What Is the Greatest Musical Work of All Time?

3/1/2006 | Reaganesque

[Reaganesque]

I was sitting here tonight listening to Mozart's Requiem and I got to thinking: what do I consider to be the best work of music ever? For my part, Mozart's work really does the trick for me when I need to be re-energized. Therefore, I believe that his Requiem is the greatest work of all time. There just isn't another work that is as powerful and passionate. When the chorus sings the final "Amen" at the end of "Lacrimosa" I get the feeling that he knew it was the last thing he would ever write. It gives me chills at times.

Other favorites are:

Handel's Messiah

The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky

[Vinomori]

Don Williams: "I Can't Get to You from Here" (covered by Michael Johnson).

[Rte66]

Sorry - have to add to my list and then I'll shut up, hopefully ....

Stars Fell on Alabama - Mister Jimmy Boofay

La Vie en Rose - Edith Piaf
True Love - Bing Crosby - Grace Kelly
The entire soundtrack of The Mission (Ennio Morricone)
When You Wish Upon a Star - Linda Ronstadt or anyone besides Jiminy Cricket
I Go Out Walkin' After Midnight - Miss Patsy Cline
I Always Get Lucky With You - Merle Haggard
Oklahoma Hills
You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
Affair to Remember - Vic Damone
KoKomo
Dixie
Blues in the Night
He Stopped Loving Her Today - Geo Jones
Blue Champagne - Manhattan Transfer
Proud to be an American - Lee Greenwood
Blue - Leann Rimes
Christmas Island - Leon Redbone
Boomer Sooner/Oklahoma!
Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover
Capitol Records' Great (Sweet & Lovely) Ladies of Song, Vols 1 and 2
Me & Bobby McGee
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1 - Tonight We Love or No Greater Love
We are the Champions
Harbor Lights
Sentimental Journey

[acad1228]

[silent_jonny]

Thanks for the ping!

You might enjoy this too, Wolfstar :)

[notdownwidems]

(in Elmer Fudd voice) "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit"

[finnigan2]

"Beethoven's 9th, for me."

- Cher's Christmas Album always brings tears to my eyes.

[monkey]

Mozart - Fur Elise

Elise must have been a groupie.

[mollynme]

Dvorak Symphony #9 (From the New World)

There's my vote. Here & here are snippets.

[JustaCowgirl]

Well, I thought YOU were my soulmate, Rte66, until I saw that you listed Boomer Sooner on your list of great music. Then you compounded the tragedy by listing that piece of dripping schlock 'Proud to be an American.'

At least you listed Patsy Cline's 'Walking After Midnight' and George Jones. But it doesn't redeem you from the above crimes, no not at all.

;-)

[veronica]

Anything by Mozart - plus I love Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man", and believe it or not, "The Litany of the Saints", which I was transfixed by during the Pope's funeral. "Rhapsody in Blue" also comes to mind. I love Sinatra singing Cole Porter, Judy Garland singing anything, the early works of Steven Sondheim, the musical "Oklahoma", the works of Leiber and Stoller, an obscure singer named Barbara Cook, early Dylan, the Beatles, and I agree that Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" is a masterpiece of it's genre. That's for starters. :)

[Rte66]

"Two roads diverged in the wood ... and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference ..." *grin*

"I'll Walk Alone ... and to tell you the truth, I'll be lonely ... I don't mind being lonely ... as long as I know you ... are lonely, too ... I'll walk alone ... they'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather ... there are dreams I must gather ... dreams we fashioned the night you held me tight ... I'll always be near you, wherever you are ... each night ... in every prayer ... if you call, I'll hear you, no matter how far ... just close your eyes and I'll be there ... please walk alone and send your love and your kisses to guide me ... till you're walking beside me, I'll walk alone."

[commish]

Trust me, that was thrown in there to see if anyone was paying attention. LOL

[bonfire]

Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiov (sp) one of my favs.

Death and Transfiguration/Strauss

too many to count!

[jammer]

Second vote for Beethoven 9.

[ohioWfan]

Mozart's Requiem is a good choice........the 'Confutatis' is stunning, but for the record, Mozart didn't finish the 'Lacrymosa.' He died before it was finished and it was completed by someone else in the same style. It's etherial, though. Doesn't get much better.

I might go with Brahm's Requiem (2nd mvt), though, or the Bach B Minor Mass, chorally (Crucifixus). OR.......the Allegri, Miserere!

Instrumentally, Beethoven's 7th or Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto might be at the top for overall gorgeousness, and moving emotional experiences.

Pop songs...........Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" is hard to beat, but the Beatle's, Carole King and Stevie Wonder wrote some amazing stuff too.

Thanks for the ping, Just. Nice therapy from the bashing threads. :)

[AnAmericanMother]

The "Agnus Dei" in Britten's War Requiem is the best thing in it.

Our tenor sang it at my sister's funeral. It was amazing.

[AnAmericanMother]

Minority report here in favor of Mozart's Zauberflöte.

It's simply splendid from beginning to end. (My daughter was born during the Overture - she thinks of it as "her opera". Our tenor sang Tamino when he was with the Santa Fe Opera . . . when my daughter was about 3 I introduced her to him as "Prince Tamino" . . . her eyes got big and round . . . she's 17 and still refers to him as "The Prince." He's a good tenor.)

[humblegunner]

Ozzy Osbourne, "Fying High Again" with Randy Rhodes.

[AnAmericanMother]

Thanks for the ping! I bet nobody agrees with me . . . I'm very opinionated.

But it's hard to settle on just ONE . . . like salted peanuts or potato chips . . . < g >