The Greatest Piece of Music Ever Written

M_D I really like some of your choices, I for one heard Mozart's Don Giovanni and Le Nozze de Figaro last year in the new york metropolitan opera and although I liked them, the greatest operas I ever heard personally (on CD only) are Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Monteverdi's Orfeo.

Personally, I've never been moved more by opera than I have by those two incredible specimens and so I vote them as greatest operas of all time (and ironically the FIRST opera of all time to Orfeo).

I have only heard parts of Fidelio for now unfortunately and hope to hear all of it, and hope to sometime hear the rest of the gems of the vast opera repertoire such as Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, etc.

The one I anticipate hearing the most is the Magic Flute by Mozart.

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned any of the famous Wagner operas. I have heard only parts of all of them, never seen the whole things as I'm sure most of you haven't either due to their towering length, but a lot of fanatics do consider these suckers to be the best operas ever written.

How 'bout best Oratorios, Masses/Cantatas/Passions, Requiems, stand alone choral works?

I'd vote the following:

Oratorio: Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Mendelssohn's Elijah.

Masses/Passions/Requiems/etc:

Bach B minor Mass

Brahms Ein Deutches Requiem

Beethoven Missa Solemnis

Mozart Requiem

Cherubini Requiem

Mozart Coronation Mass

Mozart Mass in C minor

Beethoven Mass in C

Bach St. Mathew Passion

Bach St. John Passion

Bach G minor Mass

Choral Works:

Beethoven Choral Fantasy (if that counts?)

Brahms Song of Destiny

Brahms Song of the Fates

Brahms "Nanie" Song of Lamentation

Brahms Alto Rhapsody (greatest of all!)

Mozart d minor Kyrie

can't think of anymore at the moment...

I didn't really insert Wagner's operas because he didn't call them operas. Operas (according to him) are theater plays in rhyme with arias, duets, trios, choruses and so on, with recitativos in between. The music is the most important element in opera, alongside with the text and story.

Wagner called his operas "Musical Dramas" because they didn't have specific numbers, as the music always went on, the text was in prose and other arts included like painting and designing had more importance (at least that was how he staged them.)

Sorry, double posting: to RequiemAeternam, Orfeo was definately the first great opera, but already existed since the late 1580's. The vast majority of those operas are now lost.

Wagner...? I think Wagner was quite a bit like Schoenberg. Both were I think very intelligent people, but were also arrogant.

Some of Wagner's music I think is very good. But they get drowned out among the mediocre stuff that he created while trying to build "monumental masterpieces" of musical history...Ah, and his repetitions, repetitions.......

I agree that Beethoven's ninth is the best of them all. In terms of its gravity, (I mean intellectual weight), apart from creativity, esthetics etc, it's unequalled in the whole of music. And I actually am not a Beethoven enthusiast.

Also I must say that I'm in principle a little opposed to such characterisations as best opera, symphony etc.Fort instance, where do you put Guillaume de Machaut among all these people? Or Scarlatti, with his works for the keyboard? There's so much tenderness and emotion in some of his works, in a very personal, characteristically Spanish way...

Can one compare Chopin's preludes with those of Bach?

There are many criteria for judging a work. Esthetics, intellectual depth, emotional intensity, technical skill, complexity (for better or worse), comes to mind at once.

But there's something else that's very badly neglected too. I personally believe that it's beyond absurd to compare, for instance, Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, and say Palestrina, or Machaut..The works of these people are so different so completely apart from each other not only in their technical aspects, but also in meaning and intent that, in my humble opinion, it's utterly frivolous to say something like, "Mozart's Requiem's better than Bach's Mass, which's better than Machaut's Mass de Notre Dame"...etc.

Can we really compare simplicity and complexity for example? Can we compare Renaissance music with Baroque?

Isn't good music ultimately tied strongly to its creators character and personality?Can one compare Beethoven's revolutionary fervour, (French revolution inspired I mean), with the religiosity of Bach?

And so I don't compare them myself. They're different. Everyone has his preference based on his taste.

I wonder what you people think on this..

M_D I am quite surprised at your encyclopedic knowledge of music, aren't you only 13 years old? Quite impressive if you are.

And you are right that Orfeo is really the first 'best' opera that is remembered and considered great but a few apparently did exist prior to it though I'm not sure if they're lost or not.

Temporary: I agree with most of your points but I think it's only in the sense that the question of the 'greatest piece' is misleading. It should probably be renamed to something like your favorite piece, or the pieces that moved you the most. Because while I agree that it is difficult, impossible or plain wrong to compare different pieces from different composers and stylistic periods separated by hundreds of years, I however do find that one CAN talk about the pieces that mean the most to them. And in that sense I feel that it is appropriate to compare a Bach b minor mass for example to Mozart requiem in the sense that to me personally, they are the 2 most moving pieces of music ever written in the history of Art and thus hold the top 2 tiers in my heart as far as music goes.

Similarly, I can examine other pieces of a particular style such as piano music and concede that Beethoven tempest sonata holds the same dearness to me that a Bach goldbergs might or something along those lines.

As for the "greatest" piece, the reason it is misleading is because it suggests a factual statement, as if someone has scientifically proven that a certain piece is in fact the 'greatest' compared to every other piece when as we know in actuality it's all subjective and while I personally consider Beethoven a god, I find his 9th symphony highly flawed (as most musical historians do as well) though obviously I still acknowledge its greatness. But I probably should agree with someone for example that the 5th symphony is the most densely packed 'genius' of any work ever written but I still place the Brahms 4th symphony as the 'greatest' ever written in MY opinion simply because it is my favorite for personal and sentimental reasons, not because it is actually "proven" to be the greatest in any way. Although I did find a classical website on the net somewhere once that has some sort of top 50 symphonies list and Brahms 4th was no. 2 beaten only by I think the Beethoven 5th (might of been the 9th I forget..).

M_D I am quite surprised at your encyclopedic knowledge of music, aren't you only 13 years old?

No, 12. :glare:

A few categories:

Most Grand: Der Ring Des Nibelungen (sp?)

Most Inspired: 9th Symphony, Beethoven

Most Hummable: Serenade in G (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) Mozart

Most Famous: 5th Symphony, Beethoven

Most Haunting: Requiem, Mozart; Sonata 27 "Moonlight", Beethoven

shoot gotta go.

I agree - it's impossible to leave personal opinion out - it's simply a matter of what aesthetic pleases what ear. So. Without further ado, my list of ear-pleasing pieces.

Symphony:

Copland - #3

Piano Concerto:

Saint-Saens - #2

Other Concerti:

Rodrigo - Concierto Para una Fiesta (guitar)

Higdon - Concerto for Orchestra (2002)

Piano Sonata:

Barber - Op. 26

Opera:

Poulenc - Dialogues of the Carmelites

Choral work:

Bernstein - Chichester Psalms

Ballet:

Copland - Appalachian Spring

Film Score/related work:

Corigliano - The Red Violin (Chaconne)

World Premiere:

Lewis Nielsen - Saint Francis preaches to the birds

Experimental/Electronic:

Powell - I Am Sam score

And from EKen132--

Most Grand: 8th Symphony - Mahler

Most Inspired: "Rodeo" - Copland

Most Hummable: Lullaby - Brahms

Most Famous: Serenade in G "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" - Mozart

Most Haunting: On the Transmigration of Souls - Adams

Anyway, that's a partial list. So. I would highly recommend looking up any of these pieces you haven't heard - they're all great.

Using a similar format, my favorites...

Symphonies:

Brahms - #1

Shostakovich - #5

Piano Concerto:

Rheinberger

Violin Concerto:

Beethoven

Other Concerti:

R. Strauss - Horn Concerto #1

Walton - Viola Concerto

Brahms - Double Concerto

Piano Sonata:

NONE. I have a hard time even listening to solo piano.

Other Sonata:

Borodin - Cello Sonata

String Quartet:

Borodin - #2

Other Chamber:

Mendelssohn - String Octet

Brahms - Horn Trio

Brahms - Piano Quartet #1

Opera:

Verdi - Aida

Choral work:

Conte - Carmina Juventutis

Ballet:

Copland - Rodeo

Film Score/related work:

Shore - Lord of the Rings trilogy

Experimental/Electronic:

...haven't listened to enough.

Most Grand: Wagner - Die Gotterdammerung

Most Inspired: Schubert - "Trout" Quintet

Most Hummable: Lehar - Gold and Silver Waltz

Most Haunting: Borodin - Symphony #2

The choices below are just my OPINION, so don't come after me if you disagree......

Piano Concerto:

MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E Flat/ Piano Concerto No. 22 in E Flat

Opera:

MOZART: Le Nozze di Figaro

MOZART: Die Zauberfl

Sorry, I forgot:

Most Grand- WAGNER: Die Miestersinger von Nurnberg- Overture

Most Inspired- BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9

Most Famous: BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5

Most Hummable- MOZART: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Most Haunting- CRUMB: Black Angels (An odd choice, I know. It freaked me out though....)

Sorry for the double post

I admire Black Angels greatly, Crumb is able to cover soo much and really bring a new depth to the music. He reaches hidden timbres that just awaken the soul. I admire him greatly.

Okay, I gues sI need to weigh in on this subject! Here are my pics for Greatest Music to date:

Symphony: Franck Symphony in D Minor - This piece in my mind is not a heaviweight like the Beethoven 9th, or some of the Mahler Symphonies. Nevertheless, in its drama and form, it manages to convey questions on a cosmic scale. Here we ask questions on the purpose of mankind itself, and it provides answers that lift the human spriit. Clearly one of the greatest Symphonies ever written.

Piano Concero: Busoni in C Major - There is no other concerto in the repetoire like it. It does not dazzle us with pianistic pyrotechnics, but shows us the grace and power and range of expression available to a pianist of the highest calibre. This Concerto which clocks in at seventy minutes is inspirational nad passionate, as well as simple in expressive quality. I have never heard its equal.

Opera: Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. This Opera changed the course of history more than any other Opera written. With the opening theme, Wagner revolutionalized the musical world. Here was the blueprint for many more works to come, and it showed Wagner's ability to use the orchestra to paint emotional pictures in so many different colours and timbres. And the story is very poignant. No other Opera can claim to have changed the genre as much as this one.

Piano Solo: Dohnanyi's Passacaglia in E Flat Minor Op. 6. This work I consider the culmination of the Romantic Spirit wedded to the classical ideals of form and structure. It possesses drama, intense emotional bravura, as well as moments of such tenderness that one is moved to ecstacy. Herein are the antipodes of the Romantic spirit best expressed. While many other works are grander in conception, none can rival it in execution.

Other Concertos: Bartok Concerto For Orchestra. The closest Bartok ever came to writing a Symphony is also one of the most revolutionary works for Orchestra. With this work, Bartok essentially created a whole new genre of music. And yet, none of the numerous Concerto's for Orchestra written since then have been able to compare to this progenitor.

Choral Works: Corigliano's Of Rage And Rememberance - Taken in part from his Symphony No. 1, this work was written in response to the AIDS epidemic. I have never in all the years I have listened to music heard a piece filled with such anger and remorse. In this work one hears the stages of grief and loss played out in the mezzo soprano's angry and desolated tones. Aleatory music is used towards the end in a most devastating way where the chorus can sing out the names of lost loved ones. And then, the boy soprano singing the opening of the 23 Psalm in Hebrew. Even thinking about it leaves my skin shivering! This work will long be remembered and sung.

Organ Works: Sorabji's Symphony No. 1 for Organ - Holy moly, now this one is a barnstormer. Nobody had ever enve tried to do what Sorabji accomplished in this work. It is a tower of invention from start to finish, requiring demands of the performer never before seen. He even manages to work the BACH theme into in a series of immense chords that leave the listener stunned.

String Quartet - Borodin No. 2 Is there any piece more lovely? Only Barber's Adagio for String can compare.

Ah, there are so many other categories, I could just keep going! But I need to get to bed. Good Night all! What great music!

Mozart's K626 requiem- the best. I can't pick a particular part...Domine Jesu always struck me as particularly brilliant though.

That's hard, not my favorite.... I got to say Mahler's third symphony

That's hard, not my favorite.... I got to say Mahler's third symphony

I would have to agree with that, actually... he was [one of] the first people to just immerse himself in nature and use it to inspire his pieces. Especially this one (I believe it was this one) he went up into the mountains for an extended period trying to capture the many moods and sounds and emotions that the nature conveyed. Very immersed in his work, and it truly showed.

His 9th is more beautiful and deeper in my opinion.

Personally, my absolute all time favorite composition is George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for full orchestra by Ferde Grofe. I've never heard a piece of music that so succesffully breaks all conventions in an exciting, fast paste, virtuostic composition that is salivating with such raw romanticism and jazz.

It is perhaps one of the greatest works in history.

A second favorite is his An American in Paris.

Other compositions that are favorites include Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome set

I also love everything by Aaron Copland and Leroy Anderson.

Those are my favorite composers.

But my biggest influence is Gershwin, and my favorite composition ever written has to be the Rhapsody in Blue, with its sultry clarinet wail in the begging to its ragtime finale.

Wahoooo that warms my heart and soul!

Check out(if you already haven't) Duke Ellington's orchestral work Harlem. Truly an amazing work.

http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/programs/program4.html

His 9th is more beautiful and deeper in my opinion.

I'll definitely have to check that out... I haven't heard too many of his symphonies, so it's a listening work in progress. :P

As far as Rhapsody in Blue goes, I would say it's the greatest American piece ever written but not the greatest of all. I love Gershwin though... his piano concerto (particularly the 3rd movement) is incredible!

9th made Mahler a Modernist

Bach - Prelude 7 in Eb from WTC book 1. This "prelude" is simply one of the greatest works of the Master.

I haven't heard the best piece of music ever written yet, I guess... but I think from what I've heard the best work is Debussy : Prélude à l

As far as Rhapsody in Blue goes, I would say it's the greatest American piece ever written but not the greatest of all. I love Gershwin though... his piano concerto (particularly the 3rd movement) is incredible!

The unanswered question by Ives is great until the woodwinds come in... still, overlooking the horrible sound of the woodwinds and understanding why he did it, I would say this is the greatest piece of American music, along with Barber's Adagio for Strings.

Still, I refuse to say what is the "Greatest" piece ever composed, because I change my mind all the time.

Isn't George Crumb still alive?