The horizontal scale represents countries while the vertical scale represents dates, with each dot representing the composer and number of works produced. We can definitely see how Germany and France were very early to the game, with composers dating back to Medieval times. Also very clearly represented here, is the prominence of Italy 🇮🇹 during the Renaissance period, which had otherwise remained dormant until the 15th century, when it appeared to have shifted into a breeding ground for the systematic creation of local talent such as Claudio Monteverdi and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Interestingly enough, we see similar bursts during the Baroque era as well, not only restricted to Italy, but we seem to have sidetracked a bit, so getting back to our original topic now..

Europe has clearly been a strong powerhouse in the creation of classical music in the past few centuries, and by spreading its culture to the rest of the world, it seems to have inspired many new talent overseas. Although several new composers outside of Europe have emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century, one newcomer seems to stand out: United States. Unlike many countries which have produced a short number of sporadic composers, the US has managed to push out a steady stream of composers, especially in the last century. The future is yet to be written, but from the looks of it, it doesn’t look like the US is slowing down.

P.S. Special thanks to our talented team of classical music lovers and experts at Primephonic, for fact-checking this analysis.