MY TOP 100 CLASSICAL MUSIC FAVORITES CONTINUE BELOW. THEY ARE NUMBERED ~ BUT NOT RANKED IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.
41. GILBERT & SULLIVAN'S "THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE"
William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan collaborated on 14 operettas, and one of my absolute favorites is “The Pirates of Penzance.” The only issue I have with the show, is that after I view it, I find that I end up humming the tunes for months on end. I even have the piano music, so if I start playing some of the songs (which are great fun to play), I know I’ll be playing them for months too!
Below: The 14 G&S operettas. At the right: The complete "The Pirates of Penzance" |
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Thespis; or, The Gods Grown Old (1871) 63 performances
Trial by Jury (1875) 131 performances The Sorcerer (1877) 178 performances HM.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor (1878) 571 performances The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty (1879) 363 performances Patience; or Bunthorne's Bride (1881) 578 performances Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri (1882) 398 performances |
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant (1884) 246 performances
he Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu (1885) 672 performances Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse (1887) 288 performances The Yeomen of the Guard, (1888) 423 performances The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria (1889) 554 performances Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress (1893) 245 performances The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel (1896) 123 performances |
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42. VARIATIONS ON "AMERICA" BY CHARLES IVES Charles Ives composed this piece in 1891 when he was just 17, and of course, it’s an arrangement of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” (also known as “God Save the Queen" among other titles in other countries).
When I was 17 I was flipping burgers and frying chicken at a fast food restaurant. |
The song was originally written as a piece for organ for a Fourth of July celebration in 1892 at the Methodist church in Brewster, New York, where Ives was organist. The piece went unpublished until 1949, when organist E. Power Biggs discovered it and prepared it for publication. In 1962, William Schuman arranged it for orchestra, and Andre Kostelanetz premiered it with the New York Philharmonic. In 1968, William Rhoads arranged it for band.
Sooo...today I posted the Charles Ives' work above, "Variations on 'America,'" and then this afternoon, as I was listening to the radio, what comes over the air wave? No, not Ives' variations, but Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, "The Great National" (below). Say whaaaa?
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Yes, I know Clementi. What piano player has not played a Sonatina by Clementi? I don't really know much more about him, though, and I don't think I've ever heard one of his symphonies -- and lo and behold, his Symphony No. 3 played on the radio. Well, guess which song his symphony quotes -- and quotes often?
Hint: It's the British version of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." |
43. PUCCINI'S "NESSUN DORMA"
Who doesn’t love “Nessun Dorma”? It has to be one of the most famous and well-beloved arias in all of Opera.
The name “Nessun Dorma” translates to “Let no one sleep”, and it is an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot |
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If this song doesn't give you chills, then I suspect you have no blood in your veins.
Below left: "Nessun Dorma" sung by Aretha Franklin. Below Center: Paul Potts auditions for "Britain's Got Talent" with "Nessun Dorma." Below right: Hip Hop Heads reaction to their first time hearing "Nessun Dorma" (sung by Pavarotti).
Below left: "Nessun Dorma" sung by Aretha Franklin. Below Center: Paul Potts auditions for "Britain's Got Talent" with "Nessun Dorma." Below right: Hip Hop Heads reaction to their first time hearing "Nessun Dorma" (sung by Pavarotti).
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44. ERIC SATIE'S GYMNOPÉDIE NO. 1
I had no idea how many songs Eric Satie wrote, so I looked it up (HERE). I was surprised at the length of the list because I know of only a handful of pieces by him. I will say, though, that this one – Gymnopédie No. 1 – is probably one of the most recognized songs out there. I suspect that most people have heard this song, but they probably don't even know what it's called. It's no wonder that the song is so familiar, though -- the inventory, HERE, lists movie and TV soundtracks with music by Eric Satie, and well over 100 of them include Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1.
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And why does everyone love Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1? I found this article: "This is precisely why Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1 is the most flat-out relaxing piece of piano music ever written" -- HERE.
The video above on the right is Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1. on the piano. The video on the right is the "complete" set of Satie's Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes, and Sarabandes.
The video at the far right is an orchestrated version of Gymnopédie No. 1 |
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45. TCHAIKOVSKY'S CAPRICCIO ITALIEN Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien is a fun piece. He wrote it in 1880 after a trip to Italy with his brother. In a letter to a friend he wrote, "I have already completed the sketches for an Italian fantasia...thanks to the delightful tunes which I have succeeded in assembling partly from anthologies, partly from my own ears in the streets."
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Here's information from Wikipedia on the structure of the piece: "After a brief bugle call, inspired by a bugle call Tchaikovsky heard daily in his rooms at the Hotel Constanzi, next door to the barracks of the Royal Italian Cuirasseurs, a stoic, heroic, unsmiling melody is played by the strings. Eventually, this gives way to music sounding as if it could be played by an Italian street band, beginning in the winds and ending with the whole orchestra. Next, a lively march ensues, followed by a lively tarantella, a Cicuzza."
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46. MENDELSSOHN'S "HEBRIDES OVERTURE"
Mendelssohn wrote this piece in 1830 after a visit to the British Isles and an excursion to the Scottish island of Staffa with its basalt sea cave known as Fingal's Cave. According to an article on Wikipedia, "It was reported that the composer immediately jotted down the opening theme for his composition after seeing the island." He originally called the piece Zur einsamen Insel ("To the Lonely Island"),but later changed it to Die Hebriden (The Hebrides). In 1834, a music publisher issued an edition with the name Fingalshöhle (Fingal's Cave) -- and again according to Wikipedia, "causing some confusion."
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Below left: A quick tour of Staffa Island. Below center: A look at Fingal's Care, the basalt sea cave on Staffa. Below right: A tour of Fingal's Cave set to the music of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture.
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Several months ago, I heard a discussion on New York Public Radio WQXR about the use of classical music in cartoons (for example, Bugs Bunny and Rossini's Overture to the Barber of Seville, Elmer Fudd and Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" ("Kill the Wabbit"), and more). Well, I remembered seeing a cartoon when I was a child, but I had no idea what it was called -- I could just remember a bird hopping around to the strains of Mendelssohn's "Hebrides Overture." I ran a Google-search or two, and it didn't take long to find it. It was a 1940s Warner Brothers' cartoon called "Inki and the Minah Bird."
Evidently, there were several shorts made with this bird and a boy in the Jungle named "Inki." What I didn't remember was that this series of cartoons portrayed offensive stereotypes of Indian and black cultures. I just remembered a myna bird hopping in and out of trouble in a funny syncopated way to Mendelssohn's music. The bird always seemed oblivious to and/or unfazed by what was going on around him.
According to LooneyTunes.fandom.com, these cartoons are "no longer included in USA television packages" due to their negative and offensive material. Pictured at the right: The myna bird from "Inki and the Minah Bird." |
47. PROKOFIEV'S DANCE OF THE KNIGHTS FROM "ROMEO & JULIET"
Whether you a fan or classical music or not, I suspect you've heard this song before -- and my guess is that you love it! It is a cool song to be sure! The bass line with the lower brass is incredible, and the serious and strong-willed strings soaring above it makes this truly a remarkable and memorable piece.
I've seen this work called "The Dance of the Knights," "The March of the Knights," and "The Montagues and the Capulets." No matter what you call it, it is truly an iconic work of the twentieth century. |
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Below left: The piece is from Prokofiev's ballet "Romeo and Juliet," and this video is of the entire ballet. "The Dance of the Knights" starts at 28:22. Below center: "The Dance of the Knights" on the piano. Below right: I remember a Lexus commercial from years ago that featured this song. As the music played, a Lexus drove through giant metal orbs swinging on pendulums. I could not find that particular advertisement on YouTube, but I did find another car commercial that featured Prokofiev's music.
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Left: Someone paired Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" with "The Dance of the Knights," and it works perfectly -- especially the part with the giant balloon globe.
Right: The trombone section in this orchestra's rehearsal of "The Dance of the Knights" played a musical joke. As the video's headline states, "Wait for it." ; ) |
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48. PROCESSION OF THE NOBLES BY RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Between 1889 and 1890, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composed Mlada, an opera-ballet in four acts. Rimski-Kosakov then developed two orchestral works from the opera. The first, "Night on Mt. Triglav," is an arrangement of Act 3. The second is a suite with the following movements:
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The cortège is the march known as "The Procession of the Nobles" from Act 2, Scene 3 of Mlada. As you can guess, the march announces the entry of nobility. It begins with a trumpet fanfare, and then it takes off with pomp and energy that will get your foot tapping to be sure. In fact, it might even get you up and out of your seat and marching around the room!
The main theme from the procession was the opener for PBS' "Agronsky and Company" for years, and later for "Inside Washington." On YouTube, I found the beginning of an "Inside Washington" for September 15, 2001 -- just days after the 9-11 attacks. The theme song starts at 0:41 in the video. |
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Below, left to right: "The Procession of the Nobles" on the accordion; performed by a hand-ball choir (with a piano duet); performed by the New England Flute Orchestra; and played by a percussion ensemble.
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49. ENGLISH FOLK SONG SUITE BY RALPH VAUGHN WILLIAMS
I included a suite of old American dances on my list (see #7), so it's only fair that I include a suite of English folk songs, right? To be honest, though, I've always loved this suite -- since I first played it way back in my high school days.
It was written for band in 1923, and then arranged for full orchestra in 1924 by Vaughan Williams' student Gordon Jacob. |
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The work has three movements: 1. March: Seventeen Come Sunday; 2: Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy; 3. March: Folk Songs from Somerset.
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What I didn't know (until today) was that the piece originally had a fourth movement, Sea Songs, which was played second, but the composer removed it after the first performance and published it separately, with his own orchestration. |
50. MOZART'S HORN CONCERTOS
Okay, I realize that this equals four pieces on my list of my Top 100 favorites, but I love them all, so I thought I'd just post this as one entry.
* Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 412 * Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 417 * Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, K. 447 * Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495 |
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I fell in love with these concertos way back in high school. I had a friend who played the French Horn (shout out to Walter A., wherever you are!), and I would play the piano accompaniment for him while he would play these concertos. |