my-server
← Wiki

List of musical families (classical music)

This is a list of families including three or more classical musicians. Non-musical family members are mostly not included unless for clarification purposes. Names that already have an established family entry are redirected to the main article - unless (as with Mendelssohn) they include mainly non-musical members, in which case the musicians are extracted here.

  • Alain family of French musicians, particularly organists
  • Albert Alain (1880–1971), organist, composer and organ builder
  • Jehan Alain (1911–1940), organist, composer and soldier
  • Marie-Odile Alain (1914–1937), organist
  • Olivier Alain (1918–1994), organist, pianist, musicologist and composer
  • Marie-Claire Alain (1926–2013), organist and scholar
  • Andriessen family of Dutch composers
  • Willem Andriessen (1887–1964), composer and pianist
  • Hendrik Andriessen (1892–1981), composer and organist, married pianist Johanna Justina Andriessen (1898–1975)
  • Heleen Andriessen (1921–2000), flautist
  • Jurriaan Hendrik Andriessen (1925–1996), composer
  • Caecilia Andriessen (1931–2019), pianist, teacher, composer
  • Louis Andriessen (1939–2021), composer and pianist
  • Bach family of notable composers of the baroque and classical periods
  • Bassano family of Italian musicians, many of whom moved to England (see also Lanier family, below)
  • Jeronimo Bassano, piffero player to the Doge of Venice between 1506 and 1512
  • Alvise (died London, 15–31 Aug 1554), worked for the Scuola di San Marco, Venice in 1515, and the Concerto Palatino in Bologna between 1519 and 1521
  • Augustine (bur. London, Oct 24, 1604)
  • Lodovico (bur. London, July 18, 1593)
  • Jasper [Gasparo] (bur. London, 8 May 1577)
  • John [Zuane] (died Venice, Sept–Dec 1570)
  • Anthony [Antonio] (i) (bur. London, 19 Oct 1574)
  • Mark Anthony (born London, 10 Jan 1546; died London, 11 Sep 1599)
  • Arthur (born London, 31 Oct 1547; bur. London, 10 Sept 1624)
  • Anthony (ii) (born London, 15 Oct 1579; bur. London, 22 Apr 1658)
  • Andrea (born London, 12 Aug 1554; bur. Horne, Surrey, 3 Aug 1626)
  • Thomas (?bap. London, 27 Feb 1589; bur. London, 29 Sept 1617)
  • Edward (i) (born London, 19 Oct 1551; bur. London, 25 May 1615)
  • Jeronimo (ii) (born London, March 11, 1559; bur. Waltham Abbey, Essex, Aug 22, 1635)
  • Scipio (bap. London, 11 Dec 1586; died London, 26 Nov 1613)
  • Edward (ii) (bap. London, 28 Dec 1588; died London, 22 Oct 1638)
  • Henry (bap. London, 8 April 1597; bur. London, 29 Aug 1665)
  • Jacomo (in Venice between 1542 and 1545)
  • Giovanni Bassano (grandson of Jacomo, born ?Venice, 1560/61; died Venice, Aug 16, 1617)
  • Baptista (bur. London, 11 April 1576)
  • Bedford family of English musicians
  • Herbert Bedford (1867–1945)
  • Liza Lehmann (1862–1918), married Herbert Bedford in 1894
  • Leslie Herbert Bedford (1900–1989), inventor, married to Lesley Duff (1903–1987), singer.
  • Peter Lehmann Bedford (1931–2001)
  • David Bedford (1937–2011)
  • Steuart Bedford (1939–2021)
  • Borsdorf family of horn players, the younger generation changed their surname to Bradley
  • Adolf Borsdorf (1854–1923), German horn player, founder player London Symphony Orchestra
  • Oskar Borsdorf (aka Oscar Bradley, 1889–1948), German-English horn player, composer and conductor, active in America
  • Francis Bradley (born 1899, died after 1976), English horn player, founder player BBC Symphony Orchestra (1930), London Philharmonic (1933). He changed his name from Borsdorf during the 1st World War
  • Emil Borsdorf (1903–1969), English horn player, BBC Television Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra
  • The Brain family, founded a great school of horn playing in England
  • The Bull family of Norway, including musicians
  • The Carter family, English organists, three of whom were later active in Canada
  • John Carter (1802–????), organist at St Matthew's, Bethnal Green, married Anne Leach, 1831
  • John Carter (1832–1916), organist and composer, emigrated to Canada in 1853
  • George Carter (1835–1890), organist and composer, emigrated to Canada in 1861, organist at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal.
  • Henry Carter (1837–1901), organist and composer, emigrated to Canada 1850s and to the US in 1864
  • William Carter (1838–1917), organist and composer, founded the original Royal Albert Hall choir
  • Casadesus family, prominent French artistic family including many musicians (1870s-1990s)
  • Cesi family of pianists from Italy
  • Beniamino Cesi (1845–1907), pianist, composer and teacher
  • Napoleone Cesi (1867–1961), pianist and composer
  • Cecilia Cesi (1903–1984), pianist
  • Sigismondo Cesi (1869–1936), pianist and composer
  • Chaplin family, members of the Chaplin Trio, reviving early music from 1889 until the late 1920s
  • Couperin family, musical dynasty of professional composers and performers of the French Baroque (17th—18th centuries)
  • Cramer family of German musicians, active in England
  • Devriès family of Dutch opera singers over three generations (1830s-1940s)
  • Dolmetsch family, Swiss-French-British family, influential in the 20th-century revival of early music.
  • Draper family, English musical family including two pioneering clarinetists, Charles and Haydn.
  • Samuel Draper (1824–1888), amateur cellist and flautist
  • Paul Draper (1854–1922), bassoonist, teacher, military musician
  • Marion Draper (1887–????), violinist and pianist
  • Haydn Draper (1889–1934), clarinetist, military and orchestral player
  • Mendelssohn Draper (1891–1970), bass clarinet specialist, orchestral player
  • Richard Draper (1857–1938), bassoonist, Queen's Hall Orchestra, D’Oyle Carte and Carl Rosa Opera companies.
  • Charles Draper (1869–1952), "the grandfather of English clarinetists"
  • Charles Carrington Draper (1897–1930), violinist
  • Paul Beaumont Draper (1899–1971), bassoonist, founder member of the Melos Ensemble
  • Düben family, exerted a significant influence on the golden age of music (17th century) at the Swedish Royal Court Orchestra
  • Fawcett family of 19th and 20th century professional orchestral players and amateur musicians from Yorkshire
  • Gibbons family of English composers and musicians
  • Edward Gibbons (1568– on or before 1650), choirmaster and composer
  • Ellis Gibbons (1573–1603), composer
  • Ferdinando Gibbons (c1582–????), musician
  • Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625), composer and keyboard player
  • Christopher Gibbons (1615–1676), composer and organist
  • Godfrey family of English bandmasters and musicians
  • Charles Godfrey (1790–1863), bandmaster, Coldstream Guards, civilian bandmaster
  • Daniel Godfrey (1831–1903), bandmaster, Grenadier Guards
  • Daniel Eyers Godfrey (1868–1939), conductor, founder of the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra
  • Dan Godfrey III (1893–1935), BBC Manchester (1920s), first full-time conductor of the BBC Wireless Orchestra
  • Fred Godfrey (1837–1882), bandmaster, Coldstream Guards
  • Charles Godfrey II. (1839–1919), bandmaster, Royal Horse Guards
  • Charles George Godfrey (1866–1935), composer, bandmaster, musical director of spa resorts, Buxton, Scarborough
  • Arthur Eugene Godfrey (1868–1939), organist, composer, musical director of the Shaftesbury Theatre
  • Herbert A Godfrey (1870–1952), bandmaster, Christ's Hospital, Crystal Palace Military Band
  • Edwina ("Winnie") Godfrey, pianist, studied Royal College of Music, 1890s
  • Rosaline ("Rosie") Godfrey, singer, pianist, studied Royal College of Music, 1890s
  • Goossens family of conductors, composers and performers, moved from Belgium to Britain in 1873
  • Grimson family of classical musicians active in London from the early 1870s
  • Hambourg family, of Russian origins
  • Michael Hambourg (1855–1916), Russian pianist, pupil of Nikolai Rubinstein, emigrated to London (1890), then Canada (1910)
  • Mark Hambourg (1879–1960), internationally famous pianist
  • Michal Augusta Hambourg (1919–2004), pianist
  • Jan Hambourg (1882–1947), violinist, music editor, active in Europe as a concert violinist
  • Boris Hambourg (1885–1954), cellist, settled in Toronto, Canada (1910)
  • Clement Hambourg (1900–1973), Canadian pianist and jazz promoter,
  • Alexander Hambourg (1870–????), conductor, came to England in 1896
  • Charles Hambourg (1895–1979), cellist and conductor
  • Hann family of English musicians from South London
  • William Henry Hann, viola (1831–1920) (married to Sophie Hopkins of the Hopkins family, see below)
  • Edward Hopkins Hann (1861–1929), violin, founding member of London Symphony Orchestra
  • William Charles Hann (1863–1926), cellist, Philharmonic Society Orchestra
  • Lewis Robert Hann (1865–1937), violinist, composer, music professor at Cheltenham Ladies College
  • Sydney Herbert Hann (1867–1921), organist, pianist, hymn tune composer, teacher
  • Clement Walter Hann (1870–1921), cellist, 2nd violin, Philharmonic Society Orchestra
  • Marianne Sophia Hann (1878–1926), mezzo soprano, teacher
  • Hannikainen family of Finnish composers and performers
  • Pekka Juhani Hannikainen (1854–1924), composer
  • (1867–1949), choir director and singing teacher, wife of Pekka
  • Lauri Hannikainen (1889-1921), journalist
  • Heikki Hannikainen (1915–1989), diplomat
  • Ann-Elise Hannikainen (1946–2012), composer
  • Ilmari Hannikainen (1892–1955), pianist and composer
  • Tauno Hannikainen (1896–1968), cellist and conductor
  • (1897–1942), violinist and composer, married (1901–1974), soprano and actor
  • (1900–1960), harpist and composer
  • (born 1965), conductor and violinist
  • Hanssens family of Flemish musicians
  • Joseph-Jean Hanssens (c1770–1816)
  • Charles-Louis-Joseph Hanssens (1777–1852)
  • Charles-Louis Hanssens (1802–1871)
  • The Harrison family, four English sisters, all musical child prodigies

May Harrison (1890–1959), violinist<br> Beatrice Harrison (1892–1965), cellist<br> Monica Harrison (1897–1983), mezzo–soprano<br> Margaret Harrison ((1899–1995), violinist

  • Hobday family of English musicians
  • Charles Dunn Hobday had a music-selling business in Faversham, and later Rochester
  • Bessie Hobday, pianist
  • Alfred Charles Hobday (1870–1942), viola player, married to the Irish pianist Ethel Hobday, née Sharpe (1872–1947)
  • Claude Hobday (1872–1954) double bass player
  • Maud Hobday (1874–1941), violinist and pianist
  • Gertrude Hobday, pianist and singer
  • Hopkins family of English instrumentalists, particularly early clarinetists and organists
  • Edward Hopkins (c1757–c1790), horn player
  • Edward Hopkins (1779–1859), bandmaster (Scots Guards), violinist and clarinetist
  • Louise Lloyd, née Hopkins (c1817–1880), RAM, music teacher
  • Richard Lloyd, married to Louise Lloyd, counter tenor and vicar choral at Westminster Abbey
  • Edward Lloyd (1845–1927), tenor
  • Edward Hopkins (1818–1842), organist at Armagh Cathedral
  • John Larkin Hopkins (1819–1873), organist and composer
  • Sophia Hann, née Hopkins (1835– died before 1912), married viola player W.H. Hann (see 'Hann' above)
  • Eliza Frances Hopkins (c1837–1921), married Charles Ould, cellist (see 'Ould', below)
  • George Hopkins (????–1869), clarinetist
  • Edward John Hopkins (1818–1901), organist (Temple Church) and composer
  • John Hopkins (1822–1900), organist at Rochester Cathedral
  • Thomas Hopkins (1826–1893), organist at St Saviour's Church, York, organ builder
  • Järvi family of conductors, composers and performers, of Estonian origin
  • Kanneh-Mason family, British musical siblings of Antiguan descent

Isata Kanneh-Mason (born 27 May 1996) pianist<br> Sheku Kanneh-Mason (born 4 April 1999), cellist<br> Braimah Kanneh-Mason (born 2000), violinist<br> Konya Kanneh-Mason (born 2003), violin and piano<br> Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (born 2004), cello and piano<br> Aminata Kanneh-Mason (born 2007), violin and piano<br> Mariatu Kanneh-Mason (born 2011), cello and piano

  • Kerzelli family, large family of musicians of Italian, Czech or Austrian origin
  • Lanier family of musicians in the English royal court (see also Bassano family, above)
  • Linley family of English musicians
  • Lloyd Webber family of English musicians
  • Lupo family of court musicians in England in the 16th and 17th centuries
  • Mendelssohn family, extensive German Jewish family, descendants of Mendel of Dessau
  • Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847) composer and pianist
  • Felix Mendelssohn (Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (1809–1847), composer
  • Arnold Ludwig Mendelssohn (1855–1933), composer, son of Felix's cousin Wilhelm
  • Lilli von Mendelssohn (1897–1928), violinist, married Emil Bohnke, violist and composer
  • Robert-Alexander Bohnke (1927–2005), pianist
  • Francesco von Mendelssohn (1901–1972), cellist and art collector
  • Menuhin family of American musicians
  • Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), American-born British violinist and conductor
  • Hephzibah Menuhin (1920–1981), American-Australian pianist and writer
  • Yaltah Menuhin (1921–2001), American-born British pianist, artist and poet
  • Jeremy Menuhin (born 1951), composer and pianist
  • Moralt family: 18 members in the Munich Hofkapelle orchestra between 1787 and 1920
  • Adam Moralt (c1741–1811), orchestral manager
  • Johann Wilhelm Moralt (1774 – died after 1842), viola player
  • Wilhelm Moralt (1815–1874), violinist, (the second) Moralt Quartet
  • Joseph Moralt (1775–1855), violinist, Moralt String Quartet
  • Johann Baptist Moralt (1777–1825), violinist and composer, Moralt String Quartet
  • Jacob Moralt (1780–1820), violinist, Moralt String Quartet
  • Philipp Moralt (1780–1830) cellist, dedicatee of Danzi's Cello Concerto in E minor
  • Peter Moralt (1814– died after 1866), violinist
  • Theodor Moralt (1817–1877), treasurer for the Royal Theater, Munich
  • Rudolf Moralt (1902–1958), conductor, grandson of Theodor
  • John Alvis Moralt (1780–1830s?), viola player, married Sophia Giustina Dussek (1775– c1831), singer, pianist and composer
  • Clementine Moralt (1797–1845), contralto
  • Mozart family, ancestors, relatives and descendants of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • The Mukle family of England, originally from Germany
  • Leopold Mukle (c1829 – died after 1896), German born organ builder, originally from the Black Forest, active in England
  • Anne Mukle (1866–1941), pianist
  • Flora Mukle (1873–????), singer
  • Lillian Mukle (1874–????), trumpeter
  • Fred Mukle (c1877–????), organ builder
  • Louisa Mukle (1879–????), musician
  • May Mukle (1880–1963), cellist and composer
  • Stanley Herbert Mukle (1883–1970), organ builder
  • Nora Mukle (1911-1993), double bass player, wife of Vernon Elliott
  • Naomi Elliott (born 1938), cellist
  • Münch family of Alsatian French conductors
  • Naylor family of English organists and composers
  • Novello family of English musicians and music publishers
  • Ould family of English musicians
  • Charles Ould (1835–1913), cellist, married Eliza Frances Hopkins in 1862 (see 'Hopkins', above)
  • Charles Hopkins Ould, organist and pianist (1865–????)
  • Percy Ould, violinist (1868-????)
  • Kate Emma Ould, cellist (????-????)
  • Mary Ould, violinist and pianist (1879-????)
  • Philidor family of French court musicians (1580s to 1790s)
  • Piffet family of French violinists and composers
  • Pierre Piffet (born late 17th century; died after 1760)
  • Pierre-Louis Piffet (c1706–1773)
  • Joseph-Antoine Piffet (c1710– died late 18th century)
  • Louis-François-Barthélemy Piffet (1734–1779)
  • Puccini family of Italian musicians over five generations
  • Jacopo Puccini (1712–1781)
  • Antonio Puccini (1747–1832), composer and organist
  • Domenico Puccini (1772–1815), composer
  • Michele Puccini (1813–1864), teacher, composer, organist
  • Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924), opera composer
  • Sanderling family of German conductors
  • Scarlatti family of Italian composers from the Baroque and classical eras
  • Schnabel family of Austrian musicians
  • The Simonson family of French origins, active in Australia and New Zealand
  • Fanny Simonsen (1835–1896), soprano,
  • Leonora Martina Simonsen (1859–1884), soprano, married David Davis.
  • Frances Alda née Davis (1879–1952), New Zealand soprano
  • Strauss family of Austrian composers
  • Szervánszky family of Hungarian musicians
  • Tcherepnin family of Russian musicians
  • Nikolai Tcherepnin (1873–1945), composer, pianist and conductor
  • Alexander Tcherepnin (1899–1977), composer and pianist, married Chinese pianist Lee Hsien Ming (1911–1991)
  • Serge Tcherepnin (born 1941), composer, electronic instrument builder
  • Ivan Tcherepnin (1943–1998), composer and electronic music innovator
  • Vecoli family of Italian composers and musicians from Lucca
  • The Verne sisters, (née Würm), English pianists of German descent

Mary Wurm (1860–1938), pianist and composer<br> Alice Verne-Bredt (1864–1958), piano teacher, violinist and composer<br> Mathilde Verne (1865–1936), pianist and teacher<br> Adela Verne (1877–1952), pianist

  • Wagner family, ancestors, relatives and descendants of Richard Wagner.
  • Walenn family, Walenn String Quartet (1890s), annual Waleen Chamber concerts series
  • Skene Charlotte Walenn (née Barth, 1837-1927), British musical amateur, mother of 15 children
  • Isabella Walenn (1857–1936), Royal Choral Society
  • Ellie Walenn (1858–1929), musician and for 15 years head teacher at Roedean School
  • James Walenn (1860–1884), composer, from 1879 organist at St Alban's Holborn, conductor of the St Alban's Choral Society
  • Arthur Walenn (mid-1860s–1937), viola player, dubut as baritone, Queen's Hall, November 1895
  • Charles Walenn (1867–1948), singer and actor comic baritone roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas
  • Frederick Dudley Walenn (1869-1933), amateur musician and the composer
  • Herbert Walenn (1870–1953), cellist (Kruse Quartet and Walenn Quartet)
  • Gerald Walenn (1871–1942), violinist and composer, leader of the Walenn Quartet, emigrated to Australia in 1917
  • Dorothea Walenn (1875–1948) taught violin at St Paul's Girls' School, performed in the Walenn Quartet
  • Alice Barth (1848–1910), operatic soprano, sister of Skene
  • Weber Family, German musical family
  • Wesley family, English founders of Methodism and noted musicians
  • Willmann family of German/Austrian musicians
  • Winterbottom family of British military band musicians in 19th and 20th centuries
  • Young family of English musicians

References