Editing List of major opera composers (section)

=== 1800–1849 ===
[[Image:Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|Giuseppe Verdi, by [[Giovanni Boldini]], 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome)]]
* '''[[Vincenzo Bellini]]''' (1801–1835) On account of such works as ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' and ''[[I puritani]]'', Bellini is recognised as one of the leading composers of the ''bel canto'' style of opera.<ref>Orrey pp. 129–133</ref>
* '''[[Hector Berlioz]]''' (1803–1869) Berlioz's attempts to carve out an operatic career for himself were thwarted by an unimaginative musical establishment.<ref>Orrey p. 153</ref> Nevertheless, he managed to produce ''[[Benvenuto Cellini (opera)|Benvenuto Cellini]]'', ''[[Béatrice et Bénédict]]'' and his masterpiece, the epic ''[[Les Troyens]]'',.<ref name="Orrey p. 154">Orrey p. 154</ref> Berlioz's ''dramatic legend'', ''[[La damnation de Faust]]'', has also been staged as an opera in recent years.
* '''[[Mikhail Glinka]]''' (1804–1857) Founded the Russian operatic tradition with his historical drama ''[[A Life for the Tsar]]'' and his fairy tale piece ''[[Ruslan and Lyudmila (opera)|Ruslan and Lyudmila]]''.<ref>Orrey p. 180</ref>
* '''[[Michael William Balfe]]''' (1808–1870) Irish composer, his opera ''[[The Bohemian Girl]]'' is notable for its Arline's aria [[I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls|Gipsy Girl's Dream]]. 
* '''[[Ambroise Thomas]]''' (1811–1896) French composer noted for the operas ''[[Mignon]]'' and ''[[Hamlet (opera)|Hamlet]]''.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 1098.</ref>
* '''[[George Alexander Macfarren]]''' (1813–1887) English composer noted for the operas ''Robin Hood'' and ''[[Helvellyn (opera)|Helvellyn]]''. 
* '''[[Richard Wagner]]''' (1813–1883) Wagner revolutionised opera. In a series of "music dramas" such as ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'', ''[[Parsifal]]'', and most of all his epic tetralogy ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'', Wagner abolished the traditional distinction between [[recitative]] and [[aria]] and pioneered a new through-composed style of opera.<ref>Orrey pp. 168–169</ref>
* '''[[Giuseppe Verdi]]''' (1813–1901) Had a long composing career, during which his compositional style kept evolving. Among his most famous works are ''[[Nabucco]]'', ''[[Rigoletto]]'', ''[[Il Trovatore]]'', ''[[La traviata]]'', ''[[Don Carlos]]'', ''[[Aida]]'', and ''[[Otello]]''.<ref>Orrey pp. 137–147</ref>
* '''[[Charles Gounod]]''' (1818–1893) Wrote lyrical operas on literary themes, including ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' and ''[[Mireille (opera)|Mireille]]''. His ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' still holds the stage today,<ref name="Orrey p. 154"/> in spite of criticisms of its "Victorianism".
{{Listen|type=music
|filename=Caruso, Journet, Charles Gounod's Faust, 'O merveille! ... A moi les plaisirs'.ogg
|title=''Faust'': "O merveille!&nbsp;... A moi les plaisirs"
|description=[[Charles Gounod]]'s ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'': Méphistophélès ([[Marcel Journet]]) gives Faust ([[Enrico Caruso]]) a glimpse of Marguerite, and he signs the contract with the Devil, then leaves with him to experience the world. Recorded in 1910.
}}
* '''[[Jacques Offenbach]]''' (1819–1880) Founder of French [[operetta]] and a prolific composer of pieces which achieved tremendous success with Parisian audiences for their catchy melodies and satirical bite such as ''[[La Vie parisienne (operetta)|La Vie parisienne]]'' and ''[[Orpheus in the Underworld]]''.<ref>Britannica p. 633 C.1</ref> At the time of his death, Offenbach was working on a more serious opera, ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]''.
* '''[[Bedřich Smetana]]''' (1824–1884) Established Czech national opera with such historical epics as ''[[Dalibor (opera)|Dalibor]]''.<ref>Orrey p. 177</ref> His folk comedy ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'' has entered the international repertory.
* '''[[Alexander Borodin]]''' (1833–1887) A "weekend composer" who spent 17 years working on a single opera, ''[[Prince Igor]]'', which now forms a key part of the Russian repertory.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 134</ref>
* '''[[Camille Saint-Saëns]]''' (1835–1921). French composer of around a dozen operas of which one, the Biblical ''[[Samson and Delilah (opera)|Samson et Delila]]'', is still performed.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 929. ''Viking'' says Saint-Saëns wrote 13 operas, including his part in an unfinished work by [[Ernest Guiraud|Guiraud]] and two ''opéra comiques''.</ref>
* '''[[Léo Delibes]]''' (1836–1891) French composer, whose ''[[Lakmé]]'' is notable for its [[Flower Duet]] and as a vehicle for [[coloratura soprano]]s.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 253.</ref>
* '''[[Georges Bizet]]''' (1838–1875) Bizet's masterwork ''[[Carmen]]'' is a staple of the repertoire of opera houses the world over. At the time of its premiere, the controversial plot scandalised both critics and the public.<ref>Orrey pp. 156–157</ref>
* '''[[Modest Mussorgsky]]''' (1839–1881) Mussorgsky completed only one opera, but ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]'' proved to be inspiration for generations of Russian composers on account of its uniquely nationalist character.<ref name="Britannica p. 637 C.2">Britannica p. 637 C.2</ref>
* '''[[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]''' (1840–1893) Tchaikovsky's international fame as an opera composer mainly rests on two works, ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' and ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]''.<ref>Orrey p. 182</ref> Less interested in cultivating a uniquely Russian style than his contemporary [[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]], Tchaikovsky also shows the influence of [[Mozart]], [[bel canto]] and Bizet's ''[[Carmen]]'' in these pieces.<ref>David Brown (author of the four-volume ''Tchaikovsky: A Biographical and Critical Study'', Gollancz, 1978–91) in ''Viking Opera Guide'', pp. 1083–1095</ref>
* '''[[Emmanuel Chabrier]]''' (1841–1894) Had ambitions to write grand operas in the Wagnerian vein, but is now most celebrated for lighter pieces, such as ''[[L'étoile (opera)|L'étoile]]'' and ''[[Le roi malgré lui]]'', which were greatly admired by Ravel and Poulenc.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 197</ref>
* '''[[Antonín Dvořák]]''' (1841–1904) Leading Czech opera composer between [[Smetana]] and [[Leoš Janáček|Janáček]]. His ''[[Rusalka (opera)|Rusalka]]'', based on the [[Ondine (mythology)|Undine]] legend, is his most popular work internationally.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 302</ref>
* '''[[Jules Massenet]]''' (1842–1912) Arguably the most representative French opera composer of his era (the ''[[Belle Époque]]''), Massenet was a prolific and versatile writer whose works cover a wide variety of themes.<ref>Orrey p. 156</ref> His popularity faded somewhat after the First World War, but ''[[Werther]]'' and ''[[Manon]]'' still make regular appearances in the opera house.<ref>Graham Dixon in ''Viking Opera Guide'', p. 622</ref>
* '''[[Arthur Sullivan]]''' (1842–1900) English composer who is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist [[W. S. Gilbert]], including such enduring works as ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'', ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' and ''[[The Mikado]]''.
* '''[[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]]''' (1844–1908) Russian composer who wrote colourful operas on legendary and historical subjects.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 864</ref>