The 100 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music - Page 3

The Firebird Suite is there, but Dave listed it with its French title
71. STRAVINSKY – L’Oiseau de feu (a.k.a. Firebird Suite)

Rite of Spring is listed as well, but also by its French title
8. STRAVINSKY - Le Sacre du Printemps (a.k.a. Rite of Spring)

One of my favorite quartets: It's an incredibly intense and complex piece.
YouTube - Brahms - Piano Quartet No. 1 - IV - Pierre-Laurent Aimard

My preferred Bach violin works:

Bach Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041 (Hilary Hahn)
YouTube - Hilary Hahn - Bach Violin Concertos
YouTube - Hilary Hahn - Bach Concerto for violin, BWV 1041 (MOV 3)

Bach Violin Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043 (3rd mvmt.) (Hilary Hahn)
YouTube - Hilary Hahn - Bach Concertos - BWV 1043, "Double" - 3. Allegro

Bach Concerto for Oboe and Violin, BWV1060 (Julia Fischer) (the 1st mvmt. from 00:20-00:35 is pure Baroque ingenuity)
YouTube - Julia Fischer - Bach Concerto for oboe and violin BWV1060 1stmvt
YouTube - Julia Fischer Bach Concerto for oboe and violin BWV1060 2ndmvt
YouTube - Julia Fischer - Bach Concerto for oboe and violin BWV1060 3rdmvt

I don't know what to suggest. The passacaglia form gets used in movements for chamber music and concertos and similar. But that's an area where my personal collection is very thin. I'd have to fall back to examples listed in the Wikipedia article.

I have some other organ works that use the passacaglia form, but they're not as clearly passacaglia as the Bach piece. Some of them are rather difficult to identify off the bat that they're a passacaglia. I generally hold the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor as one of the best examples of the passacaglia form and the fugue section is a very nice example as well for fugue.

the only choice that kinda bothers me is the Beethoven Sonata #8. I don't think it's one of his best works at all. substitute with String Quartet #13 (w/Grosse Fuge), which is essential IMO.

...also replace Mahler 1 with Mahler 5 while we're at it.

but excellent list overall!

But which version of the Firedbird?

I like the original 1910 version. I used to have a full copy of the score but seem to have lost it in moving dorm rooms.

One good example is Webern's Passacaglia for Orchestra Opus 1. It's somewhat subdued, but Webern was a man of few notes.

Mahler 5 is in there at number 32. Agree with regards to Sonata #8. However, I would have preferred his Pastorale.

Personally, I like this list, I don't think it as the 100 most elaborate/musically creative/moving works but rather as the most popular and critically acclaimed works.

DavidMahler could be more precise about this but I think the works are selected based on:
- their fame (how often they are played and the number of recording)
- their likeness to be appreciated by a large public e.g. Schoenberg's late works are innovative but generally not appreciated.
- historical importance.
- their intrinsical qualiies of course.

From my limited experience classical and romantic eras are the best known amonsgt the general population, and most classical music lovers have nice collection of classical, romantic works plus some Bach. Other baroque Modern and contemporary works are a bit scarcer. Simply put, I don't think there are a lot of people who like 20th century classical music without liking classical and romantic era pieces.

Historically speaking, classical music is less important in the 20th century that it has been before, hence a revolutionnary work in classical music in the 20th is less important in the history of music than the same kind of work a century before. On the other hand, one could argue this argument is irrelevant since we are only dealing with classical music. But, I think David chose the former option.

I think this explain pretty well the bias of this list. David, I think your list is great but it deserves an better explanation of the criteria you used to make it and a more accurate name.

And could you edit the post and use a smaller font, its a bit big for lower resolutions screens. And if it's not too much to ask for, would you make an alternative version using the same works but classed by genre (symphonies, concertos, chamber music, solo, operas...). I would do it but I'm not sure of the categories.

Considering how many (a lot in fact) tracks of the Star wars OST were inspired by classical music and the fame of the sountrack, should it be added to your list as a 20th century work?
Don't worry I was just joking

I went online and listened to the organ pieces... Thank goodness for listening before you buy. It basically took me to a place I don't want to go: a cheesy wedding. I will keep looking for a fugue I like. Maybe the Webern.

I really like Paul Jacobs for Debussy piano music. I may be a little biased because his Images & Estampes is one of the albums that got me into classical music.

khaos974: thanks for sharing your thoughts.

impressive list, obviously you put a lot of thought into it...
Going through the list, I was thinking it is really representative of the music you hear in US concert halls/opera houses, with an emphasis on Romantic and post-Romantic repertoire. Not coincidentally some of the composers you weighed more in your list (Mahler, Sibelius, Rach, Wagner) get lots of love in this forum.

Coming from a European background I would probably have given more weight to the roots and canopy of the "music tree", just like Zumaro suggested.
To be more specific I noticed you have nothing from Scarlatti (problem is which of the 555 sonatas to choose?), Vivaldi (I am not ashamed to suggest the Four Seasons), and Monteverdi (Orfeo and the Vespri are so important...).
I was also thinking that at least one of Bartok String Quartets could have made the Top 100, and that there must be some music worth of the top 100 written in the last 50 years (Ligeti Musica Ricercata? Crumb Black Angels? Perhaps something written this side of the pond by e.g. Cage or Reich?)

In any case thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidays!

Organ music is something that you either like or don't. I happen to really like the baroque period organ works.

The Webern Passacaglia is on YouTube. Different. I think music from the 17th and 18th centuries is more likely to have the more traditional passacaglia form.

The Handel, Halvorsen Passacaglia for violin and viola that DeusEx linked to is more of what I consider a passacaglia style. A nice little piece that one.