Methodology: All connections in this network represent verified historical meetings between composers, documented through biographies, correspondence, contemporary accounts, or academic research. Where exact dates are uncertain, approximate periods are given based on the best available evidence.
Primary Biographical Sources
Swafford, Jan.
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
Solomon, Maynard.
Mozart: A Life.
HarperCollins, 1995.
Walker, Alan.
Franz Liszt: The Virtuoso Years, 1811–1847.
Cornell University Press, 1987.
Walker, Alan.
Franz Liszt: The Weimar Years, 1848–1861.
Cornell University Press, 1989.
Swafford, Jan.
Johannes Brahms: A Biography.
Knopf, 1997.
Reich, Nancy B.
Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman.
Cornell University Press, 2001.
Zamoyski, Adam.
Chopin: Prince of the Romantics.
HarperCollins, 2010.
Millington, Barry.
Wagner.
Princeton University Press, 1992.
Taruskin, Richard.
Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions.
University of California Press, 1996.
La Grange, Henry-Louis de.
Gustav Mahler, Volume 2: Vienna: The Years of Challenge (1897–1904).
Oxford University Press, 1995.
Cairns, David.
Berlioz: The Making of an Artist, 1803–1832.
University of California Press, 2000.
Notable Meetings & Their Sources
Classical Era
Haydn & Mozart —
Met in Vienna, 1784. Haydn's famous quote to Leopold Mozart documented in contemporary correspondence. See: Robbins Landon, H.C. Haydn: Chronicle and Works.
Haydn & Beethoven —
Student-teacher relationship 1792–1794 in Vienna. Well-documented in both composers' biographies and correspondence.
Mozart & Beethoven —
Brief meeting in Vienna, 1787. The "keep your eyes on him" quote is possibly apocryphal but the meeting itself is documented. See: Solomon, Maynard. Beethoven.
Early Romantic Era
Beethoven & Schubert —
Schubert's deathbed visit to Beethoven (1827) documented by Anton Schindler. Earlier meetings in Vienna likely but less documented.
Beethoven & Rossini —
Met in Vienna, 1822. Rossini's own account published in Rossini: A Life by Richard Osborne.
Liszt & Paganini —
Liszt heard Paganini perform in Paris, 1831. Transformative experience documented extensively in Walker's Liszt biography.
Berlioz & Paganini —
Paganini's gift of 20,000 francs after hearing Harold in Italy (1838) documented in Berlioz's memoirs and correspondence.
Paris Circle (1830s–40s)
Chopin & Liszt —
Close friendship in Paris, 1830s. Extensively documented in both composers' correspondence and contemporary accounts.
Chopin & Schumann —
Met in Leipzig, 1835. Schumann's review "Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!" published in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.
Schumann & Mendelssohn —
Colleagues at Leipzig Conservatory in the 1830s–40s. Documented in correspondence and Schumann's diaries.
Liszt & Berlioz —
Close friends in Paris. Liszt's transcription of Symphonie fantastique is musical evidence of their relationship.
Brahms Circle
Schumann & Brahms —
Schumann's 1853 article "Neue Bahnen" (New Paths) in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik announced Brahms as "the young eagle."
Brahms & Clara Schumann —
Lifelong correspondence (over 800 letters) published and extensively studied. See: Reich, Nancy B. Clara Schumann.
Brahms & Dvořák —
Brahms recommended Dvořák to publisher Simrock in 1877. Documented in correspondence.
Late Romantic Era
Liszt & Wagner —
Lifelong friendship and collaboration. Wagner married Liszt's daughter Cosima. Extensively documented.
Wagner & Brahms —
Met but became artistic rivals in the "War of the Romantics." Contemporary press documented the aesthetic divide.
Tchaikovsky & Brahms —
Met in Hamburg, 1889. Documented in Tchaikovsky's diaries and correspondence.
Liszt & Grieg —
Met in Rome, 1870. Liszt's praise of Grieg's Piano Concerto documented in Grieg's letters.
Modern Era
Debussy & Stravinsky —
Met in Paris, 1910. Debussy attended Firebird premiere. Documented in both composers' correspondence.
Mahler & Strauss —
Close friends and correspondents. Conducted each other's works. Extensive published correspondence.
Schoenberg, Berg & Webern —
Teacher-student relationships in Vienna, 1904–1911. Foundation of Second Viennese School. Extensively documented.
Prokofiev & Shostakovich —
Colleagues in Soviet Russia. Complex professional relationship documented in Soviet-era sources and later biographies.
Additional Resources
Sadie, Stanley (ed.).
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Oxford University Press, 2001. 29 volumes.
Taruskin, Richard.
The Oxford History of Western Music.
Oxford University Press, 2005. 6 volumes.
Bonds, Mark Evan.
A History of Music in Western Culture.
Pearson, 2012.
Notes on Methodology
This network includes only meetings with reasonable historical evidence. Some well-known "meetings" have been excluded due to lack of verification:
Bach & Handel —
Despite being born the same year (1685) and living in relative proximity, there is no verified record of them meeting. Bach attempted to meet Handel twice but was unsuccessful.
Wagner & Verdi —
Never met despite being exact contemporaries (both born 1813) and dominating 19th-century opera.