Classical music lost many fine artists in 2012.

Classical music fans lost far too many musicians in 2012. From towering figures like Elliott Carter and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to artists such as innovative American composer William Duckworth, trumpeter Maurice André and the elegant opera singer Lisa Della Casa.

We were especially heartbroken this year in bidding adieu to far too many classical musicians. There were the deaths of such colossal figures as Elliott Carter and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. But there were many other important artists who passed away — like modernist violinist and pedagogue Zvi Zeitlin, organist Carlo Curley, long-standing Metropolitan Opera tenor Charles Anthony, contralto Lili Chookasian and Judith Nelson, a soprano who helped pioneer the revival of Baroque and other early music.

Below are some of the many classical musicians who died this year. They made the world a better-sounding place.

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