Go to this website to find a list of music terms that will help you describe music: Musical Terms and Concepts
VIOLIN
Players:
Top Ten Violinists of All Time: David Oistrakh, Fritz Kreisler, Mischa Elman, Guiseppe Tartini, Ole Bull, Jascha Heifetz, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Pablo de Sarasate, Niccolo Paganini
10 Famous Violinists (Who are still performing): Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Janine Jansen, Sarah Chang, Viktoria Mullova, Maxim Vengerov, Julia Fischer, Anne Sophie Mutter, Midori Goto
List of Contemporary Classical Violinists
Best Pieces: 6 Solo Sonatas and Partitas for Violin by J.S. Bach, Chaconne by J.S. Bach, Concerto in F Minor by J.S. Bach, Double Violin Concerto in D minor by J.S. Bach, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, Violin Concerto in C by Haydn, Violin Sonatas by Mozart, The 5 Violin Concertos by Mozart, 24 Caprices for Violin by Paganini, The 6 Violin Concertos by Paganini, Concerto No. 2 in D minor by Wieniawski, Basque Capriccio by Sarasate, Violin Sonatas by Beethoven, Concerto in D Major by Beethoven, Triple Concerto for Violin and Cello and Piano by Beethoven, Meditation from "Thais" by Massenet, 6 Solo Violin Sonatas by Ysaye, Concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens, Violin Sonatas by Brahms, Concerto in D by Brahms, Concerto for Violin and Cello by Brahms, Violin Sonata No. 1 by Grieg, Violin Sonata in A Major by Franck, Liebesfrud by Kreisler, Concerto in D Major by Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto No.1 by Bruch, Violin Concerto by Sibelius, Ziguenerwiesen by Sarasate, Poeme by Chausson
and for fun (11 Virtuoso Violin Pieces)
VIOLA
Players:
Six of the best viola players of all time: Carl Stamitz, Lionel Tertis, William Primrose, Nobuko Imai, Yuri Bashmet, Lawrence Power
List of all viola players from the beginning to now: The most famous viola players of today include Nobuko Imai, Michael Kugel, Tabea Zimmerman, Yuri Bashmet, Olga Goija, Maxim Vengerov, Julia Rebekka Adler, Kenji Bunch, and David Aaron Carpenter
Best Pieces: Caprice by Blumenthal, 3 Suites by Reger, Capriccio Homage a la Paganini by Vieuxtemps, Elegie by Vieuxtemps, Notturno for Viola and Piano by Beethoven, Concertstuck for Viola and Piano by Enescu, Elegia by Glazunov, Viola Sonata in D minor by Glinka, Praeludium and Allegro by Kreisler, Chaconne for Viola and Piano by Marteau, Sonata for Viola by Glinka, 3 Fantasiestucke by Reinicke, Introduction and Mazurka by Ritter, Viola Sonata in G minor by Rubinstein, Viola Sonata by Walker, Reverie for Viola and Piano by Wieniawski, Sinfonie Concertante for Violin and Violin by Mozart, Viola Concertos by Rolla, Viola Concerto in D Major by Stamitz, Concerto in G Major by Telemann, Sonata for Viola by Hindemith
CELLO
Players:
Six of the best cellists of all time: Pablo Casals, Emanuel Feuermann, Gregor Piatigorsky, Pierre Fournier, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pre
List of all Cello Players from the Beginning to Now: The most famous cello players of today include Yo-Yo Ma, Zuill Bailey, Carter Brey, Anner Bylsma, Lynn Harrell, Steven Isserlis, Julian Lloyd Webber, Johannes Moser, Anthony Pleeth
Best Pieces: 6 Solo Suites for Cello by J.S. Bach, Solo Sonata for Cello by Kodaly, Cello Sonata No. 1 by Beethoven, Cello Sonata in A Major by Boccherini, Cello Sonata in F Major by Brahms, Cello Sonata in E minor by Brahms, Kol Nidre by Bruch, Introduction and Polonaise Brilliants by Chopin, Sonata for Cello and Piano by Debussy, Silent Woods by Dvorak, Cello Concerto in B minor by Dvorak, Cello Concerto in E minor by Elgar, Cello Sonata No. 1 by Faure, Scherzo for Cello and Piano by van Goens, Ave Maria for Cello and Piano by Gounod, Concerto in D minor by Lalo, Liebestraume by Liszt, Lied ohne Worte by Mendelssohn, Spinning Song by Popper, Sonata for Cello and Piano by Prokofiev, Cello Sonata by Rachmaninoff, Allegro Appassionato by Saint-Saens, Concerto in A minor by Saint-Saens, Fantasiestucke by R. Schumann, Concerto in A minor by R. Schumann, Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano by Beethoven, Concerto for Violin and Cello by Brahms, Concerto in C Major by Haydn, Concerto in D Major by Haydn, Schelomo by Bloch, Variations on a Rococo Theme by Tchaikovsky
BASS
Players:
Famous Classical Bass Players in History: Domenico Dragonetti, Giovanni Bottesini, Franz Simandl, Edourd Nanny, Serge Koussevitzky
List of Classical Double Bass Players of Today: The most famous classical bass players of today include Oscar G. Zimmerman, Francois Rabbath, Gary Karr, Teppo Hauta-Aho, Edgar Meyer, Volkan Orhon
Best Pieces: Contrabass-Schule by Frohlich, Concerto for Bass by Dittersdorf, Concerto for Bass by Bottesini, Elegy by Bottesini, Reverie by Bottesini, Elegie by Hegner, Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra by Koussevitsky, Romance and Rondo by Keyper, Concerto for Double Bass by Meyer
COMPOSERS
Baroque Era
J.S. Bach: Cello Suites, Violin Sonatas and Partitas, Brandenburg Concertos, "Double" Violin Concerto
G.F. Handel: The Messiah (includes the Hallelujah Chorus), Suite for "Water Music", Music for Royal Fireworks
A. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Classical Era
J. Haydn: Considered the father of the string quartet (List of String Quartets), Cello Concerto in C, Cello Concerto in D
W.A. Mozart: Violin Concerto in G Major, Violin Concerto in A Major, Sinfonie Concertante for Violin and Viola, Symphony No. 41, Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Requiem Mass
Romantic Era
L. van Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Triple Concerto (Violin, Cello, and Piano), String Quartets Op. 18, String Quartet Op. 131, Grosse Fuge, Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 9
J. Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Violin Concerto, Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Academic Festival Overture, Cello Sonata in F, String Quartets Op. 51
R. Schumann: Cello Concerto
A. Dvorak: "New World" Symphony, "American" String Quartet, Cello Concerto
F. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Bridal March from A Midsummer Night's Dream
C. Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson and Delilah, Organ Symphony, Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto
F. Schubert: "Unfinished" Symphony
H. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
P. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Ballet, Swan Lake Ballet, Violin Concerto
R. Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries from The Ring Cycle, Bridal Chorus from the Lohengrin
G. Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 8
Impressionists
M. Ravel: Bolero, String Quartet in F
C. Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, La Mer
Early Twentieth Century
D. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, Cello Concerto No. 1, String Quartet Op. 8, Viola Sonata
P. Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 5 for Viola, Konzertmusik for Viola and Large Orchestra, Trauermusik for Viola and String Orchestra, Der Schwanendreher for Viola and Small Orchestra
A. Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht, Variations for Orchestra
I. Stravinsky: Rite of Spring, Firebird Suite
Late Twentieth/Early Twenty-First Century
L. Bernstein: West Side Story, Candide
H. Mancini: The Pink Panther, The Music from Peter Gunn
Movie Composers of Today
J. Williams: Jaws, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Superman, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Schindler's Lists, Harry Potter, Lincoln
D. Elfman: The Simpsons, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Spider-Man, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful
H. Zimmer: The Lion King, The Dark Knight, Inception
H. Shore: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse