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Classical music everyone should know
Elgar, Holst, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Delibes
Image created with Adobe Firefly
With the unfathomable amount of classical music that is available to us, here are a few pieces that everyone needs to know. Many of them are known in part but getting to know them in their full glory is much more satisfying.
The first might be the most famous tune ever written. Everyone knows this one as “Pomp and Circumstance.” However, it is only the first of six pomp and circumstance marches written by Edward Elgar. The tradition of using this piece for commencement started at Yale University in 1905 when Elgar was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university.
Video:
Gustav Holst's The Planets
U.S. Marine Band, 2008
If you like “Pomp and Circumstance,” then you will also probably like “Jupiter” from The Planets by Gustav Holst. Holst was deep into what today we would call spiritualism. In The Planets, Holst depicts the metaphysical aspects of the solar system as opposed to the astronomical. “Jupiter” has the same form as “Pomp and Circumstance.” There is an opening section of robust music followed by a stately procession. The opening comes back and then a massive statement of the procession music finishes the piece.
The next piece is also the most famous tune of all time. Known as “The Ode to Joy,” the conclusion of Ludwig Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 has taken on a life of its own separate from the Ninth Symphony. The text, written by Friedrich Schiller, encapsulates the finest ideals of the European Enlightenment such as the interrelatedness of all humanity.
The third most famous piece of music of all time is Pytor Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The piece was written for the dedication of The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in 1882. The music depicted the Battle of Borodino, which the Russians lost. The music then goes on to depict Napoleon’s dwindling army as it is devoured by the Russian winter and the pursuing Russian Army.
Video:
Verdi's Requiem
"Dies Irae" Gustavo Dudamel
Giuseppe Verdi wrote his Requiem to honor the great Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. While it is technically sacred music, the requiem is quite operatic in tone and vocal requirements. The “Dies Irae” section depicts the day of wrath and judgment that is to come. The world will be broken into ashes.
Video:
Mozart, Piano Concerto 20
Second Movement, "Romance" Friedrich Gulda playing and conducting
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 is a perfect representation of the elegance depicted in Viennese classicism. The second movement is particularly beautiful as the piano and orchestra discuss Voltaire or the latest wig styles..
Video:
Delibes: Lakmé
Nadine Sierra & Pretty Yende - Flower Duet Paris Philharmonic
The “Flower Duet” from Lakmé by Leo Delibes depicts Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant gathering flowers at the river. The story of the opera is one of forbidden love and Lakmé falls in love with a young British soldier.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Classical music everyone should know
Elgar, Holst, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Delibes
Classical music everyone should know
Elgar, Holst, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Delibes
Image created with Adobe Firefly
With the unfathomable amount of classical music that is available to us, here are a few pieces that everyone needs to know. Many of them are known in part but getting to know them in their full glory is much more satisfying.
The first might be the most famous tune ever written. Everyone knows this one as “Pomp and Circumstance.” However, it is only the first of six pomp and circumstance marches written by Edward Elgar. The tradition of using this piece for commencement started at Yale University in 1905 when Elgar was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university.
Video:
Gustav Holst's The Planets
U.S. Marine Band, 2008
If you like “Pomp and Circumstance,” then you will also probably like “Jupiter” from The Planets by Gustav Holst. Holst was deep into what today we would call spiritualism. In The Planets, Holst depicts the metaphysical aspects of the solar system as opposed to the astronomical. “Jupiter” has the same form as “Pomp and Circumstance.” There is an opening section of robust music followed by a stately procession. The opening comes back and then a massive statement of the procession music finishes the piece.
The next piece is also the most famous tune of all time. Known as “The Ode to Joy,” the conclusion of Ludwig Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 has taken on a life of its own separate from the Ninth Symphony. The text, written by Friedrich Schiller, encapsulates the finest ideals of the European Enlightenment such as the interrelatedness of all humanity.
The third most famous piece of music of all time is Pytor Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The piece was written for the dedication of The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in 1882. The music depicted the Battle of Borodino, which the Russians lost. The music then goes on to depict Napoleon’s dwindling army as it is devoured by the Russian winter and the pursuing Russian Army.
Video:
Verdi's Requiem
"Dies Irae" Gustavo Dudamel
Giuseppe Verdi wrote his Requiem to honor the great Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. While it is technically sacred music, the requiem is quite operatic in tone and vocal requirements. The “Dies Irae” section depicts the day of wrath and judgment that is to come. The world will be broken into ashes.
Video:
Mozart, Piano Concerto 20
Second Movement, "Romance" Friedrich Gulda playing and conducting
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 is a perfect representation of the elegance depicted in Viennese classicism. The second movement is particularly beautiful as the piano and orchestra discuss Voltaire or the latest wig styles..
Video:
Delibes: Lakmé
Nadine Sierra & Pretty Yende - Flower Duet Paris Philharmonic
The “Flower Duet” from Lakmé by Leo Delibes depicts Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant gathering flowers at the river. The story of the opera is one of forbidden love and Lakmé falls in love with a young British soldier.