Because I have time to kill and Constans wants a classical music thread.

Classical Music in 7 tracks:

Gregorian Chants - Dies Irae

The Gregorian Chants mark the beginnings of classical music. Very godly, very beautiful, direct, simple, and powerful.

Bach - the First Movement of the Brandenburg Concerto in D major

Bach was probably the most famous composer of the Baroque period - and a complete and total boss (if you'd look up his personal life). He wrote everything in form and managed to be one of the most creative musicians of all time.

Mozart - the First Movement of the 40th Symphony in G minor

Mozart without a doubt is the most famous classical composer alive. He didn't invent the Classical form, but he refined it to a degree and wrote the most memorable and, dare I say, perfect pieces. Towards the end of his life, his pieces became more and more powerful, until his untimely death from sickness.

Beethoven - the Fourth Movement of the 9th Symphony in C major

Beethoven marks is THE transitional composer, with some of the greatest "hits" of all time. From a personal preference, his greatest works were after he went deaf. The Ninth symphony was written after he literally couldn't hear anything.

Schubert - The Erlking

The Romantic period marks the beginning of the lied, or the art song. Of course, Schubert had the most influential lied of all time. Of all time. Music became far more free-formed.

Verdi - the Grand March from Aida

The Romantic period was also had opera! The Grand March from Aida is possibly the most famous operatic piece of all time. ALL TIME.

Debussy - Arabesque No. 1

Of course, we have to make an allowance for the Impressionist, music inspired and developed in tandem with the art form.

Bernstein - music from West Side Story

And then, we have 20th century classical music, with influences from all over the place - including jazz!

Upcoming post: Classical Music in 49 pieces. (Rather than seven). Also, in 343 pieces. Because yes, I actually can into Classical music.

 

Considering you mentioned both Bach and Gregorian prayer, I'll leave you this beauty Kyrie Elieson. The phrase itself is part of a longer prayer, though I cba'd to remember or look it up at the moment.

 

Oh, that was going to be in my next post xD

 

Chopin's Nocturnes done (right) by Arthur Rubinstein.

And my favourite of them all.

 

No Tchaikovsky? :/

 

Tchaikovsky's one of my favorites. He's certainly not as influential enough to be included in a list of 7 though. List 49? Definitely.

 

Liszt. Although Chopin is my favorite pianist, I recognize that Liszt is probably the greatest that ever lived. Leslie Howard recorded all of Liszt's music and I think it came out to 90 something cd's. I downloaded them all in a massive torrent, like 25 gb or something like that. Totally worth the space.

 

Beethoven's piano sonatas are sublime, the first things I work on every time I come back to playing. Moonlight sonata (sonata 14, Op. 27) and Pathétique (sonata 8, Op 13) are two pieces I hope to still be able to play the day I die.

 

Personally I'm a fan of Brahms, particularly his Hungarian Dances and 1st cello sonata, and Holst's The Planets.

And in regards to Mozart, I'm not a fan. Some of his stuff is just too technical, in that it loses its quality.

Oh, and I love Handel. Possibly my favourite composer.

 

Lungs, the link below is wrong:

It is a link to the 4th movement of the 5th Symphony.

 

Hard to beat Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit.

 

@Demons: Liszt is easily the most talented technical pianist of all time, I think, possibly better than even Rachmaninoff.

@Pers: I've played both and they're just as hard as advertised. D:

@Gwyll: Fixed. idk what I was doing.

 

Uh not really sure if he's a violinist or composer or what, but Paganini is awesome.

 

Tchaikovsky's good, particular his 1812 Overture and Marche Slave. Also Vivaldi's Tempesta di Mare. Other favorites include:

Rossini's Barber of Seville Overture,
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2,
and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

 

He was both. The guy was also famous for being a successful marketer of his talent: he would advertise (and sell out) "last time you'll hear me play" concerts every couple of years. Sort of like Cher.

 

I like this one from the Bach. Air on the G string.

 

Seconded. Chopin is awesome.

- Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin is beautiful when it's done by somebody who can acutally play it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75x6DncZDgI

- "Ocean" Etude, also by Chopin - no words can describe it. I love how in the sheet music, the notes actually look like waves.

 

You want Impressionism?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_7loz-HWUM
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Debussy, a classic

You want something so fucking awesome that after the premiere, the audience went totally batshit crazy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0e_n49dcQ
The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, a piece about a pagan sacrifice and ceremony

You want something that has beauty and passion in it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFHXWoawnt0
St. Matthew's Passion by good ol' J.S. himself
In my opinion one of the most heartrending pieces, about Jesus's being crucified

And just something awesome in general
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t9Bm49Ptig
Chant de Linos by Jolivet, a piece that will make your computer explode

Source: I'm doing my masters in music performance at an east coast conservatory

 

Didn't they throw shit at Stravinsky? I heard he took a ripe fruit to the face the first time he played it and had to leave town. lololol.

St. Matthew's is amazing good.

Haven't heard Jolivet, will do now.

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Whoever's on that damn piano's good, in that production of the Jolivet.

 

I am surprised that nobody has not mentioned this piece yet: Le quattro stagioni. Or rather, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Although it is often used in commercials, clichéd in manner, the four piece has helped me study through many different periods.

Also, since Lungs mentioned the eminent Leonard Bernstein, the Overture for Candide. There's a reason why the New York Philharmonic chose to play that piece when they travelled to North Korea.