Top 50 "Classical" Works - Currently: Scorpion 47-48, Splent Addenda

[splent]

This thread was partially inspirired by Fluffy. He has placed a few classical works in his top 50, and then I thought why don't I just put in a top 50 "Classical" works? So I'm doing it.

"Classical" is in quotes because I am trying to differentiate between all music played by an orchestra vs. the time period. For those who haven't studied music history, there are time periods based on compositional practice at the time: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern (which has about 5 billion subgenres, like serialism, minimalism, etc). 

Periods I'll include in this (years are not set in stone, there is some overlap):
Renaissance 1400-1650
Baroque 1600-1760
Classical 1750-1835
Romantic 1825-1900
Impressionism 1885-1935
Modern/High Modern 1915-1965
Contemporary 1960-present

Just to let you know this is free game; all "classical" works are included, including a capella choral works; except for movie and video game scores. I don't normally include those in lists like these. You don't normally hear this type of music in concert (it isn't unheard of, however; I performed in a Final Fantasy concert several years ago, as well as a Star Wars concert). I may include a couple of iconic movie themes, depending on where this goes, but this will not be filled with John Williams and Howard Shore (though that doesn't mean 1-2 movie themes may make it on there; those are performed in concert settings much more often than they used to be). Video games are not going to make it; that's an entirely different genre in my book.

Don't cry if your favorite work isn't included; I mainly prefer Renaissance, Baroque, and 20th century works. Works from other periods will show up. But if you don't see Wagner on this list don't go all nuts on here because I HATE Wagner. He will not be on the list. I don't care how long the ring cycle is.

I have a list compiled, I'm just fine tuning the order and I'll probably start tomorrow.

[Onno]

Following!

[Tomislav95]

I will definitely follow. Since last few days I don't know what to listen I could check some movements of works you'll write about to broaden my tastes. I do like classical but I rarely listen to it (however, I listen piano pieces like Einaudi or Beethoven's sonatas quite often).

[Scorpion]

Following.

[RoeDent]

Will follow with interest. Huge fan of classical music (in fact, I'm listening to Dvorák's 8th Symphony as I write this).

[Lucien]

How could I NOT follow this thread? 

[splent]

Yeah. It's going to be pretty epic.

I'm going to have a ton of honorable mentions. I'm already up to about 60 and I haven't even touched many romantic composers yet. I'm not lying... It may not be until Tuesday now. Monday nights, I just got a job as the assistant conductor of a community choir.  So the first post won't be until Tuesday at the earliest.

[splent]

OH!  Also... Art Songs (Lieder) will not be represented. They are too short to include, and there are so many prominent lieder, espeically by Brahms and Schubert; dont' forget Schumann and Mozart had plenty.  I could do a top 25 Lieder at LEAST.

[Sacul]

What about sonatas? 

[Lucien]

What about sonatas? 

symphonies are technically sonatas for full orchestra, so yes, we will see them

[Fluffy Lothario]

I wonder how many pieces on here I'm actually going to recognise. Having said that, it'll actually be good to discover some neat pieces I don't know.

[Nihil-Morari]

I'm interested in this! Will the Modern era be represented? I know plenty of Classical Music lovers who hate anything that's been made after 1920.

[bl5150]

Funny you should start this splent at the same time as I get a shock classical submission in my roulette    I will try and keep a lazy eye on your list.

[Lucien]

I'm interested in this! Will the Modern era be represented? I know plenty of Classical Music lovers who hate anything that's been made after 1920.

Well, they'd be missing out 

[nicmos]

I'm in! Looking forward to it.

[splent]

I'm interested in this! Will the Modern era be represented? I know plenty of Classical Music lovers who hate anything that's been made after 1920.

Well, they'd be missing out 

Yes Modern is well represented.

I got a migraine last night, so I may post some honorable mentions tonight, but it may not be until tomorrow. Those of you who know what those are like, they pretty much leave you worn out for at least 24 hours.

[splent]

OK... here's some honorable mention movie themes. I've decided not to include any in my list, because it's gotten massive. This way they can at least be represented.

Prelude from North By Northwest - Bernard Herrmann - 1959

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMLL1FZRGPo

Bernard Herrmann was Hitchcock's go to guy when it came to scoring his movies. His most famous theme is probably the shower scene from The Birds (which Hitchcock initially wanted without music... but you know how much the music adds to that scene... that's how Herrmann was).  This is what you first hear when you first start watching the movie, with the side of the building and the white shapes going up and down the buildings... The SECOND you start hearing this theme you know this movie is going to be filled with suspense. The foreshadowing of what the main character is going to go through throughout the entire movie is encapsuled here.  Wonderful work.

Star Wars Main Title - John Williams - 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucvlJxDyKAA

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

I remember seeing this for the first time... and that first chord just blew me away. You talk about ICONIC. That theme is recognizable even by those who have never seen Star Wars. It IS Star Wars. Absolutely perfect music for such an epic set of movies. I'm going to stop because everything else in this is just going to be blabbing away at how perfect it is.

Music from Misery - Marc Shaiman - 1990

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O13ZKYTf-cA

Marc Shaiman is more well known nowadays as the person who writes the music for many musicals, such as Sister Act and Hairspray... however early in his career he scored one of my favorite movies in Misery.  The music encompasses the mystery (and morbidness) of Annie Wilkes, from those first notes on the piano... this is definitely a modern-day Hitchcock movie, but he does the complete opposite with those quiet mysterious chords than Herrmann does in many of his scores for Hitchcock. Just perfect.

[splent]

Because my list is so long, I'm probably going to end up doing a 5 song honorable mention from every Classical music subgenre from Renaissance on. I love Medieval music; however, the majority of that music is plainchant, and there wasn't a whole lot of experimentation until the Renaissance began, because the church forbade it. Leonin, Perotin, Dufay, Josquin... they are all noteworthy pioneers, and without them pushing boundaries, the Renaissance wouldn't sound the way it did. However, the Renaissance broke all those boundaries apart.  So I will have a HM 5 in Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century/Modern.

THEN I will get started on the top 50!!

[splent]

What about sonatas? 

There are sonatas, yes.

[Fluffy Lothario]

I've never heard anything pre-Baroque, unless there are pieces I'd know from general knowledge. So I'll have to look into those names you listed.

[splent]

I've never heard anything pre-Baroque, unless there are pieces I'd know from general knowledge. So I'll have to look into those names you listed.

It's mainly vocal music... Although there's one instrumental piece I'm considering at least for an honorable mention.

[splent]

Today was insanely busy, with limited internet access on my computer (I did post from my phone, but that's hard, and to post links from YouTube...). Tomorrow I will have some time to post my first set of honorable mentions.

[splent]

OK, time for my honorable mentions.  I'm going to select no more than 5 for each time period to include in the honorable mentions category, which will be Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. On with the list (finally!)

5R. Monteverdi - L'Orfeo (1607)

***Check on Spotify***

Technically you could say this is an early Baroque piece, but I always classify Monteverdi as a Renaissance composer, even though he was kind of a transitional composer (such as Beethoven is between Classical and Romantic). This is one of the earliest operas ever written. The reason it is not higher is because I'm not as familiar with it as I am with other operas (and there aren't many operas on this list... I love opera but I don't listen to it as much as I do instrumental or choral music, and actually prefer oratorios to opera lately).

The other reason I include this in Renaissance is if you listen to the first aria following the introduction (which comes in with a bang... and whose monotone bass also is very renaissancey), I'm immediately taken back to Renaissance Italy... I imagine a sunset with people wearing those puffy clothes with shoulder length hair and big hats with the feathers, Romeo and Juliet, etc. Stylistically, as an opera it is written as many other Baroque operas are (I'm thinking mainly Dido and Aeneas here because that is the only Baroque style opera I've ever performed in, let alone seen), where there is a chorus, the arias are relatively short, and the music just keeps going but there are clear set ups to the arias, recits, and choruses - they kind of flow into one another.

If I were more familiar with this piece it has the chance to go higher; however having only recently discovered it, it is currently only an honorable mention.

4R. William Byrd - Sing Joyfully Unto God (between 1575-1590)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va55VwsSX8U

I sang this piece in college, and when you listen to it, you can totally hear the joy that Byrd felt he wanted to show through this piece. It is completely full of joy, jumping around, with the different sections bouncing around different themes as the piece goes. The reason this piece isn't higher is because I have other pieces in the top 50 by him through larger works that I like even more than these motets and madrigals; however that doesn't downplay how much I enjoy them. He wrote TONS of them during this period as England's most prolific Renaissance composer.

3R. Thomas Tallis - If Ye Love Me (1560)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zGOsN0pAw0

This is one of the most tender pieces I've ever performed, and again, the reason this piece isn't higher is Tallis is already well represented in my top 50. I couldn't not include this though, so into the HM it goes. This piece is short, but you can totally feel the humility Tallis brought through the piece, almost as if he felt not worthy enough to write it for his God .

2R. Tomas Luis de Victoria - O Magnum Mysterium (1572)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKvNxYMDxE

Again, another close inclusion... I like way too much. This piece emulates the MYSTERIUM perfectly... humble, yet mysterious... God is the grand mystery in this. I can imagine the premier performance of this in a darkened chapel, emulated only by candlelight, with the smoke from the candles creating a hazy atmosphere adding to the mystery that is God. Such a powerful piece.

1R. Ave Maria - Josquin des Prez (1485)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUAgAF4Khmg

The earliest piece included on this list. You can tell where music was going in this piece. Simple... yet he was a pioneer in this style of choral music. You can tell, even though it's so simple, the setting of this piece singing about Mary, is just glorious. It just emulates warmth upon listening. One of my favorites. However, one thing irks me... why does the music world randomly call him Josquin, instead of des Prez? We don't call Beethoven Ludwig or Mozart Wolfgang...

I get lost in this music so easily, and even picking these out was hard. One of my favorite eras of music. Baroque will be next, it will either be tonight or tomorrow.

[Big Hath]

2R. Tomas Luis de Victoria - O Magnum Mysterium (1572)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKvNxYMDxE

Again, another close inclusion... I like way too much. This piece emulates the MYSTERIUM perfectly... humble, yet mysterious... God is the grand mystery in this. I can imagine the premier performance of this in a darkened chapel, emulated only by candlelight, with the smoke from the candles creating a hazy atmosphere adding to the mystery that is God. Such a powerful piece.

this is good.  Any chance there is a more modern (20th Century) "O Magnum" somewhere on your list?

[splent]

2R. Tomas Luis de Victoria - O Magnum Mysterium (1572)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKvNxYMDxE

Again, another close inclusion... I like way too much. This piece emulates the MYSTERIUM perfectly... humble, yet mysterious... God is the grand mystery in this. I can imagine the premier performance of this in a darkened chapel, emulated only by candlelight, with the smoke from the candles creating a hazy atmosphere adding to the mystery that is God. Such a powerful piece.

this is good.  Any chance there is a more modern (20th Century) "O Magnum" somewhere on your list?

 Perhaps… Still tinkering with the list a little bit.

Are you thinking about the same setting I am?

[Onno]

Will check these out during the next few days!

[Big Hath]

this is good.  Any chance there is a more modern (20th Century) "O Magnum" somewhere on your list?

 Perhaps… Still tinkering with the list a little bit.

Are you thinking about the same setting I am?

yeah, possibly.  If so, it is my favorite choral piece I've ever sung.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Not too late to follow am I?

I need to broaden my taste as far as classical works go. Will find time to check some of these out.

[splent]

Next set of Honorable Mentions: Baroque era

This was tough. The Baroque is probably my favorite era of all, which is interesting because for most people it's their least favorite, because it's so "fancy" or "repetative".  Part of the reason I enjoy it is because I have studied so much of it, including taking a counterpoint class in college, so I know WHY it's structured the way it is structured; once I realized it, I gained a whole new appreciation for the Baroque and loved it since then. Bach was insane with how intricate he composed within the formal structure of counterpoint. It's so insane. Handel is my man, his music is so happy. Vivaldi... Telemann... Rameau... and I discover new composers all the time (they aren't in the list yet). Anyways, here we go.

B5. Johann Pachebel - Canon and Gigue in D (1680)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa12uiraW3s

Yes, this is THE Pachebel's Canon. The only reason it's an honorable mention is how overplayed it is. Structurally, it's amazing how popular it is based on how repetative it is... I feel SOOOO sorry for anyone who plays this who is a cellist, because they play 8 notes over and over throughout the entire piece. The gigue is enjoyable enough, but the canon is what makes it famous. I do pop it out every once in a while to listen to it, and it's enjoyable in professional recordings including the gigue because it's played at a much faster tempo as Pachebel envisioned (which makes it MUCH more difficult, showing the musicality of the piece)... when you hear it at a wedding it's much slower. Anyways. Yeah.

B4. Jean-Phillipe Rameau - Pièces de clavecin en concerts (1741)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkcUOht1i4c

These pieces are pretty nice. I'm just getting into these pieces, so these have the potential to move up. However, I'm not as big of a fan of Rameau as I am of Vivaldi or Handel, so that's why these are where they are. They are nice background music in my opinion, and there's nothing extremely special about this piece other than it's pretty and nice. I enjoy listening to it with period instruments, it really adds a folksy sound to it (i.e. I imagine a folk dance late at night around a bonfire or something) with some of these.

B3. J.S. Bach - Orchestral Suite #2 in B Minor BWV 1067 (1739)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8pMS1zZ8SI

I have to include this piece. I am rather indifferent about this piece other than the last two movements, which are absolutely amazing. The minuet is a nice introduction to the badinerie, which is probably one of the most famous (and difficult) flute solos ever written. I LOVE the badinerie. I can't just include it by itself, however, due to me being OCD about completeness (and yes, I'm making ONE exception to this later on, but it's my list, so whatever, I do what I want).

B2. J.S. Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 (unknown)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUUjUJ4wHg

Again it's an honorable mention due to overplay. I hate hearing this piece around Halloween, because Bach never meant for this to be a Halloween song. However, there's no denying the energy and feelings this piece brings upon listening. I am long tried to untie myself from seeing coffins, vampires, and haunted houses when hearing this piece... however, hearing this piece in a gothic type castle would be absolutely fitting. I love the fugue especially, it's evolution, and it's cadenza at the end. Stokowsky's orchestral arrangement is stellar as well; I love the hills painted by the Disney artists in Fantasia when hearing this piece.

B1. J.S.Bach - Two and Three part inventions (various)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgMkkR1iFYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Ei6MRMYrg

Although these pieces were meant to be exercises and not performed in concert, I LOVE hearing the complexity these inventions and sinfonias carry. I'm still trying to learn many of them. Two of my favorites are above: invention #13 and sinfonia #15, both played by Glenn Gould (who if you know Gould was a Bach machine; he played these especially fast, which I LOVE). There are so many though, that I really don't enjoy, so that's why it's an honorable mention.

[Sacul]

B5. Johann Pachebel - Canon and Gigue in D (1680)
B2. J.S. Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 (unknown)

[Cool Chris]

B5. Johann Pachebel - Canon and Gigue in D (1680)

The first memory I have of hearing this song is in Ordinary People. It plays at the beginning, with the choral addition, and at the end as an instrumental, after Conrad and his dad find peace with themselves and their relationship. It's a simple scene, but beautiful in its brevity. And I remember tearing up when the ending music played, and the camera pulled back on them embracing. I was in a tough spot in my life at the time, and my relationship with my dad has never been perfect. I barely ever remember the name of the song, it is always the Ordinary People Song to me.

[nicmos]

Love almost all JS Bach.  Your choices are good ones too.  Toccata and Fugue, what can you say, that is so dynamic and engaging especially for the baroque and I think it stands out for that, it makes sense why Disney picked it.  Love the linked video for the Orchestral Suite #2.  That flute player was seriously jamming on that solo, I don't remember a version quite so jazzy before.

Pachelbel's Canon is great of course.  I wasn't really that familiar with the Rameau but it sounds pretty good if you ask me. 

[splent]

Anytime I play "guess the composer" either on public radio or on music choice on cable (I close my eyes and try to guess the composer), if it's baroque, and it's not Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi, it's almost always Rameau. Like I said, I'm still getting into it, so it could still go up. I do enjoy it, just don't get lost in it like I do with other pieces (that's another criterion... Do I just really enjoy it, or do I get lost in it and start conducting or moving with the music? I only do that with music I REALLY love.

[splent]

Was listening to some Mozart today... Classical honorables coming up, probably tomorrow. You know it's probably only going to consist of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven....

[Onno]

Those are all great! Two years ago, I couldn't have imagined myself saying it, but I'm a HUGE Bach fan