 2009 | Sweden | | |
| Gareth Koch | 1962 | | Australia | | |
| Miklos Kocsar | 1933 | 2019 | Hungary | | |
| Oliver Kohlenberg | 1957 | | Finland | | |
| Karl Kohn | 1926 | 2024 | United States | | Born in Austria. |
| Barbara Kolb | 1939 | | United States | | |
| Heinrich Konietzny | 1910 | 1983 | Germany | | |
| Olli Kortekangas | 1955 | | Finland | | |
| Nikita Koshkin | 1956 | | | | |
| Leon Koudelak | 1961 | | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Leopold Kozeluh | 1747 | 1818 | Bohemia | | |
| Joseph-François Kremer | 1954 | | | | |
| Ernst Krenek | 1900 | 1991 | Austria | | Re-located to the United States in 1938. |
| Joseph Kreutzer | 1790 | 1840 | Germany | | |
| Annette Kruisbrink | 1958 | | Netherlands | | |
| Andrei Krylov | 1959 | | | | |
| Augustin Kubizek | 1918 | 2009 | Austria | | |
| Joseph Küffner | 1776 | 1856 | Germany | | |
| Felicitas Kukuck | 1914 | 2001 | Germany | | |
| György Kurtág | 1926 | | | | |
| Helmut Lachenmann | 1935 | | Germany | | |
| Alexandre Lagoya | 1929 | 1999 | | | |
| Gordon Langford | 1930 | 2017 | United Kingdom | | |
| Paul Lansky | 1944 | | | Crooked Courante (1997); Semi-Suite (1998); Practical Preludes (2007–08) | |
| Libby Larsen | 1950 | | United States | | |
| Anne Lauber | 1943 | | | | |
| Antonio Lauro | 1917 | 1986 | Venezuela | | |
| Mario Lavista | 1943 | 2021 | | | |
| Alan Lawrence | 1949 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Ernesto Lecuona | 1896 | 1963 | Cuba | | |
| Ton de Leeuw | 1926 | 1996 | Netherlands | | |
| Victor Legley | 1915 | 1994 | Belgium | | |
| Luigi Legnani | 1790 | 1877 | Italy | | |
| David Leisner | 1953 | | United States | | |
| Edith Lejet | 1941 | | France | | |
| John Anthony Lennon | 1950 | | United States | | |
| James Lentini | 1958 | | United States | | |
| Tania León | 1943 | | Cuba | | |
| Peter Scott Lewis | 1953 | | United States | | |
| Antoine de Lhoyer | 1768 | 1852 | France | | |
| Lowell Liebermann | 1961 | | | | |
| Douglas Lilburn | 1915 | 2001 | New Zealand | | |
| Magnus Lindberg | 1958 | | Finland | | |
| Jukka Linkola | 1955 | | Finland | | |
| Miguel Llobet | 1878 | 1938 | Spain | | Arranger of many Catalan folksongs. |
| Guillermo Venegas Lloveras | 1915 | 1993 | Puerto Rico | | |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber | 1948 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Manos Loïzos | 1937 | 1982 | Greece | | |
| Luca Lombardi | 1945 | | Italy | | |
| Dang Ngoc Long | 1957 | | | | |
| Fernando Lopes-Graca | 1906 | 1994 | Portugal | | |
| Bent Lorentzen | 1935 | 2018 | Denmark | | |
| Paco de Lucia | 1947 | 2014 | Spain | | |
| Otto Luening | 1900 | 1996 | United States | | |
| Vilho Luolajan-Mikkola | 1911 | 2005 | Finland | | |
| Witold Lutosławski | 1913 | 1994 | Poland | | |
| Elisabeth Lutyens | 1906 | 1983 | United Kingdom | | |
| Diego Luzuriaga | 1955 | | Ecuador | | |
| Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov | 1855 | 1914 | Russia | | |
| Bruce MacCombie | 1943 | 2012 | United States | | |
| Celso Machado | 1953 | | Brazil | | |
| Peter Machajdík | 1961 | | Slovakia | | |
| Steven Mackey | 1956 | | | | |
| Bruno Maderna | 1920 | 1973 | Germany | | |
| Jef Maes | 1905 | 1996 | Belgium | | |
| Victor Magnien | 1802 | 1885 | France | | |
| Ivor Mairants | 1908 | 1988 | United Kingdom | | Born in Poland and moved to England at a young age |
| Gui Mallon | 1953 | | | | |
| Gian Francesco Malipiero | 1882 | 1973 | Italy | | |
| Riccardo Malipiero | 1914 | 2003 | Italy | | |
| Ursula Mamlok | 1928 | 2016 | United States | | Born in Germany. |
| Henry Mancini | 1924 | 1994 | | | |
| Joan Manén | 1883 | 1971 | Spain | | |
| Daan Manneke | 1939 | | Netherlands | | |
| Tomás Marco | 1942 | | Spain | | |
| Tera de Marez Oyens | 1932 | 1996 | Netherlands | | |
| Franco Margola | 1908 | 1992 | Italy | | |
| Heinrich Marschner | 1795 | 1861 | Germany | | |
| Ingram Marshall | 1942 | 2022 | United States | | |
| Frank Martin | 1890 | 1974 | Switzerland | | Re-located to the Netherlands in 1946. |
| Giovanni Battista Martini | 1706 | 1784 | Italy | | |
| Jean Paul Egide Martini | 1741 | 1816 | Germany | | |
| Tauno Marttinen | 1912 | 2008 | Finland | | |
| Wenzel Thomas Matiegka | 1773 | 1830 | Bohemia | | |
| Colin Matthews | 1946 | | | | |
| Nicholas Maw | 1935 | 2009 | United Kingdom | | |
| John McCabe | 1939 | 2015 | United Kingdom | | |
| Edward McGuire | 1948 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Gordon McPherson | 1965 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Chiel Meijering | 1954 | | Netherlands | | |
| Jean-Racine Meissonnier | 1794 | 1856 | France | | |
| Wilfrid Mellers | 1914 | 2008 | United Kingdom | | |
| Usko Meriläinen | 1930 | 2004 | Finland | | |
| Caspar Joseph Mertz | 1806 | 1856 | Hungary | | |
| Josep Mestres Quadreny | 1929 | 2021 | Spain | | |
| John Metcalfe | 1964 | | | | |
| Francisco Mignone | 1897 | 1986 | Brazil | | |
| Georges Migot | 1891 | 1976 | France | | |
| Darius Milhaud | 1892 | 1974 | France | | |
| Ronaldo Miranda | 1948 | | Brazil | | |
| Behzad Mirkhani | 1969 | | | | |
| Akira Miyoshi | 1933 | 2013 | Japan | | |
| Luis Manuel Molina | 1959 | | Cuba | | |
| Francesco Molino | 1768 | 1847 | Italy | | |
| Simon Molitor | 1766 | 1848 | | | |
| Federico Mompou | 1893 | 1987 | Spain | | |
| François Morel | 1926 | 2018 | Canada | | |
| Jorge Morel | 1931 | 2021 | Argentina | | |
| Federico Moreno Torroba | 1891 | 1982 | Spain | | |
| Ennio Morricone | 1928 | 2020 | Italy | | |
| Robert Morris | 1943 | | | | |
| Virgilio Mortari | 1902 | 1993 | Italy | | |
| Luigi Mosca | 1775 | 1824 | Italy | | |
| Carlos Moscardini | 1958 | | Argentina | | |
| Ricardo Moyano | 1961 | | Argentina | | |
| José Muñoz Molleda | 1905 | 1988 | Spain | | |
| Tristan Murail | 1947 | | France | | |
| Santiago de Murcia | 1673 | 1739 | Spain | | |
| Thea Musgrave | 1928 | | United Kingdom | | Re-located to the United States in 1972. |
| Olli Mustonen | 1967 | | Finland | | |
| Wolfgang Muthspiel | 1965 | | Austria | | |
| Stanley Myers | 1930 | 1993 | United Kingdom | | |
| Jiro Nakano | 1902 | 2000 | Japan | | |
| Lior Navok | 1971 | | Israel | | |
| Ernesto Nazareth | 1863 | 1934 | Brazil | | |
| Remilson Nery | 1961 | | Brazil | | |
| Wilhelm Neuland | 1806 | 1889 | Germany | | |
| Ulrik Neumann | 1918 | 1994 | Sweden | | |
| Dimitri Nicolau | 1946 | 2008 | Italy | | Born in Greece. |
| Michael Nicolella | 1963 | | | | |
| Tage Nielsen | 1929 | 2003 | Denmark | | |
| Alfred Nieman | 1913 | 1997 | United Kingdom | | |
| Kai Nieminen | 1953 | | Finland | | |
| Joaquin Nin-Culmell | 1908 | 2004 | Spain | | |
| Marlos Nobre | 1939 | | Brazil | | |
| Paulinho Nogueira | 1929 | 2003 | Brazil | | |
| Pehr Henrik Nordgren | 1944 | 2008 | Finland | | |
| Per Nørgård | 1932 | | Denmark | | |
| Ib Nørholm | 1931 | 2019 | Denmark | | |
| Bayan Northcott | 1940 | 2022 | United Kingdom | | |
| Christopher Norton | 1953 | | New Zealand | | |
| Jan Novák | 1921 | 1984 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Johann Abraham Nüske | 1796 | 1865 | Germany | | |
| Jana Obrovska | 1930 | 1987 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Helmut Oehring | 1961 | | Germany | | |
| Maurice Ohana | 1914 | 1992 | | | |
| Jane O'Leary | 1946 | | Ireland | | |
| Stephen Oliver | 1950 | 1992 | United Kingdom | | |
| Poul Rovsing Olsen | 1922 | 1982 | Denmark | | |
| Marco Oppedisano | 1971 | | United States | | |
| Julián Orbón | 1925 | 1991 | United States | | Born in Spain and worked in Cuba till 1964. |
| Juan Orrego-Salas | 1919 | 2019 | Chile | | |
| Ivan Padovec | 1800 | 1873 | Croatia | | |
| Niccolò Paganini | 1782 | 1840 | Italy | | |
| Manuel Palau Boix | 1893 | 1967 | Spain | | |
| Boris Papandopulo | 1906 | 1991 | Croatia | | |
| Sophocles Papas | 1893 | 1986 | Greece | | Re-located to the United States in 1914. |
| Åke Parmerud | 1953 | | | | |
| Apostolos Paraskevas | 1964 | | Greece | | |
| Stephen Paulus | 1949 | 2014 | United States | | |
| Carlos Pedrell | 1878 | 1941 | Uruguay | | |
| Felipe Pedrell | 1841 | 1922 | Spain | | |
| Ferdinand Pelzer | 1801 | 1860 | Germany | | Re-located to England in 1829. |
| Andreas Paolo Perger | 1970 | | | | |
| Nick Peros | 1963 | | | | |
| Vincent Persichetti | 1915 | 1987 | United States | | |
| Jean-Louis Petit | 1937 | | France | | |
| Pierre Petit | 1922 | 2000 | France | | |
| Goffredo Petrassi | 1904 | 2003 | Italy | | |
| Pietro Pettoletti | 1795 | 1870 | Italy | | Years of birth and death are approximate. |
| Ástor Piazzolla | 1921 | 1992 | Argentina | | |
| Richard Pick | 1915 | 2001 | | | |
| C. A. Pinto Fonseca | 1933 | 2006 | Brazil | | |
| Lina Pires de Campos | 1918 | 2003 | Brazil | | |
| Thomas Pitfield | 1903 | 1999 | United Kingdom | | |
| Pixinguinha | 1898 | 1973 | Brazil | | |
| Kenneth Platts | 1946 | 1989 | United Kingdom | | |
| Fotis Polymeris | 1920 | 2013 | Greece | | |
| Manuel Ponce | 1882 | 1948 | Mexico | | |
| Ennio Porrino | 1910 | 1959 | Italy | | |
| Pierre Jean Porro | 1750 | 1831 | France | | |
| Francis Poulenc | 1899 | 1963 | France | | |
| Baden Powell | 1937 | 2000 | Brazil | | |
| Mel Powell | 1923 | 1998 | | | |
| José Antônio de Almeida Prado | 1943 | 2010 | Brazil | | |
| Catharina Pratten | 1821 | 1895 | Germany | | |
| Stanko Prek | 1915 | 1999 | Slovenia | | |
| Ida Presti | 1924 | 1967 | France | | |
| André Previn | 1929 | 2019 | United States | | Born in Germany. |
| Claudio Prieto | 1934 | 2015 | Spain | | |
| Teresa Procaccini | 1934 | | Italy | | |
| Emilio Pujol | 1886 | 1980 | Spain | | |
| Maximo Diego Pujol | 1957 | | Argentina | | |
| John Purser | 1942 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Eduard Pütz | 1911 | 2000 | Germany | | |
| Veli-Matti Puumala | 1965 | | Finland | | |
| Relly Raffman | 1921 | 1988 | United States | | |
| Osmo Tapio Räihälä | 1964 | | Finland | | |
| Tomi Räisänen | 1976 | | Finland | | |
| Štěpán Rak | 1945 | | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Ariel Ramírez | 1921 | 2010 | Argentina | | |
| Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera | 1913 | 1993 | Venezuela | | |
| Primoz Ramovs | 1921 | 1999 | Slovenia | | |
| Einojuhani Rautavaara | 1928 | 2016 | Finland | | |
| Alan Rawsthorne | 1905 | 1971 | United Kingdom | | |
| Irma Ravinale | 1937 | 2013 | Italy | | |
| Jean-Marie Raymond | 1949 | | France | | |
| Gardner Read | 1913 | 2005 | United States | | |
| Ferdinand Rebay | 1880 | 1953 | Austria | | |
| Max Reger | 1873 | 1916 | Germany | | |
| Giulio Regondi | 1822 | 1872 | Switzerland | | Mostly active in the United Kingdom. |
| Steve Reich | 1936 | | United States | | |
| Dilermando Reis | 1916 | 1977 | Brazil | | |
| Ottorino Respighi | 1879 | 1936 | | | |
| Hermann Reutter | 1900 | 1985 | Germany | | |
| Roger Reynolds | 1934 | | | | |
| Alan Ridout | 1934 | 1996 | | | |
| Rodrigo Riera | 1923 | 1999 | Venezuela | | |
| Terry Riley | 1935 | | United States | | |
| Anthony Ritchie | 1960 | | New Zealand | | |
| John Ritchie | 1921 | 2014 | New Zealand | | |
| Carlos Rafael Rivera | 1970 | | United States | | |
| Jean Rivier | 1896 | 1987 | France | | |
| George Rochberg | 1918 | 2005 | | | |
| Arturo Rodas | 1954 | | Ecuador | | |
| Joaquín Rodrigo | 1901 | 1999 | Spain | | |
| Betty Roe | 1930 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Amadeo Roldán | 1900 | 1939 | Cuba | | |
| Alessandro Rolla | 1757 | 1841 | Italy | | |
| Celedonio Romero | 1913 | 1996 | Cuba | | Re-located to the United States in 1957. |
| Ludovico Roncalli | 1654 | 1713 | Italy | | |
| Ned Rorem | 1923 | 2022 | United States | | |
| Christopher Rouse | 1949 | 2019 | United States | | |
| Albert Roussel | 1869 | 1937 | France | | |
| Alec Rowley | 1892 | 1958 | United Kingdom | | |
| Miklós Rózsa | 1907 | 1995 | Hungary | | Active in several countries. |
| Marcel Rubin | 1905 | 1995 | Austria | | |
| Poul Ruders | 1949 | | Denmark | | |
| Antonio Ruiz-Pipò | 1934 | 1998 | France | | |
| Henrik Rung | 1807 | 1871 | Denmark | | |
| John Rutter | 1945 | | | | |
| Jarmo Saari | 1970 | | Finland | | |
| Kaija Saariaho | 1952 | 2023 | Finland | | |
| Sabicas | 1912 | 1990 | Spain | | Also active in Mexico and the United States. |
| Arturo Sacchetti | 1941 | | Italy | | |
| Julio Salvador Sagreras | 1879 | 1942 | Argentina | | |
| Eduardo Sainz de la Maza | 1903 | 1982 | Spain | | |
| Regino Sainz de la Maza | 1896 | 1981 | Spain | | |
| Adolfo Salazar | 1890 | 1958 | Spain | | |
| Luis H. Salgado | 1903 | 1977 | Ecuador | | |
| Aulis Sallinen | 1935 | | Finland | | |
| Erkki Salmenhaara | 1941 | 2002 | Finland | | |
| Esa-Pekka Salonen | 1958 | | Finland | | |
| Matilde Salvador | 1918 | 2007 | Spain | | |
| Gustave Samazeuilh | 1877 | 1967 | France | | |
| Luis Sandi | 1905 | 1996 | Mexico | | |
| Sven-David Sandström | 1942 | 2019 | Sweden | | |
| Cláudio Santoro | 1919 | 1989 | Brazil | | |
| Guido Santórsola | 1904 | 1994 | Brazil | | |
| Turibio Santos | 1940 | | Brazil | | |
| Heikki Sarmanto | 1939 | | Finland | | |
| Henri Sauguet | 1901 | 1989 | France | | |
| Manuel Saumell | 1810 | 1870 | Cuba | | |
| Robert Saxton | 1953 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Giacinto Scelsi | 1905 | 1988 | Italy | | |
| R. Murray Schafer | 1933 | 2021 | Canada | | |
| Gerhard Schedl | 1957 | 2000 | Austria | | |
| Armin Schibler | 1921 | 1986 | Switzerland | | |
| Peter Schickele | 1935 | | | | |
| Thomas Daniel Schlee | 1957 | | Austria | | |
| Annette Schlünz | 1964 | | Germany | | |
| Arnold Schoenberg | 1874 | 1951 | Austria | | Re-located to the United States in 1934. |
| Franz Schubert | 1797 | 1828 | | | |
| Gunther Schuller | 1925 | 2015 | | | |
| Joseph Schwantner | 1943 | | United States | | |
| Kurt Schwertsik | 1935 | | | | |
| Ludvig Schytte | 1848 | 1909 | Denmark | | Re-located to Germany in 1884 and to Austria in 1886. |
| Cyril Scott | 1879 | 1970 | United Kingdom | | |
| Peter Sculthorpe | 1929 | 2014 | Australia | | |
| Humphrey Searle | 1915 | 1982 | United Kingdom | | |
| Leif Segerstam | 1944 | | Finland | | |
| Andrés Segovia | 1893 | 1987 | Spain | | |
| Matyas Seiber | 1905 | 1960 | Hungary | | Re-located to England in 1935. |
| Ernest Shand | 1868 | 1924 | United Kingdom | | |
| Alexander Shchetynsky | 1960 | | Ukraine | | |
| Jean Sibelius | 1865 | 1957 | Finland | | |
| Roberto Sierra | 1953 | | Puerto Rico | | |
| Larry Sitsky | 1934 | | Australia | | |
| Fredrik Sixten | 1962 | | | | |
| Howard Skempton | 1947 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Reginald Smith Brindle | 1917 | 2003 | United Kingdom | | |
| Vicente Emilio Sojo | 1887 | 1974 | Venezuela | | |
| Charles Michael Alexis Sola | 1786 | 1857 | | | |
| Padre Antonio Soler | 1729 | 1783 | Spain | | |
| Harry Somers | 1925 | 1999 | Canada | | |
| Fernando Sor | 1778 | 1839 | Spain | Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart | |
| Bent Sørensen | 1958 | | | | |
| Michalis Souyioul | 1906 | 1958 | Greece | | |
| Frank Lee Sprague | 1958 | 2018 | United States | | |
| Pieter van der Staak | 1930 | 2007 | Netherlands | | |
| Hans Stadlmair | 1929 | 2019 | Austria | | |
| Robert Starer | 1924 | 2001 | United States | | Born in Austria |
| Michael Starobin | 1956 | | | | |
| Walter Steffens | 1934 | | Germany | | |
| Pavel Steidl | 1961 | | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Roger Steptoe | 1953 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Bernard Stevens | 1916 | 1983 | United Kingdom | | |
| Ronald Stevenson | 1928 | 2015 | | | |
| Richard Stoker | 1938 | 2021 | United Kingdom | | |
| Ignace Strasfogel | 1909 | 1994 | Poland | | |
| Johann Strauss Sr. | 1804 | 1849 | Austria | | |
| Johann Strauss II | 1825 | 1899 | Austria | | |
| Soulima Stravinsky | 1910 | 1994 | Switzerland | | Re-located to the United States in 1948. |
| Aurel Stroe | 1932 | 2008 | | | |
| Rezső Sugar | 1919 | 1988 | Hungary | | |
| Carlos Surinach | 1915 | 1997 | Spain | | Re-located to the United States in 1959. |
| Giles Swayne | 1946 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Ricardo Tacuchian | 1939 | | Brazil | | |
| Germaine Tailleferre | 1892 | 1983 | | | |
| Jenő Takács | 1902 | 2005 | Austria | | |
| Yuji Takahashi | 1938 | | Japan | | |
| Toru Takemitsu | 1930 | 1996 | Japan | | |
| Joby Talbot | 1971 | | | | |
| Tan Dun | 1957 | | China | | |
| Hilary Tann | 1947 | 2023 | | | |
| Alexandre Tansman | 1897 | 1986 | | | |
| Sebastião Tapajós | 1943 | 2021 | Brazil | | |
| Francisco Tárrega | 1852 | 1909 | Spain | Gran Vals, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Capricho arabe | |
| John Tavener | 1944 | 2013 | United Kingdom | | |
| Matthew Taylor | 1964 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Mikis Theodorakis | 1925 | 2021 | Greece | | |
| Augusta Read Thomas | 1964 | | | | |
| Virgil Thomson | 1896 | 1989 | United States | | |
| Eythor Thorlaksson | 1930 | 2018 | Iceland | | |
| Jukka Tiensuu | 1948 | | Finland | | |
| Michael Tippett | 1905 | 1998 | United Kingdom | | |
| Camillo Togni | 1922 | 1993 | Italy | | |
| Henri Tomasi | 1901 | 1971 | France | | |
| Colin Tommis | 1958 | | United Kingdom | | |
| Enrico Toselli | 1883 | 1926 | Italy | | |
| Vladimir Tošić | 1949 | | Serbia | | |
| Francesco Paolo Tosti | 1846 | 1916 | Italy | | |
| Joan Tower | 1938 | | United States | | |
| Ralph Towner | 1940 | | United States | | |
| Manfred Trojahn | 1949 | | Germany | | |
| Eldad Tsabary | 1969 | | Israel | | |
| Antonin Tucapsky | 1928 | 2014 | Czechoslovakia | | Re-located to England in 1975 |
| Joaquin Turina | 1882 | 1949 | Spain | | |
| José Luis Turina | 1952 | | Spain | | |
| Alfred Uhl | 1909 | 1992 | Austria | | |
| Erich Urbanner | 1936 | | Austria | | |
| Horacio Vaggione | 1943 | | Argentina | | |
| Alexander Varlamov | 1801 | 1848 | Russia | | |
| Pēteris Vasks | 1946 | | Latvia | | |
| Andersen Viana | 1962 | | Brazil | | |
| Lois V. Vierk | 1951 | | | | |
| Heitor Villa-Lobos | 1887 | 1959 | Brazil | Chôros No. 1; Twelve Études; Five Preludes | |
| Giulio Viozzi | 1912 | 1984 | Italy | | |
| Param Vir | 1952 | | | | |
| Olli Virtaperko | 1973 | | Finland | | |
| Claude Vivier | 1948 | 1983 | Canada | | |
| Roman Vlad | 1919 | 2013 | Italy | | Born in modern-day Ukraine. |
| Roger Craig Vogel | 1947 | | United States | | |
| Wladimir Vogel | 1896 | 1984 | | | |
| Kevin Volans | 1949 | | | | |
| Melinda Wagner | 1957 | | | | |
| Rudolf Wagner-Régeny | 1903 | 1969 | Germany | | Born in Hungary (in modern-day Romania). |
| Luise Walker | 1910 | 1998 | Austria | | |
| Errollyn Wallen | 1958 | | | | |
| Gareth Walters | 1928 | 2012 | United Kingdom | | |
| William Walton | 1902 | 1983 | United Kingdom | | |
| Johann Baptist Wanhal | 1739 | 1813 | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Carl Maria von Weber | 1786 | 1826 | Germany | | |
| Anton Webern | 1883 | 1945 | Austria | | |
| John Weinzweig | 1913 | 2006 | Canada | | |
| Flemming Weis | 1898 | 1981 | | | |
| Ferdinand Weiss | 1932 | 2002 | Austria | | |
| Harald Weiss | 1949 | | Germany | | |
| Egon Wellesz | 1885 | 1974 | Austria | | Re-located to England in the late 1930s. |
| Eberhard Werdin | 1911 | 1991 | Germany | | |
| Richard Wernick | 1934 | | | | |
| Harri Kristian Wessman | 1949 | | Finland | | |
| Graham Whettam | 1927 | 2007 | United Kingdom | | |
| Johan Wikmanson | 1753 | 1800 | Sweden | | |
| John Williams | 1941 | | United Kingdom | | Born in Australia. |
| Mason Williams | 1938 | | | | |
| Arthur Wills | 1926 | 2020 | United Kingdom | | |
| Christopher Wilke | 1973 | | United States | Emperor Romulus Augustus, His Serious Funk; Diatribe; Never Kick a Man in a Suit | |
| Thomas Wilson | 1927 | 2001 | United Kingdom | | |
| Pierre Wissmer | 1915 | 1992 | | | |
| Charles Wuorinen | 1938 | 2020 | United States | | |
| Stavros Xarhakos | 1937 | | Greece | | |
| Narciso Yepes | 1927 | 1997 | Spain | | |
| Andrew York | 1958 | | United States | | |
| Kenneth Young | 1955 | | New Zealand | | |
| Isang Yun | 1917 | 1996 | Korea | | Re-located to Germany in 1959. |
| Atahualpa Yupanqui | 1908 | 1992 | Argentina | | |
| Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph | 1948 | | South Africa | | |
| Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti | 1800 | 1878 | Italy | | |
| Frank Zappa | 1940 | 1993 | United States | Waltz for Guitar | Short (0:39) 12-tone waltz written at the age of 18. |
| Richard Zarou | 1981 | | | | |
| Friedrich Zehm | 1923 | 2007 | Germany | | |
| Milan Zelenka | 1939 | | Czechoslovakia | | |
| Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon | 1953 | | Bolivia | | |
| Marilyn J. Ziffrin | 1926 | 2018 | United States | | |
| Bernd Alois Zimmermann | 1918 | 1970 | Germany | | |
| Sauli Zinovjev | 1988 | | Finland | | |