The Joy of Music:
Ten Of The Most Popular Classical Pieces Of
All Time
For anyone studying popular classical music, it
can be a daunting task to know where to begin.
There are so many great pieces that a beginner
can get overwhelmed. Here are 10 of the most
popular classical pieces with a brief background
of each. There are many others, of course, but
these 10 are certainly among the most popular
classical pieces of all time.
Clair de Lune is a piece by Claude Debussy, a
French composer. It is the third and most popular
movement of the larger Suite bergamasque. It is
played pianissimo and is largely in D-flat major,
with a shift to E major toward the end. Clair de
Lune has been taught to students of popular
classical piano for years and is prominently
featured in movies and television shows.
Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, popularly called
the Moonlight Sonata, was completed in 1801.
Beethoven had begun to suffer from hearing loss
prior to this and used a special rod attached to
the piano's soundboard in order to feel the
vibrations and enhance his sense of the music. It
was given the name Moonlight Sonata by a music
critic who compared it to the moonlight shining
on a lake.
Canon in D is the most well known piece by Johann
Pachelbel. Originally written for three violins
and basso continuo, it has since been given many
different arrangements. Basso continuo refers to
a group of instruments, one of which must be able
to play chords. Other instruments must be able to
play in the bass register, such as a cello. Canon
in D is often played at weddings.
The Hallelujah Chorus is part of George Frideric
Handel's Messiah. The text is from a libretto by
Charles Jennens, who adapted parts of the Old and
New Testaments for his composition. The
Hallelujah Chorus is taken from the book of
Revelation, and it is customary for audiences to
stand during this movement of the Messiah.
George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is a piece
that combines the elements of popular classical
music with the popular jazz music of the era. It
was commissioned as a classical element in an
all-jazz concert to be presented by band leader
Paul Whiteman. Known as Al Capone's favorite
song, Rhapsody in Blue has been featured in
numerous films and advertisements.
The Piano Sonata in B minor is one of Franz
Listz's most popular classical solo piano works.
It is a piece in the Romantic style and consists
of small movements woven into a larger whole.
Thematic elements are presented in each movement,
although the different setting of the movements
make the elements sound differently each time. In
one section the melody may seem violent, yet
later in the piece it becomes something beautiful
in a different context.
Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler contains many of
the common elements of Mahler's work, such as the
funeral march. Commentators have noted that when
hearing Mahler's Fifth "you forget that time has
passed." Scored for a large orchestra, the Fifth
is considered to be Mahler's most conventional
symphony up to that point in his career. He was
regarded as a highly unconventional composer
until the Fifth was published.
Johann Sebastian Bach composed The Well-Tempered
Clavier to instruct students in solo piano
playing. He collected 24 pieces and published
them in 1722 as The Well-Tempered Clavier. In
1744 he published a similar collection with the
title Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues. Combined,
these two books comprise The Well-Tempered
Clavier.
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi consists of
four violin concertos. A Baroque piece from 1723,
The Four Seasons is also considered a series of
tone poems, as Vivaldi provided instructions with
each movement. Phrases such as "the drunkards
have fallen asleep" and "the barking dog" give
conductors instructions about the feel of each
concerto in this popular classical piece.
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