Top 50 Composers from Broadway and the Early 20th Century

Broadway/Early 20th Century Composers: Top 50

This list was first posted on March 22, 2012 in honor of the births of two of Broadway’s most celebrated composers (Stephen Sondheim: March 22, 1930; Andrew Lloyd Webber: March 22, 1948). This list focused on the top composers from Broadway and the early 20th century. A separate list produced around the same time focused on The Top 100 Songwriters of the Rock Era. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories. George and Ira Gershwin, image from wmky.org 1. George Gershwin 2. Richard Rodgers 3. Stephen Sondheim 4. Andrew Lloyd Webber 5. Oscar Hammerstein II Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II 6. Irving Berlin 7. Cole Porter 8. Leonard Bernstein 9. Jerry Herman 10. Alan Jay Lerner Stephen Sondheim 11. Tim Rice 12. Frederick Loewe 13. Cy Coleman 14. Frank Loesser 15. Stephen Schwartz Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice 16. Jerome Kern 17. Sheldon Harnick 18. John Kander 19. Charles Strouse 20. Lee Adams Irving Berlin 21. Marvin Hamlisch 22. Harold Arlen 23. Jerry Bock 24. Betty Comden 25. Adolph Green Cole Porter, image from pbs.org 26. Jule Styne 27. Ira Gershwin 28. Richard Adler 29. Jerry Ross 30. Fred Ebb Leonard Bernstein, image from npr.org 31. Woody Guthrie 32. Lorenz Hart 33. E.Y. “Yip” Harburg 34. John Phillip Sousa 35. Burton Lane Jerry Herman, image from theargyros.org 36. Harold Rome 37. Kurt Weill 38. Johnny Mercer 39. Bob Merrill 40. Noel Coward Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe 41. George M. Cohan 42. Alan Menken 43. Richard Sherman 44. Robert Sherman 45. Dorothy Fields Jerome Kern, image from discogs.com 46. Pete Seeger 47. Jonathan Larson 48. Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter 49. Fats Waller 50. Irving Caesar Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories Dave’s Music Database: The Top 100 Songwriters of the Rock Era First posted 3/22/2012; last updated 1/26/2022.