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In honor of The Olympics, let’s do gold, silver, and bronze compositions for a few prominent composers. We will also give all-around medals for the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras.

Antonio Vivaldi received the bronze medal for the Baroque period. His gold medal composition is obviously The Four Seasons. Receiving the silver is his Gloria and the bronze goes to his Lute Concerto in D Major.

The silver medal goes to George Frederic Handel. Messiah is Handel’s gold medal composition. The silver medal goes to “Ombra mai fu” from the opera Serse this piece became known as Handel’s “Largo”. The bronze medal is secured by The Royal Fireworks Music. Singing the “Largo” here is Beniamino Gigli. I selected Gigli because he isn’t constrained by BS period music performance practices. He just sings it.

J.S. Bach takes the Baroque gold but only because the East German judge gave him a better score than the defector Handel. The Brandenburg Concertos take the gold while The Goldberg Variations settle for silver and the Six Cello Suites upset the Mass in B minor by grabbing the bronze.

The Classical period saw young Beethoven receive the bronze medal for compositions predating his Symphony No. 3. His classical gold medal composition is his Symphony No. 1. The silver goes to his Piano Concerto No. 3 and the bronze is held by Piano Sonata No. 8: Pathetique.

It appeared as if Franz Haydn might accrue enough points in the later years of the Classical era to grab the gold but he ultimately fell short and therefor receives the silver. The Creation is his gold medal composition with all six of The London Symphonies receiving silver. In a stunning upset, The Lord Nelson Mass takes the bronze away from Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto.

The Classical gold medal goes to the golden child, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Marriage of Figaro goes gold, Don Giovanni silver, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 bronze.

The competition for the romantic bronze was furious. The dates of the Romantic period are technically 1820 to 1900. However, it can also be viewed as starting with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in 1803 and ending with Richard Wagner's death in 1883. 

Battling it out for bronze were Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, Rossini, Verdi, Bruckner, Brahms, and Schubert. Ultimately Tchaikovsky took the bronze because he has masterpieces in all genres of music. The only other composer who accomplished this was Mozart. Tchaikovsky’s gold, silver, and bronze are his Symphony No. 6, Piano Concerto No. 1, and the opera Eugene Onegin.

Silver for the Romantics is Richard Wagner. His individual winners are The Ring Cycle, Tristan and Isolde and Parsifal.

The Romantic gold goes to the composer who started it all, Ludwig Beethoven. His gold medal composition is the Symphony No. 9. Silver goes to his Violin Concerto and his Symphony No. 3 gets bronze.

Video:

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

The host country, France, was shut out of the medals.