10 Classical Music Pieces Everyone Should Know

When the call came to contribute a “listicle” to this issue of The Classical Teacher, I did not shrink from the task (despite having never heard the word before). My first thought was: “That should be easy.”

It has not been. The first difficulty in compiling a list of top ten compositions stems from the need to answer three questions: Which body of repertoire will be considered, for what age listener, and to what purpose? Beyond this problem, the sheer number of compositions possible to consider is nothing short of overwhelming.

Consider the fact that Charles Dickens wrote fifteen novels, Jane Austen completed six, and Tolstoy three, two of which forge his formidable reputation. Ludwig van Beethoven, on the other hand, created more than seven hundred compositions. Of these, a good hundred are excellent. At least sixty are acknowledged masterpieces, groundbreaking and endlessly rewarding to hear, starting with all nine symphonies, two-thirds of his thirty-one piano sonatas, most of his sixteen string quartets, his single opera (with its four overtures), the choral masterwork Missa Solemnis, all five of his piano concertos, his violin concerto, the “triple-concerto” (piano, violin, cello, and orchestra), sublime works like the “Archduke” Trio for violin, cello, and piano, the spectacular “Kreutzer” Sonata for violin and piano, as well as two phenomenal sets of piano variations known as the Eroica Variations and the Diabelli Variations. Selecting top titles from Beethoven’s oeuvre alone is nigh impossible.

Where does that leave the list maker who faces the rest of the repertoire? Which pieces to choose from the riches of J. S. Bach, Handel, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Mahler, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Gershwin? How does the cavalcade of incomparable operas by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, or Puccini figure into the list? Can oratorios be tossed into the mix? Ballets? Finally, should the list maker consider pieces from our great American songbook or the exemplary heritage of our American musicals? (Dare I also mention jazz?) Finally, should the list seek to reinforce musical tastes or open up new worlds?

With these concerns unresolved, I threw caution to the wind and here present a selection of pieces that I just plain love and recommend unabashedly. Each is excellent in structure and content, delightful or engaging to hear, and accessible to anyone seeking to enjoy our Western musical heritage. Perforce, the pieces are numbered, but think of them as a revolving circle and start where you please.

1. Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Major, 1931

A pianist, Ravel (famous for Bolero) left a spectacular legacy of works, many for piano and all intricately crafted. This three-movement concerto abounds in contrasts. Its first movement sparkles with an energy broken only by beguiling melodies and the jazzy whirlwind of its conclusion; the second movement presents a pattern of hypnotic chords that undergirds a melody soaring with longing (prepare for tears); like the crack of a whip, the third movement explodes with sharp themes and driving rhythms.

2. Peter Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Opus 36, 1878

From its opening trumpet blast until its triumphant ending, this symphony overflows with heartbreaking lyricism, powerful sweeps of strings, compelling dance rhythms, and noble passages of triumph. Perfectly classical in form, the piece overflows with luxurious Romanticism in the style of Tchaikovsky’s ballets Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker.

3. Franz Schubert, Erlkönig (Elf King), 1815

Erlkönig, arguably the greatest song in the Western repertoire, sets a ballad by the great German bard Johann von Goethe. An agonized father, racing with his dying boy for help, counters the boy’s fevered hallucinations as death lures him, first charmingly, then forcefully. The father comforts in vain and the child succumbs. Many composers have set this fabulous poem, but Schubert’s bone-chilling rendition towers above them all.

4. Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052, c. 1734

Highlighting the dynamic possibilities of solo keyboardist and orchestral ensemble, this lively concerto capitalizes on every tonal color and dramatic gesture known in Bach’s day. Its forceful opening theme, built in a technique called fortspinnung (spinning-forth), can set the heart on fire. The slow middle movement proceeds hesitantly, with elegance. The final movement provides a furious, yet highly controlled, voyage through virtuosic techniques of the Baroque era.

5. Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E Major, Opus 55, 1802

Despite the popularity of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the third symphony is arguably his finest. In it, Beethoven greatly stretches the thematic and harmonic parameters of classical form while knitting its material together with a dramatic intensity hitherto unheard. Each movement is innovative, distinct, and masterful. The symphony has strong associations with the Napoleonic era that caused chaos across Europe during this period.

6. Claudio Monteverdi, Orfeo, 1607

The earliest operatic work still performed on modern stages, Orfeo marks the exact point when the highly developed Renaissance style of intertwined vocal lines (polyphony) yielded to the new taste for stark, single-line melody, supported by simple harmonies (monody). In pursuit of a burgeoning desire to revive classical Greek drama, Monteverdi and poet Alessandro Striggio (librettist) used the archetypal story of Orpheus and Eurydice to mix the elegance of sophisticated madrigal-style with the narrative dynamism of the new recitative, all enhanced by dance and pageantry.

7. Gioachino Rossini, Cenerentola (Cinderella), 1815

Although Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Rossini’s Barber of Seville are better known, Rossini’s rendition of the Cinderella story will win hearts and afford even an unwilling listener a positive encounter with the all-important genre of opera. Ever-lyrical, funny, and charming, Cenerentola retells a version of the archetypal story determined not by a magical godmother, but by the humanity and forgiveness of the characters. The mezzo-soprano register accorded the character of Cinderella adds surprising gravity to the role.

8. Robert Schumann, Carnaval, Opus 9, 1834-35

Consisting of twenty-one vignettes for the piano, this masterful piano cycle presents a kaleidoscope of characters and themes as would be found in traditional European Carnival celebrations (the “Mardi-Gras” season preceding Lent). Interwoven are musical portraits of Schumann’s friends and two autobiographical portraits of the composer. The vigorous opening and closing sections bookmark the colorful scenes within this programmatic tour de force.

9. Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending, 1914/1920

A crystalline orchestral tone poem written originally for violin and piano, this work takes the listener into a magical world of beauty. Subtitled “Romance” by the composer, the short piece flows with precious melodies, soft string textures, and the sense of a lark—our hopes—rising above the morning mist.

10. Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet, 1935

Seeing this ballet live is ideal. Fortunately, excellent performances are available on DVD and through streaming. Yet, even without staging, the listener can follow Prokofiev’s narration of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet through vivid orchestral color, infectious rhythms, and tender melodies. The “Dance of the Knights” (opening of the fateful ball) has become something of a pop hit—and for good reason!