Music of Germany

Germany claims some of the most renowned composers, producers and performers of the world. Germany is the largest music market in Europe, and third largest in the world.

German Classical is one of the most performed in the world; German composers include some of the most accomplished and popular in history, among them Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (also recognized as Austrian) was among the composers who created the field of German opera. Among the most influential early film score composers were Austrians such as Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold and German borns like Franz Waxman with follow ups like Hans Zimmer today.

German popular music of the 20th and 21st century includes the movements of Neue Deutsche Welle (Nena, Alphaville), Disco (Boney M., Modern Talking, Dschinghis Khan, Milli Vanilli, Bad Boys Blue), Metal/Rock (Rammstein, Scorpions, Accept, Helloween), Punk (Die Ärzte, Nina Hagen, Die Toten Hosen), Pop rock (Herbert Grönemeyer, Tokio Hotel) and Indie (Tocotronic). Famous female singers were Marlene Dietrich and Hildegard Knef. German Electronic music gained global influence, with Kraftwerk being a pioneer group in this genre. The Electro and Techno scene being internationally popular with Paul van Dyk and Scooter.