Must-know classical pieces for a basic education?

1694 Views 45 Replies 27 Participants Last post by Mandryka, 2 mo ago

ClassicalPower

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

Hi! I would like to take advantage of the visibility of my YT channel for education purposes and compile a list of must-know pieces of classical music that even the average person willing to have a basic general education MUST KNOW the details of, such as at least the correct name and the composer, also considering that many people can hum famous tunes but knows nothing about them...
As an example I thought you can't be ignorant about Beethoven's 5th of course, nor you can ignore Mozart's requiem; I'd like not to repeat the same composer twice so I think these two entries will remain as such, so if you have in mind any particular tune you consider that important pls let me know! I've already have a sketch of the rest of the list actually but I'd like to confront with other people ideas to see if it can get any better.
(1- The list should not exceed 10 anyway. 2 - Believe me: most people would know the fifth's main motive and perhaps that it's from Beethoven but nothing more...)

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SanAntone

· #4 · 3 mo ago

Some works to acquaint your audience with classical music from before and after the common practice period, and expose them to some important composers who might otherwise remain outside conventional music appreciation syllabi.

Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)- Messe de Nostre Dame
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) - Missa Papae Marcelli
Charles Ives (1874-1954) - Central Park in the Dark
Edgard Varèse (1883-1965) - Octandre
Henry Cowell (1897-1965) - The Banshee
Harry Partch (1901-1974) - Castor & Pollux
Elliott Carter (1908-2012) - String Quartet No. 2
John Cage (1912-1992) - Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano
Lou Harrison (1917-2003) - The Only Jealousy of Emer
Morton Feldman (1926-1987) - Rothko Chapel
James Tenney (1934-2006) - Diaphonic Trio
John Luther Adams (1953) - Become River

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SanAntone

· #16 · 2 mo ago

SanAntone said:
Some works to acquaint your audience with classical music from before and after the common practice period, and expose them to some important composers who might otherwise remain outside conventional music appreciation syllabi.

Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)- Messe de Nostre Dame
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) - Missa Papae Marcelli
Charles Ives (1874-1954) - Central Park in the Dark
Edgard Varèse (1883-1965) - Octandre
Henry Cowell (1897-1965) - The Banshee
Harry Partch (1901-1974) - Castor & Pollux
Elliott Carter (1908-2012) - String Quartet No. 2
John Cage (1912-1992) - Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano
Lou Harrison (1917-2003) - The Only Jealousy of Emer
Morton Feldman (1926-1987) - Rothko Chapel
James Tenney (1934-2006) - Diaphonic Trio
John Luther Adams (1953) - Become River

I will again make my pitch for inclusion of music not already well known. Why not?

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SanAntone

· #18 · 2 mo ago

My point, is that for younger people, the "old standards" (IOW their grandfather's classical music) is most likely not the way to get them interested. These folk grew up on the Internet and a wide variety of musics, and I believe the more adventurous classical music would be a better fit for them than Swan Lake or the 1812 Overture.

@Ulfilas has the right idea, but I'd go further.

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SanAntone

· #23 · 2 mo ago

If I were doing this I'd choose one composer/work from each period right up to the 21st century:

Medieval/Renaissance: Machaut - Messe de Nostre Dame, Kyrie
Baroque: Bach - Goldberg Variations, Aria, Variation 1
Classical: Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21, ii. Andante
Romantic: Wagner - Tristan und Isolde, Prelude
Late Romantic: Mahler - Symphony No. 5, iv. Adagietto
Modern: Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps, opening or John Cage - Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Contemporary: Boulez - Sur incises, part 1, or Stockhausen - Mantra
Living: Missy Mazzoli - Dark with Excessive Bright

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SanAntone

· #31 · 2 mo ago

ClassicalPower said:
Hi! I would like to take advantage of the visibility of my YT channel for education purposes and compile a list of must-know pieces of classical music that even the average person willing to have a basic general education MUST KNOW the details of, such as at least the correct name and the composer, also considering that many people can hum famous tunes but knows nothing about them...
As an example I thought you can't be ignorant about Beethoven's 5th of course, nor you can ignore Mozart's requiem; I'd like not to repeat the same composer twice so I think these two entries will remain as such, so if you have in mind any particular tune you consider that important pls let me know! I've already have a sketch of the rest of the list actually but I'd like to confront with other people ideas to see if it can get any better.
(1- The list should not exceed 10 anyway. 2 - Believe me: most people would know the fifth's main motive and perhaps that it's from Beethoven but nothing more...)

I did not fully understand the OP, i.e. the aspect of "many people can hum famous tunes but knows nothing about them..." which I don't think is something of long term importance. It might be somewhat worthwhile initially but you (or someone) could provide an invaluable service to listeners with more than a passing interest in classical music by offering more than the composer name and title of a work they may have heard used in a TV commercial or movie.

IMO, it would be far more valuable to grab a listener's interest with some music which they might never have heard but would find immediately intriguing - and offer a picture of classical music more complex than the most familiar clips of melody used as background music in a supermarket.

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