There was always something about classical music that really appealed to me. From a very young age — around 5 — I loved classical music. I remember lovingly listening to the classical music radio my grandmother always put on in her car. And the movie Fantasia was one of my favorites at that time. And by now I listen to classical music daily and have been to multiple classical concerts.
I'm aware that not everyone has this, and that, unfortunately, most people have no interest in classical music at all. Therefore, I've compiled a list of 10 classical pieces that I consider essential for beginners to classical music.
What did I consider?
Firstly, I tried to ensure that I included pieces from a variety of eras, styles, composers, and compositions. This way, I hope to give people a sense of the broad range of classical music. Secondly, I assessed the pieces based on how distinctive, influential, or even revolutionary they are. When listing essential pieces for beginners, the pinnacles take priority of course. I also made sure the pieces were accessible. This means, first of all, that I tried not to choose very long pieces; for example, instead of an entire symphony, I would only choose a section of it. It also means that I tried to choose pieces that aren't very intensive to listen to, or pieces that are not regularly perceived as "boring." Finally, a little personal taste played a decisive role.
The list is in chronological order.
I had slight difficulty with determining how far back I should start regarding time periods, but decided to just start with the Baroque period (and skip medieval and renaissance music). This period saw the start of the type of harmony that has since been used greatly in Western music, even in the popular music of today. As an introduction to this period, I chose Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, of which The Winter is my favorite. The piece – still very popular today – will be pleasing to the ear for everyone, whether you're an experienced classical music listener or not.
The German Johann Sebastian Bach is frequently seen as the best composer of all time, and he was undeniably one of the most influential. It was clear from the start he had to be here, so the only question was: with what piece? Bach has some incredible pieces with many different instruments (piano, cello, choir etc.) but I eventually chose his legendary piece with the organ: Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
That Mozart had to be here was also obvious, and although Mozart had written a lot of amazing pieces, I quickly settled on Requiem. When Mozart started writing his Requiem, after receiving an anonymous commission, he feared he was writing the piece for his own death. Sadly, his fears became true and he died before finishing the piece, at an age of just 35. His relatively unknown pupil Süssmayr finished it. I decided to go with the first 8 bars of Lacrimosa, Mozart's last 8 bars.
Not Bach, not Mozart, not any other composer. For me, Beethoven is the best. There were so many of his pieces I wanted to include, but I went with his 9th, even though it is not my favorite of his (in fact, not even top 5). But this one had to be purely for symbolic reasons, because with this piece, Beethoven completes the Classical period of music and introduces us to the Romantic period.
I had to include the piano, and if you say classical piano music you can’t get around Chopin. The Polish Frédéric Chopin, himself a virtuoso pianist, wrote many instantly recognisable solo piano pieces, so it was hard to choose one. But I would say his 21 Nocturnes – pieces inspired by the atmosphere of the night – are the most essential. And of these romantic and dreamy piano compositions, number 2 is my pick – a sophisticated and deeply emotional piece.
The German Richard Wagner – one of the best opera composers – is an undisputed essential. With the influential opera Tristan und Isolde we see the beginning of modern classical music, but perhaps more interesting for starters is his influence on film scores, in particular his use of leitmotifs. Since the German vocal parts of his operas are not very accessible, I went with an instrumental excerpt for his Die Walküre opera: Ride of the Valkyries. You will probably recognize it.
This is the piece I would recommend first to any beginner. The 9th symphony of the Czech Antonin Dvořák, also known as the New World Symphony, was written during his stay in the United States. While there, he was inspired by the music and everything he saw in this new world called America – specifically Native American music and African-American spirituals. He incorporated this in his next symphony and the piece immediately became one of the most popular pieces of music.
Mahler doesn’t have much broader public recognition like Beethoven, Mozart etc. have, nevertheless has his music grown in popularity over the last few decades and are the concerts of his symphonies always the first to be sold out. Rightly so, if you ask me, because his symphonies are characterized by their emotional depth and epic scale. Mahler, frequently seen as the one who bridged the Romantic era and the modern age, explored the boundaries of the symphony. He famously said: “The symphony must be like the world, it must embrace everything.” My favorite of them, and therefore my pick, is the second.
I realised I hadn’t included a French composer yet. Though France is in my opinion not the best nation concerning classical music (Austria, Germany and Russia are my top 3), their presence is not one to ignore. For me, French classical music was at its best in the music movement of Impressionism, where mood or atmosphere is central. Known for their sensitive and sentimental character, the French knew their way in this movement with famous composers as Satie, Ravel, Fauré and Debussy. Of the latter I chose the 3rd movement of his Suite bergamasque, a piece also known as Clair de Lune (French for “Moonlight”) as their representative.
Diaghilev: “Will it last very long this way?”
Stravinsky: “Until the end, my dear.”
And Diaghilev was silent, because he understood that the answer was serious.
I end with my favorite of the ten – Le Sacre du Printemps – an avant-garde piece of music that is one of the most influential works of the 20th century. The piece was so unconventional it caused a (near) riot during its premiere – I wrote a text about that you can read here. Although it’s about 30 minutes long, I recommend that you listen to it fully. But to help with listening to this really complex piece, there is this animated score I really like.