Hello! I am Leonardo from Italy, I'm new to the forums and I am also rather new to the world of classical music - I've always liked it, but only recently have I started actively wanting to know more and more of it - this thread is mostly for fun, but it could help semi-beginners like me finding tips on new music to listen to!

So, without further ado, here are the categories for your nominations. This is not ba Feel free not to give a nomination for each one of them, but only to those you want to answer Keep in mind that this is not by ARTIST, but by INDIVIDUAL WORK, either the whole work or a single movement or part in it...

...so, for example, Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor K 626 or Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor K 626 - Dies Irae are both acceptable answers, but just "Mozart" isn't :P

By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece:
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece:
3) Best BAROQUE piece:
4) Best CLASSICAL piece:
5) Best ROMANTIC piece:
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece:
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece:

By FORM
8) Best MASS:
9) Best FUGUE:
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO:
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT:
12) Best MINUET:
13) Best SYMPHONY:
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA:
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET:
16) Best VARIATION:

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece:
18) STORMIEST piece:
19) BITTEREST piece:
20) SCARIEST piece:
21) MOST RELAXING piece:
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece:
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece:
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece:
25) MOST SENSUAL piece:
26) MOST DEMONIC piece:
27) MOST INNOCENT piece:
28) MOST EXOTIC piece:
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece:
30) MOST INSANE piece:
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece:

PERSONAL section
32) MOST LOVED piece:
33) MOST HATED piece:
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece:
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED:
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC:


Have fun, thanks for partecipating, my own answers will shortly follow!

You know, there's a reason why they don't have such awards in real life. I'm sorry, but I find it a difficult task even to prepare a list of nominees for many categories, let alone choose a winner. Maybe if we did it like the actual annual thing, like Best Transcription of a Violin Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings and Continuo for the year 1738, I think I know who will win it.

But welcome aboard, Leonardo! This thread should certainly be fun.

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Regards,
Navneeth

Wow, Leonardo! That list would take a lot of thought for anyone... while I'm not sure I've considered this enough to answer any of the "objective" questions, I will give you a few votes for the "personal" section:

Most Loved: Pictures in an Exhibition by Mussorgsky (original piano version)
Most Hated: Grand Canyon Suite by Groflé
What's All the Fuss About Piece: Call me a heretic, but The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
First Piece I Loved: Chopin's Polonaise in Ab "Heroic"
Converting the Heathens: Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique. I have had quite some conversion success with this one.

I will also give you my best quintet: Schubert's Trout Quintet
and best concerto for another solo instrument: Bruch's Violin Concerto

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Take a look at the Bandit's blog, The Classical Corner.

Don't be afraid to answer! This is mostly for fun, it's not an accurate study... Just put the first answer that comes to mind, no one will hold your answers against you You're talking about "the best" from a SUBJECTIVE point of view! Here are MY answers for now, keeping in mind that my knowledge of classical music is still very limited, and that answers will change once I have learned more!

By AGE
1) Best MEDIEVAL piece: Neidhart von Reuental, Meienzit (actually, it's not technically classical music, but still!)
2) Best RENAISSANCE piece: Not sure, will get back to you after I listen to some more Palestrina, Monteverdi and Des Prez!
3) Best BAROQUE piece: Johann Sebastian BACH, Brandenburg Concertos BWV 1046-1051
4) Best CLASSICAL piece: Franz Joseph HAYDN, Symphony no.94 in G, "Surprise"
5) Best ROMANTIC piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no.9 in D minor, "Choral"
6) Best 20TH CENTURY piece:Maurice RAVEL, Boléro
7) Best CONTEMPORARY piece:George GERSHWIN, Rhapsody in Blue

By FORM
8) Best MASS: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Requiem Mass in D minor
9) Best FUGUE: Johann Sebastian BACH, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BVW 565
10) Best PIANO CONCERTO: Franz LISZT, Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 (not sure it's a piano CONCERTO, but I had to put it somewhere!)
11) Best CONCERTO FOR OTHER SOLO INSTRUMENT:
12) Best MINUET: Johann Sebastian BACH or Christian PETZOLD, Minuet in G major (from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach)
13) Best SYMPHONY: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no. 9
14) Best OPERATIC ARIA: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (from The Magic Flute)
15) Best QUARTET or QUINTET:Luigi BOCCHERINI, String Quintet in E, Op.13 No.5
16) Best VARIATION: Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman"

By MOOD/THEME
17) SADDEST piece: Fryderyk CHOPIN, Piano Sonata no.2, III movement - Marche funèbre
18) STORMIEST piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Symphony no. 9, II movement - Molto Vivace
19) BITTEREST piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Piano Sonata no.8 "Pathétique"
20) SCARIEST piece: Giuseppe VERDI, Dies Irae
21) MOST RELAXING piece: Edvard GRIEG, Morning Mood (From the Peer Gynt)
22) MOST CHEERFUL piece: Johann STRAUSS, Radetzky March
23) MOST ROMANTIC piece: Ludwig van BEETHOVEN, Piano Sonata no.14 "Moonlight"
24) MOST MAJESTIC piece: Sir Edward ELGAR, [i]Pomp And Circumstance no.1[i]
25) MOST SENSUAL piece: Ok, I'm cheating... it's not technically CLASSICAL music, it's a tango... but in my opinion it SHOULD be considered classical! Alfredo LE PERA/Carlos GARDEL Por una cabeza aka the tango from Scent of a Woman
26) MOST DEMONIC piece: Charles-Camille SAINT SAENS, Danse Macabre
27) MOST INNOCENT piece: Franz Peter SCHUBERT, Ave Maria (Ellens Dritter Gesang)
28) MOST EXOTIC piece: Er... can't think of anything much... I'll go with Aleksandr BORODIN, Polovetsian Dances!
29) MOST INNOVATIVE piece: Not in a position to judge this right now!
30) MOST INSANE piece: Maurice RAVEL, Boléro
31) MOST PLAYFUL piece: Amilcare PONCHIELLI, Danza delle Ore (from La Gioconda)

PERSONAL section
32) MOST LOVED piece: Mmmm... I have to find a way not to mention Beethoven's Ninth again... So... how about Antonin DVORAK, Symphony no.9 "From the New World"?
33) MOST HATED piece: Well... nothing... Aram KHACHATURIAN's Sabre Dance gets on my nerves, but considering that that is probably its goal, I can't say I hate it
34) MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece: Mmmm... this is dangerous ground... but I'd say Samuel BARBER, Adagio for Strings! Only a personal opinion of course
35) FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: Fryderyk CHOPIN, Nocturne no.2 in E flat major, Op. 9-2
36) BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: I swear by Bedrich SMETANA, Vltava (From the Ma Vlast)!

And I'm adding a new category, as I'm the thread creator and I can :P (just kidding - feel free to do so too, if you're inspired!)

37) FAVOURITE PIECE WHICH IS NOT WIDELY KNOWN: Ciprian PORUMBESCU, Balada pentru vioara si orchestra

There you go! Keep in mind that this is the selection of a 26 year old italian man who has only recently started expanding his classical music knowledge... I have extensive knowledge of only a few authors, and huge "black holes" on many others... for instance, I've never listened to anything of Berlioz or Shostakovic! *deeply ashamed*

Anyway... your turn now!

Well, I guess I'll put in my two cents for the eras...

Medieval: Don't listen to much, so I can't really pass judgement.
Renaissance: Monteverdi's Orfeo
Baroque: Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, with the Brandenburgs coming in a very close second.
Classical: Mozart's Symphony no. 41, "Jupiter"
Romantic: This is a tie between Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata and Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" quartet.
20th Century: Mahler's Symphony no. 1, "Titan"
Contemporary: Glass's Einstein on the Beach

__________________
Take a look at the Bandit's blog, The Classical Corner.

I also have something for the "Personal Section":

MOST LOVED piece: Arnold's Serenade for Small Orchestra

MOST HATED piece: There is one which I will not mention (probably would not exactly apply to this forum, anyhow), but as for a very close second: Janacek's Sinfonietta

MOST "NOTHING SPECIAL, WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT" piece: Cannon in D!!!

FIRST PIECE YOU LOVED: In the Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg's Peer Gynt

BEST PIECE TO CONVERT HEATHENS TO CLASSICAL MUSIC: Nielsen's Symphony No. 4: Inextinguishable, it has a little bit of everything.

Medieval and Renaissance: Haven't heard enough to have a real favorite.

Baroque: Tie between Handel's Water Music and Bach's Little Organ Fugue.

Classical: Mozart's Symphony No. 40

Romantic: A tie: Beethoven's Piano sonata No. 30 in E and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6

20th Century: ( I know I mentioned Arnold's Serenade), a close second for this era would be Shostakovich's 11th Symphony

Contemporary: Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana

I didn't notice the 'First Piece You Loved'. For me, that would be Bach's violin concerto in A minor, BWV 1041, the first movement especially.

i don't know that much stuff.

I don't know many of the pieces mentioned, but I'll make sure to know them all within a month or two The problem with classical music is... there's just TOO MUCH of it...

...the good part, however, is that often it comes quite cheap as nobody listens to it anymore! I saw the complete works of Mozart (120 CDs) and Beethoven (100 CDs) at 99 euros each, which is something like 147 US dollars... less than one euro per CD and recently I bought 56 hours of Mozart for 6 euros!

Anyway, thanks for partecipating and keep the tips coming... yes, even creating completely new categories if necessary

For someone who is supposedly new to classical music, you sure know a lot of stuff

Well, I've always *liked* classical music... But I started listening to more and more one year ago, in the beginning to impress a girl who also liked it, now because I'm hooked and I can't stop

Oh! The power of the woman!!!!!

Gershwin, contemporary? Rhapsody in Blue is actually a few years older than Bolero.

Oops... first slip-up of a possibly long series... I've always assumed Rhapsody in blue to be a couple of decades older than Boléro, sorry Thanks for pointing that out!