This list includes known pieces from the Western classical tradition since the 17th Century in all categories (orchestral, vocal, instrumental) except solo organ works, for which I have created a separate list because of my special interest in that instrument (otherwise at least 25 of those works would also appear on this list). Baroque, Classical and Romantic works predominate. My classical list in general is probably far too historically "mainstream" (although whether ANY classical music should be considered "mainstream" today is questionable). As with my other lists, rankings should be considered somewhat flexible and subjective. Other works may be added soon, including some now listed as climbers. Years generally refer to the date when a work's composition was completed. For You Tube links, check the list at right for further parts of longer pieces.
| Rank | Composer | Title | Year or Century |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Beethoven | Symphony #9 "Choral" More links: Ode to Joy Bernstein on Beethoven | 1823 |
| 2. | Beethoven | Symphony #5 3rd Movement Finale | 1808 |
| 3. | Borodin | Prince Igor, Polovtsian Dances | 19th |
| 4. | Bach | Mass in b minor, S.232 Gloria Gratius agimus tibi Dona Nobis Pacem Credo, Crucifixus Et resurrexit Sanctus | 1733 |
| 5. | Mozart | Symphony #41"Jupiter" Finale, Allegro Molto Leonard Bernstein performance of the finale Complete Symphony | 1788 |
| 6. | Beethoven | Symphony #7 Allegretto | 1812 |
| 7. | Smetana | The Moldau | 1874 |
| 8. | Beethoven | Symphony #6, "Pastorale" | 1808 |
| 9. | Wagner | Die Meistersinger (Overture) | 1867 |
| 10. | Mozart | Symphony #40 | 1788 |
| 11. | Bach | Violin Partita #2 (Chaconne) | c.1720 |
| 12. | Mozart | Sinfonia Concertante K.364 | 1779 |
| 13. | Prokofiev | Symphony #1, "Classical" | 1917 |
| 14. | Bach | Concerto for 2 Violins, S.1043 second movement | c.1720 |
| 15. | Pachelbel | Canon in D the version that made it popular | c.1700 |
| 16. | Schubert | Symphony #8, "Unfinished" | 1822 |
| 17. | Tchaikovsky | Nutcracker Suite | 1892 |
| 18. | Bizet | Carmen | 1875 |
| 19. | Handel | Messiah Hallelujah For Unto Us a Child is Born | 1742 |
| 20. | Lizst | Hungarian Rhapsody #2 piano version | 19th |
| 21. | Brahms | Symphony #4 | 1885 |
| 22. | Beethoven | Piano Concerto #5, "Emperor" | 1809 |
| 23. | Beethoven | Leonore Overture #3 | 1806 |
| 24. | Beethoven | Symphony #8 | 1812 |
| 25. | Rimsky-Korsakov | Russian Easter Overture | 1888 |
| 26. | Brahms | Academic Festival Overture | 1880 |
| 27. | Saint Saens | Symphony #3, "Organ" | 1886 |
| 28. | Faure | Pavane | 1887 |
| 29. | Mussorgsky | Night on Bald Mountain | 1867 |
| 30. | Tchaikovsky | Symphony #5 | 1888 |
| 31. | Bach | Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Cantata 147) | 18th |
| 32. | Bach | Violin Partita #3 (Prelude)/ Cantata 29 (Sinfonia) | 18th |
| 33. | Borodin | Symphony #2 | c.1880 |
| 34. | Beethoven | Piano Sonata #8, "Pathetique" | c.1795 |
| 35. | Beethoven | Symphony #2 | 1802 |
| 36. | Bach | Harpsichord Concerto in A, S.1055 | c.1720 |
| 37. | Beethoven | Piano Concerto #4 | 1808 |
| 38. | Beethoven | Symphony #3, "Eroica" | 1803 |
| 39. | Rimsky-Korsakov | Le Coq D'or Suite | 1907 |
| 40. | Haydn | Trumpet Concerto | 1796 |
| 41. | Bizet | Symphony in C | 1855 |
| 42. | Schumann | Tramerai, Scenes from Childhood | 19th |
| 43. | Mendelssohn | Violin Concerto in e minor | 1844 |
| 44. | Brahms | Tragic Overture | 1880 |
| 45. | Beethoven | Piano Concerto #1 | 1798 |
| 46. | Borodin | In the Steppes of Central Asia | 1880 |
| 47. | Glazounov | Suite From the Middle Ages (Troubadour's Serenade) | 1902 |
| 48. | Mozart | Marriage of Figaro Overture | 1786 |
| 49. | Rimsky-Korsakov | Capriccio Espanol | 1887 |
| 50. | Stravinsky | Petrouska | 1911 |
| 51. | Bach | Suite for Orchestra #3 (Air on a G String) | c.1720 |
| 52. | Brahms | Symphony #1 | 1876 |
| 53. | Tchaikovsky | Violin Concerto | 1878 |
| 54. | Beethoven | Egmont Overture | 1810 |
| 55. | Bach | Well Tempered Clavier, Book I | c.1717 |
| 56. | Humperdinck | Hansel and Gretel | 19th |
| 57. | Berlioz | Faust, Radetsky March | 1846 |
| 58. | Vivaldi | Four Seasons | 18th |
| 59. | Rachmaninoff | Piano Concerto #2 | 1901 |
| 60. | Dvorak | Symphony #9, "New World" | 1893 |
| 61. | Rossini | Barber of Seville Overture | 1816 |
| 62. | Bach | Brandenburg Concerto #3 | 1721 |
| 63. | Bach | Brandenburg Concerto #4 | 1721 |
| 64. | Richard Strauss | Death and Transfiguration | 1889 |
| 65. | Brahms | Symphony #3 | 1883 |
| 66. | Prokofiev | Peter and the Wolf | 1936 |
| 67. | Wagner | Tristan & Isolde, Prelude and Liebestod | 1859 |
| 68. | Wagner | Parsifal, Prelude and Good Friday Spell | 1882 |
| 69. | Beethoven | Coriolan Overture | 1806 |
| 70. | Beethoven | Missa Solemnis | 1823 |
| 71. | Rimsky-Korsakov | Scheherazade | 1888 |
| 72. | Stravinsky | Firebird | 1910 |
| 73. | Haydn | Symphony #101 "The Clock" | 1794 |
| 74. | Ravel | Bolero | 1928 |
| 75. | Ravel | Introduction and Allegro | c.1910 |
| 76. | Mendelssohn | Midsummer Nights Dream, Incidental Music | 1843 |
| 77. | Mendelssohn | Symphony #4, "Italian" | 1833 |
| 78. | Tchaikovsky | Piano Concerto #1 | 1875 |
| 79. | Grieg | Piano Concerto in a minor | 1868 |
| 80. | Grieg | Peer Gynt Suite | 1876 |
| 81. | Glinka | Russlan and Ludmilla Overture | 1842 |
| 82. | Debussy | Clair de Lune | 1890 |
| 83. | Beethoven | String Quartet #14 | 1824 |
| 84. | Beethoven | Symphony #4 | 1806 |
| 85. | Bach | Brandenburg Concerto #5 | 1721 |
| 86. | Barber | Adagio for Strings | 1936 |
| 87. | Mahler | Symphony #1 "The Titan" | 1888 |
| 88. | Mussorgsky | Pictures at an Exhibition | 1874 |
| 89. | Haydn | The Creation | 1798 |
| 90. | Dukas | The Sorcerer's Apprentice | 1896 |
| 91. | Puccini | Madame Butterfly | 1904 |
| 92. | Beethoven | Symphony #1 | 1800 |
| 93. | Brahms | Variations on a Theme by Haydn | 1873 |
| 94. | DeFalla | Three Cornered Hat Suite | 20th |
| 95. | attrib. Bach | Anna Magdalena Suite Minuet | 1725 |
| 96. | Wagner | The Ride of the Valkyries | 1876 |
| 97. | Bizet | L'Arlesienne Suite | 1872 |
| 98. | Ravel | La Valse | 1920 |
| 99. | Saint Saens | Danse Macabre | 1874 |
| 100. | Richard Rodgers | Carousel Waltz | 20th |
Top runners up and climbers
| 101. | Bach | Suite for Orchestra #2 in b minor |
| 102. | Bach | Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue |
| 103. | Bach | Cantata #80, Ein Feste Burg |
| 104. | Bach | Sheep May Safely Graze |
| 105. | Bach | Italian Concerto |
| 106. | Bach | Fantasia, S.906 |
| 107. | Bach | Violin Concerto in E, S.1042 |
| 108. | Bach | Cantata #30 (especially the aria as "realized" by Kathy Geisler) |
| 109. | Bach | Magnificat in D |
| 110. | Tchaikovsky | Capriccio Italien |
| 111. | Vaughn Williams | Symphony Antarctica |
| 112. | Mozart | Piano Concerto #21 |
| 113. | Corelli | Christmas Concerto |
| 114. | Beethoven | Sonata #23, "Appasionata" |
| 115. | Handel | Ode for St. Cecilia's Day |
| 116. | Pachelbel | Partia #6 in B Flat |
| 117. | Debussy | Iberia |
| 118. | Samartini | Concerto in F for Flute and Strings |
| 119. | Bach | Cantata #78 |
| 120. | Smetana | The Bartered Bride, Overture and Dances (1866) |
Other top runners up and climbers:
| Gustav Holst | The Planets |
| Bach | Violin Concerto in a minor |
| Bach | Brandenburg Concerto #2 |
| Bach | Matthew Passion |
| Bach | The Musical Offering |
| Bach | Harpsichord Concerto in f minor, S.1056 |
| Bach | Concerto for Two Harpsichords (or Violin and Oboe), S.1060 |
| Stolzel | Trumpet Concerto |
| Vivaldi | Concerto for Two Violins, Op.3 #8 |
| Vivaldi | Flute Concerto in a minor, P.77 |
| Handel | Water Music |
| Handel | Music for the Royal Fireworks |
| Handel | Judas Maccabaeus |
| Handel | Samson |
| Mozart | Prague Symphony #38 |
| Mozart | Symphony #39 |
| Mozart | Symphony #35, "Hafner" |
| Mozart | Horn Concertos |
| Mozart | Adagio and Fugue in c minor, K.546 |
| Beethoven | Sonata #14, "Moonlight" |
| Beethoven | Quartet #13 |
| Beethoven | King Steven Overture |
| Schubert | Symphony #6 |
| Haydn | Symphony #100, "Military" |
| Haydn | Symphony #104, "London" |
| Haydn | Symphony #94, "Surprise" |
| Chopin | Fantasy Impromptu in c# |
| Gabriel Faure | Sicilienne |
| Wagner | The Ring Cycle | (in addition to "The Ride;" I know that's a lot to put in one note here, lol)
| Pietro Mascagni | Cavalleria Rusticana esp. (Intermezzo) |
| Chabrier | Espana |
| Rachmaninoff | Symphony #2 (especially, Adagio) |
| Tchaikovsky | 1812 Overture |
| Gliere | Russian Sailor's Dance |
| Stravinsky | The Rite of Spring |
| Gershwin | Rhapsody in Blue |
| Gershwin | Porgy and Bess |
| Copland | Fanfare for the Common Man |
| Orff | Carmina Burana |
Other worthy composers whose works may well reach the list in the future:
Torelli, Tartini, Corelli, Telemann, Gabrieli, Scarlatti, Sweelinck, Vierne, Verdi, Bartok, Ginastera, Villa Lobos, Cecille Chaminade, as well as other works by those composers already mentioned above, and others as yet unknown to me.....
Happy listening!
Eric
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