Wagner, whose life was no less impressive than his operas, is undoubtedly one of the greatest figures of the 19th century. He is the only composer in history to have created his own "temple" - at Bayreuth.

Stations in life:
Leipzig, Weimar, Munich, Bayreuth

Richard Strauss was born in Munich in 1864. His operas - Salome, Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier - are pillars of the international repertoire. Strauss's works are vast in scale and are characterised by a sensuous tonality. He produced many symphonic works before making the extremely successful transition to the world of great opera.

Stations in life:
Munich, Berlin, Dresden, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Orff, who was born in Munich, liked to describe himself as a "true Bavarian". His world fame was assured by one single work - Carmina Burana. However, Orff also composed a great deal of other music, as well as rising to prominence in music education: he founded and developed a society to promote elementary music teaching.

Stations in life:
Munich

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756. Accompanied by his father Leopold, in 1763 he undertook a grand tour of Munich, Augsburg, Schwetzingen, Mainz, Frankfurt, Koblenz, Aachen, Brussels and Paris. Everywhere the pair went, the prodigious young Wolfgang Amadeus amazed the audience. Barely seven years old, he played the violin, the harpsichord and the organ; later in life, he went on to compose the most divine music.

Stations in life:
Salzburg, child prodigy tours Munich 1762, Munich 1763, Mannheim