1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart was composing music by the time he was five years old, so that should give you some indication of the breadths and depths of his talent. The brilliant composer was responsible for bringing back late Baroque flavors, albeit with a new age twist. Mozart also introduced chromatic harmony, an innovative splash of sound and rhythm.

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2. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Few people who have touched a piano chord don’t know about this piano legend. Beethoven was a German composer who introduced the world to epic symphonies, operas, and concertos. Also significant was Beethoven’s hand in transitioning musical eras from the classicism period to romanticism.

3. Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Franz Liszt is famous for his remarkable talent on the piano, and was known as the greatest pianist of all times in the 1840s. Liszt will forever be memorialized for his contributions to music such as the symphonic poem, unusual and beautiful departures in harmony, and his thematic transformations. Liszt was the one who began transcribing music for the piano so players could learn different styles.

4. Myra Hess (1890-1965)

Myra Hess is another piano giant whose talent cannot go unnoticed by the avid beginner piano player looking for inspiration. Hess gained acclaim for her powerful renditions of Beethoven, Schumann, and Mozart, but she is also famous for organizing some 1700 concerts to keep up morale during the London Blitz. She was such a talented pianist that her skills spanned the genres covering a wide range of musical styles. Hess’ tenacity, passion, and dedication to the music has made her a legend long after her death.

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5. Vladimir Ashkenzy (1937- )

Vladimir Ashkenzy is our youngest pianist on the list, but his talent is no less profound. Ashkenzy was born in Russia and started piano classes at the age of six. Throughout his career, he has played both solo and concerti performances. Some of his most memorable recordings include the complete works of Chopin, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff.

Piano Greats of Today

Of course, there are modern day musical magicians as well. Lang Lang, Marc-André Hamelin, and even Elton John play the piano like gods, and they’re not alone. The piano naturally lends itself to solo performances, so you can become a piano great without help from anyone else.

Take your musical talent to the next level, and who knows, maybe people will be writing about what you gifted to the world of music in another hundred years!

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Now, you probably think that it’s “boring” or “stuffy.” After all, it’s created by a bunch of old guys who wear fancy wigs. But that’s far from the truth. It can actually be inspiring, exciting, and soothing.

What’s more, classical music has a lot of mental and physical benefits. In fact, listening to classical music can boost your mood, productivity, and creativity. Don’t believe us? Well, there’s plenty of scientific proof to back it up. For instance, French researchers found that students who listened to a lecture in which classical music was played in the background scored better on tests compared to students who didn’t.

Not only does listening to it boost brainpower, but it also fights depression and helps you fall asleep. According to a study, listening to classical music for just 45 minutes prior to bed can help improve sleep quality.

See Also: This Is Why Playing An Instrument Makes You Smarter

Wait there’s more! To view more benefits of listening to classical music, check out the infographic below:

Next time you want to relax or prepare for a big test, put on some Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven. Better yet, create your own classical music playlist on Spotify or Pandora. This way you have a playlist ready for when you need to get down to business or simply relax.

This article originally appeared on TakeLessons.com. Brooke Neuman is a music editor at TakeLessons, an online marketplace that connects thousands of teachers and students for local and live online music lessons.

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And indeed, as the tour went on in Europe, and then in South America, I started looking more closely at the audience attending these concerts. In every country it was about the same – almost the entire audience were 50 and above, with an estimated average age of about 65 years old. He was right, and it got me thinking.

How come there are no 20-30 year olds’ attending these super high quality concerts (some of them with free entrance!)?

The obvious answer that came to mind is that classical music requires a certain amount of education and knowledge to enjoy. Obviously, there isn’t enough of that happening, and obviously, I should be doing something about it.

I decided to join a program for students in kindergarten to 4th grade. We would travel to classrooms, playing classical music and would then lead discussions and answer questions. I found myself giving 30 concerts a month in classes all over Jerusalem (where I studied and received my BA in Music). It was a super exciting time for me, seeing kids listen and enjoy classical music (the younger they were, the more they enjoyed it), and I think I made an impact in helping kids to learn and appreciate musical instruments.

But apparently, there was another broken link in the chain which I hadn’t considered. I stumbled upon this statistic only later, as I was completing my Masters in Germany. It turns out that over 80% of people who start learning a musical instrument will quit during the first year or two.

Over 80%???

Are we, music teachers, doing something wrong? Was it always like that?!

So that got me thinking, again.

Music education hasn’t developed much in the last 400 years except for the publishing of colorful books and an accompaniment CD. I still remember my old recorder teacher giving me practicing tips and tricks she read that J.S.Bach used himself (which is pretty astonishing if you think about it). However, if you consider the development of the TV and computer game industry in the last 20 years, you suddenly understand these numbers a bit more. Of course our students are bound to quit more than before! As a kid in your first 2 years of study, when you’re still struggling with basic sight reading and technique that requires so much time and effort, and you still haven’t found out the true joy of music making, wouldn’t you rather play an interactive game filled with shiny colors and fun challenges?

So I knew this was the broken link I needed to fix – get more kids to STAY in their music lessons, and pass the first frustrating steps of learning music successfully. If they stay longer, they have a better chance to get to the really fun part of music making and become musicians, or at least music lovers in their adult years.

You can imagine how this line of thought lead to the foundation of JoyTunes together with my brother Yuval. We decided we’re going to harness the power of games and use them for good, and create a fun practicing platform that’s going to be a new step in music education.

This summer I was invited again to play with Daniel Barenboim in Buenos Aires. But this time, aside from my Oboe, I’m taking my iPad. I’m going to show him Piano Maestro and tell him – “Remember what you told me 9 years ago? Here’s the answer…

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