Channel Crafts 12" Wooden Ruler made in U.S.A. of American-grown basswood. This ruler is a list of Great Composers. Does this mean that we think composers are the only great musicians? Of course not. Maybe someday we’ll make a Rulers of Music - Great Instrumentalists or a Rulers of Music - Great Singers … or maybe a Rulers of Music - Great Conductors. The dates listed are the years of each composer’s birth and death, if known. We have furthermore identified each one with their nationality (or nationalities, in a few cases). The “head” image is that of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1872), one of the greats, who continued to compose, and whose composition continued to evolve, even after he apparently suffered significant hearing loss late in life. Our illustration is loosely based on an 1820 portrait by Josef Karl Stieler (1781-1858), now on display in the Beethoven House Museum in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven’s birthplace.