Top Ten Pieces of Music Written Before 1900

Me ^ | 12-05-01 | Pharmboy

[Pharmboy]

Ask the question this way: If you were stranded on a desert island with a CD player and a good sound system, what ten pieces would you take with you that were written before the 20th Century?

My list:
1) Beethoven's Appassionata sonata for piano
2) Bach's Partita Number 2 for solo violin
3) Mozart's Symphony Number 41
4) Wagner's Overture to Tristan und Isolde
5) Beethoven's String Quartet Opus 131
6) Chopin's Ballade Number 4
7) Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto (IMO the only worthwhile thing he ever wrote)
8) Schubert's Impromptus (all of them)
9) Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata
and 10) Bach's Mass in B Minor

[rustbucket]

1. Pergolesi -- Stabat Mater (featured in Amadeus but only a so-so part of it so as not to compete with Mozart. Some claim this was the most popular piece of music in the 18th century.)
2. Pergolesi -- Missa Romana, particularly the finale
3. Praetorius -- Mass for Christmas Morning (unanimous 5-star reviews in Amazon, read them if you have any interest in baroque music)
4. Vivaldi -- Laudate Pueri sung by Lynn Dawson
5. Christof Straus -- Vena Sponsa Christie (spelling approximate, written about 1630)
6. Mahler -- 2nd Symphony
7. Handel -- Messiah
8. Gounod -- Faust
9. Mozart -- Marriage of Figaro
10. Mozart -- Don Giovanni

[Mat_Helm]

Bump

[Pharmboy]

Bump for the 1812 Overture - because a cannon is a musical instrument.

Especially these days, friend...

[Wm Bach]

How can you not like "House of the Rising Sun?"

I love that song. I was trying, and failing to be humorous about people's annoyance with the ground base as it relates to Pachelbel's Canon, and I was looking around for other examples of the passacaglia form, for which "Rising Sun" is a classic example.

[bwteim]

You're right in that Satie does span 19th and 20th. But see http://www.af.lu.se/~fogwall/list.html
The Gymnopedies are written and released in 19th century. Others, such as Trois Sarabandes - were written in one century but published in the next.

Also, thanks for the info on the Tchaikovsky and Grieg adaptations by Ellington. I'll try to look for them. Grieg's Peer Gynt is beautiful.

[Martin Tell]

The Creation" sounds about right, ... I will pick this up also (in addition to the Jesu piece that many listed by Bach and Mozart's 25th. Merry Christmas to me!!

Yes! Enjoy the heavenly choirs. Let me make a suggestion: you might try your public library before you splash out big bucks for these CDs. The "big" classical CDs tend to be pricey. Many libraries have a good selection of classical CDs they lend for free or a nominal charge. You could narrow the field and decide which you like best before buying. Far be it from me to suggest you save a lot by ripping MP3s!

[Marysecretary]

My husband and I are great Gaither fans. They came to Binghamton last year and a group of us went. It was wonderful to be there in person. They're such a blessing. I need to get the latest deal on videos for him for Christmas. I keep forgetting to order it! Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

[Marysecretary]

I LOVE House of the Rising Sun! I did it at a talent show once years ago. You can also sing the words to Amazing Grace to that tune. It's very moving.

[ohioWfan]

But Wagner's music was Hitler's music!

And while Hitler was embracing the Aryan racism of Wagner, he was banning the beautiful music of Mendelssohn, who was Jewish by race, but not by faith.

Makes you realize music has power, doesn't it?

[Savage Beast]

As a wise poster once said here on FR (I wish I knew who it was): "Evil is the ultimate stupidity"--one of my favorite quotes.

Hitler was stupid--and evil--in many ways.

Once (more than once, unfortunately) I visited the home of a very rich psychopath. Everything spoke of power. It was frightening and horrible. Everything was ugly--and very expensive. The plants were artificial. The floors and walls were concrete. There was nothing of human loveliness or the loveliness of life.

[boris]

1. Bach's Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor
2. Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor?br? 3. Bach?s Jesu, Joy of Man?s Desiring?br? 4. Beethoven?s Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy)?br? 5. Beethoven?s Sixth Symphony (Pastorale)?br? 6. Tchaikovsky?s Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 35?br? 7. Pachelbel?s Canon?br? 8. Rimsky-Korsakoff, Scherezade?br? 9. Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition?br? 10. Camille Saint-Saens, Organ Symphony #3.?P? I got lots more but the limit is ten.?P? Oh well:?br? 10.5 Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?P? ?B?NOBODY?/B? can stand above Uncle Johann.?P? --Boris

[white rose]

1. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
2. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
3. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
4. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
5. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
6. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
7. Beethoven's Fantasia in C for piano, chorus, and orchestra, Op.80.
8. All of Beethoven's "Fidelio."
9. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
10. Pretty much everything Haydn ever wrote.

Any other questions?

[white rose]

Did I mention that I kinda like Beethoven's Fifth?

[freebilly]

You people need to be ashamed! This thread shows a Eurocentric bias! Why the Chinese, the Africans, and Native Americans were composing great symphonies in the 19th century. :o})

Moussorgsky-- Pictures at an Exhibition.

[Pharmboy]

Now wait just a guldurn minute here...I think this list is very multicultural. We have composers who were German, Austrian, British, French, Italian, etc. No one could tell us that the German kultur is the same as the Italian, now could they?

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Good choices all, but my personal list includes:
"The Dance of the Hours" from La Giocanda
"Chorale" by Beethoven
"The William Tell Overture" by Rossini
"Orpheus in the Underworld" by Offenbach
"Carmen" by Bizet
"HMS Pinafore" by Gilbert and Sullivan
"Trumpet Concerto" by Hayden
"Hungarian Rhapsody #2" by Liszt
"Symphonie fantastique" by I forget who
"The Merry Widow" by Lehar
"Peer Gynt" by Grieg
"The Pilgrim's Chorus" from "Tanhauser" by Wagner.

This list is not all inclusive, nor is it in any particular order.

[ohioWfan]

dit dit dit daaaah........three G's and an E flat............Great work, with great power!

I love it too!!

[ohioWfan]

How about Russian?? Some of that's even in Asia. Then there's Debussy, who was inspired by Asian music, and even used pentatonic scales! This is big time multiculturalism!! LOL!!

btw, did I thank you for this thread?? It's terrific!!

[Aggie Mama]

The still play them on Cartoon Network. My 5 yr old just discovered them.

[Aggie Mama]

Mozarts Symphonia Concertante is pure heaven

Agreed. He tells us what God sounds like. Anything by Mozart would make my list.