Why are only the "songwriters" from 400 years ago still famous today, but none of the "bands?"

Thats because back then, the notariety went to the authors, who often played the primary parts and not the players, which were often large orchestras.

More often small ensembles.

Because of Falco...

I think many of the songs of today will be classics not that I can name one but the classic will always be classics. I still love listening to the classics!

Most so-called "experts" say it will be mostly jazz that will endure the test of time. But only the "songwriters' songs," not the actual bands that did them.

These COMPOSERS .. were often in the employ of the various Dukedoms, Fiefdoms, Principalities, Churches .. and in charge of the other Musicians who performed the WORKS of these Great Artists ..

We know the written works .. we have notations in the various journals and church records of the groups that they performed with (and who was paid what at times too) ..
We don't have the /recordings/ of these groups .. but the choice of musicians .. and the talents of these composers (to write to best showcase the talent at hand) speaks monuments to the challenges .. and Genius .. of these UNIQUELY Talented individuals.

I think...
Mass-media back then was printing. No radio, no recording, no TV, etc.
The "composers' " names were on the printed music they wrote, and they were often the stars of the live shows performed. All the rest were side-men.

Those "songwriters" that you speak of were COMPOSER'S !!! They weren't MERELY "songwriters", as they are today, the Beethoven's, Bach's, Mozart's, etc. were basically "INVENTING" the foundation of ALL music played and sung today. That is why they'll ALWAYS be remembered over mere bands, and songwriters.

Ed, they were great writers. MANY writers and musicians created our musical conventions; like chromatic scales, music theory, and written music.
I suspect they are remembered over their musicians because the live performances couldn't be recorded.
But I could be wrong.

Where I am coming from on my comment is that, in school (many, MANY years ago), our music instructor taught us that, the great composers(she named several SPECIFIC ones, but their names escape me now) had basically INVENTED music, due to the fact that ALL music produced SINCE then, uses at LEAST one of the many composers; beats, or rythms. (I'm at a loss for the correct terminology here) She stated that there had been nothing new added to music, other than mere variations of what the great composer's had already written, and invented themselves.

Semantics. Many modern songwriters are deemed "songwriter-composers."

No, not semantics at all. The songwriters/composers of today, compose their music with the SAME foundations that the great composers INVENTED.

That's not true. One of countless innovations have occurred in jazz. Tell me any songwriter-composers from 400 years ago who utilized the 5/4 time of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," for example. Plus many so-called "classic composers" were melodic oriented. Bach, Tchaikovsky. and many others. Bach was actually more of a jazz composer. Many of his pieces, primarily the fugues, left it to the performer to improvise passages.

My question poses the question as to why none of the "bands" [orchestras, ensembles, duos, etc.] achieved long-lasting fame that still resounds today. It is only the songwriter-composers whose fame endures.

I don't claim to be a music expert. As I ORIGINALLY stated, my music instructor taught us that the basis of ALL music was written by the great composers of 400 years ago. And, that ALL music is a derivative of the masters, in one way, or another.

As for your question, I believe I answered it with my first reply.

If I am wrong with what I was taught, and, as you claim, others have composed just as important music as the great composers have, then it is extremely interesting as to WHY those that you claim to be just as good, have not been "properly" credited for their contributions to the world of music !!!

However, could the lack of recognition from the music world of today's composers, compared with those of 400 years ago, simply be due to their contributions NOT being as important to the music world?

The writers had their work on paper, that is why we know of it today. The bands of 400 years ago had no way to record their music so that later generations could know what they sounded like. The bands were not even known outside of their own communities because they did not travel very far from home.

Apparently touring bands merited little historical significance back then. :)~

What, you've never heard of "Ludwig Van Beethoven and the Heartbreakers?"

Doesn't seem like anyone else has either. :)~

Or, "Bach's Bay City Rollers", lol ??