What are some classical music esstinals?

Question

I am just getting into classical music what are some essential tunes of classical music to listen too?

I am a newbie when it come to classical.

Answer 1

A good place to start is with some of the lighter ,more popular classical music pieces. The overtures of Rossini (William Tell, La Gazza Ladra, etc.), Les Prelude-Liszt, The Peer Gynt Suites - Grieg, Poet and Peasant Overture-von Suppe. From there add Haydn's Surprise symphony, Mozart's symphonies 40 and 41, Beethoven's 4th and 5th symphonies, Tchaikovsky's 5th and 6th symphonies. Sample one of the Bach English Suites. Listen to Chopin's Nocturnes, Try one or two of Haydn's or Beethoven's String Quartets. Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun or Clair de Lune, Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess. These are a few of the basics.

The list can go on and on and we haven't touched vocal music. There is so much out there and part of the fun is discovering something new that you never imagined that you would like.

Just remember that you may have to listen to a new piece several times before you begin to comprehend or like it. Sometimes you may have to come back to a piece much later after your musical understanding has grown.

EDIT: one poster has guided you away from string quartets (respectfully so). I think if you work your way from the lighter pieces and through the Beethoven 5th symphony then you are prepared to SAMPLE an early Haydn or Beethoven Quartet. There is nothing wrong with you then deciding that another genre of classical music is for you. That is why I included the cavat that you may want to return later to music you've listened to before. I read a Gothic novel one time and didn't like it, but I didn't stop reading other types of novels. The point is: You have several hundred years of classical music to chose from - pick, chose and sample to your hearts' content !!!

Have fun and good listening.

Musician,composer,teacher.

Answer 2

Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Handel - Water Music
Bach - Brandenburg Concertos
Mozart - Symphonies 40 & 41
Haydn - Symphonies 94 & 96

So many other great works from these composers.
There are also so many other great composers.

But, these I believe to be quintessential to any classical library. These should get you started, just be sure you don't stop with these, keep exploring. There is just so much great classical music out there.

Answer 3

A web site listing zillions of pieces is fine, but it still leaves you with a daunting task to choose what to listen to out of all those listed. Here are my suggestions. I chose these because you will have likely heard them in movies or commercials or cartoons, and it's fun to discover the actual music behind stuff you've heard lots of times but never knew.

(In no particular order.)

Suppe: Light Cavalry Overture (heard many times in cartoons when someones galloping on a horse)

Rossini: William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger)

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture (Old timers remember it from the Quaker Puffed Rice cereal commercials, "This is the cereal that's shot from guns.")

Beethoven: Symphony #5 (The 4 most famous notes in musical history)

Carl Orff: Carmina Burana (O Fortuna, the opening number was popularized in the film "Excalibur," although it has been heard in many other places since. The rest of the piece is great, though, too. My favorite number on it is "In Taberna")

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (If you've watched many Bugs Bunny cartoons, you've no doubt heard this one.)

Khatchaturian: Sabre Dance (heard often in circus and juggling acts)

Other pieces I'd suggest are:

Tchaikovsky: Music from Swan Lake Ballet (Don't buy the complete ballet music, and don't buy a CD with this paired up with another ballet like Sleeping Beauty, because you won't get enough Swan Lake, then. Buy a single CD with just Swan Lake. If it's available, I recommend the recording with Seji Osawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.)

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in Eminor (it's one of the most popular classical pieces, but I never tire of hearing it. Recommended violinist: Kyung Wha Chung)

Mendelssohn: "Italian" Symphony (used in the film "Breaking Away")

Holst: The Planets (Some of this sounds like music they could have used in Star Wars. And it's the only classical piece I know that utilizes a fade-out at the end.)

Debussy: Trois Nocturnes (the 3rd one, Sirenes, is eerily, hauntingly, beautiful)

If I may respectfully disagree with a previous poster (to whom I did give a thumbs up rating), don't tackle any String Quartets at the start. To me they're an acquired taste (which I haven't acquired yet), and if they turn you off, I wouldn't want it to spoil your interest in hearing other classical music.

I could go on, but then you'd be overwhelmed with choices again. Start with any of these, and I guarantee a splendid time will be had by all.

Feel free to e-mail me and I'll see about sending some of these pieces to you.

Answer 4

Try this website!
http://www.kickassclassical.com/

It's got all the great classical music essentials to get you started! Bet you know more than you think!

Answer 5

good starting pieces
vivaldi-four seasons

bach-anything by him

beethoven-symphony 5 and 6

Tchaviosky-1812 overture, Romeo and juliet overture, nutcracker suite

Gershwin-Rhapsody in Blue

Bizet-Carmen Suites

Dukas-The Sorcerer's apprentice

Grieg-Peer Gynt suites

Handel-Water Music/Messiah

Ravel-Bolero

Answer 6

cut to the chase go straight for the virtuosi stuff!

Caprice 1 - 24 by Nicolo Paganini(6th and 24th caprice is highly suggested)

and the Devil's trill sonata by Giuseppe Tartini

Answer 7

Start with Beethoven's 5th, 1st movement. Even if you don't know it, you've probably heard it SOMEWHERE before.

Maybe "Mars" from the Planets (Holst).

Those two are sort of "everybody loves this piece" kinds of pieces...

Answer 8

Hi. Here are some pieces that are not very long.

Rimsky-Korsakov
SCHEHERAZADE
CAPRICCIO ESPAGNOL

Ravel
BOLERO
RAPSODIE ESPAGNOL

Mozart
EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK

Haydn
SERENADE

Pachelbel
CANON

Beethoven
MINUET IN G

Tchaikovsky
CAPRICCIO ITALIAN