Greatest Classical Music - Hall Of Fame
In a nutshell, this is a site dedicated to rating and reviewing classical music. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of works were written; however, like all musical genres and repoitoires, only a relatively small percentage turn out to be very good.At the moment, I will rate predominantly music from the common practice period, which includes European music from around the years 1600-1900. There will be a few exceptions, and later I may expand the list to include more music from the 20th and 21st centuries as well as from other cultures.
But is there really an objective quality to music?
There's a good reason why the most famous classical works are well known, and that is because they are most likely good. Arbitrary cultural trends may play a part, sure, but since classical music has been around for such a long time, it has had the advantage of being able to stand trial to the test of time. Buy a typical "Top 100 classical hits", and on the whole you'll find most of them are indeed classics, and deserve to be held in higher esteem than 100 *randomly* selected works from equivalent time periods and composers.|
"Amazing but true!" Question: Why is Debussy's "Suite Bergamasque"'s 3rd movement ("Claire de Lune") or Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A-"'s 1st movement so much more famous than the barely heard 1st and 2nd movements respectively? Answer: Because they also happen to be better overall, and better music is more likely to be performed, disseminated and heard by the populace in general. |
In summary, can beauty be defined or even measured? Yes, probably. We just don't know how. See this page for some of the deeper questions which always tend to haunt music theory.
What criteria will you judge the music by?
The best music tends to have high ratings for various attributes on small and large scales. Is it difficult to label and define attributes without risking partial overlap, or without mistaking a subset of criteria| Instant stats - Current composers covered: | ||
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Albinoni Addinsell Bach Barber Beethoven Bizet Brahms Chopin Debussy Dvorak Gershwin Grieg |
Haydn Khoroshev Listz Mozart Mendelshon Monti Mussorgsky Offenbach Prokofiev Rachmaninov |
Rimsky-Korsakov Rossini Saint-Saëns Schubert Schumann Smetana Strauss II Suppe Tchaikovsky Vivaldi Wagner |
Furthermore, one can include three more attributes based on each of the above attributes. They could theoretically rate highly even if the above rate low (and vice versa):
From these (most fundamental?) attributes, we can derive higher level attributes such as the quality of the "melody", "counterpoint", "theme", "motif", "dramaticism", "variety", "pattern", "structural harmony / harmonic rhythm" etc. etc..
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"Amazing but true!" Question: Can music be so good that there are effectively infinite levels of quality, or do only a finite amount of levels exist? Also, can various musical attributes such as rhythm, harmony and melody be judged to have a negative value? Answer: I would imagine that given the confines of the human brain, infinite levels of quality may subjectively be impossible to attain, but that doesn't mean that a piece can't objectively be capable of reaching sky high numbers. In answer to the second question, could it be that the rhythm and timbre attributes can be rated from 'neutral' to 'amazing', but perhaps that the attribute Harmony can be so bad as to plumb the depths and go below zero? Weird stuff, and impossible to say for sure... |
Enough, let's hear your favourites already?
Yessum boss! Below is a list of what we believe to contain the greatest works. As I only have a finite amount of time, obviously not every composer and composition will be covered, but more and more will be added periodically. The scoring system combines all the above attributes into one overall score (based on a logarithmic scale for you techies). A score of zero is still reasonable, and worth listening to. Each increase of 1, equates to a quantum leap in goodness, until 8 which is the (current known) pinnacle of classical music. Higher scores are definitely possible - send me your recommendations!Because each work can have multiple movements, I have split them all up and rated each of them separately. As one might imagine, different movements in the same work can have vastly contrasting levels of quality (and the same goes for in one single movement, but we have to draw the line somewhere). Also, I have not included any opera/choral/vocal classical music yet. These will come later.
Although there are no MIDI or MP3 files to download on this page, you can try ClassicalArchives.com for MIDIs and something like Wikipedia for full MP3s and Amazon for clips of classical music.
| 8 | Symphony No.40 in G-; K.550 - 1.Molto allegro | Mozart |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Ballade No.3 in Ab; Op.47 | Chopin |
| 8 | Suite Bergamasque - 3.Clair de lune | Debussy |
| 7 | Piano Sonata No.8 in C-; Op.13 'Pathetique' | Beethoven |
| 7 | Sonata No.14 in C#-; Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight' (1.Adagio sostenuto) | Beethoven |
| 7 | Sonata No.14 in C#-; Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight Sonata' (3.Presto agitato) | Beethoven |
| 7 | Symphony No.5 in C-; Op.67 (1.Allegro con brio) | Beethoven |
| 7 | Piano Concerto No.2 in C-; Op.18 - 3.Allegro scherzando | Rachmaninov |
| 6 | Warsaw Concerto | Addinsell; Richard (composer) + Douglas; Roy Douglas (orchestration) |
| 6 | Orchestral Suite No.3 in D; BWV1068 - 2.Air (on the G String) [4:22] | Bach |
| 6 | Piano Concerto No.5 in Eb; Op.73 'Emperor' (1.Allegro) | Beethoven |
| 6 | Piano Concerto No.5 in Eb; Op.73 'Emperor' (3.Rondo: Allegro) | Beethoven |
| 6 | Elizabethan Serenade | Binge; Ronald |
| 6 | Preludes Op.28 (No.15 in Db 'Raindrop') | Chopin |
| 6 | 'Rhapsody in Blue' | Gershwin |
| 6 | Holberg Suite - 1.Praeludium: Allegro vivace (arr. Piano and strings) | Grieg |
| 6 | Piano Concerto in A-; Op.16 - 1.Allegro molto moderato | Grieg |
| 6 | The Planets; Op.32 (1914-16) - IV.Jupiter | Holst |
| 6 | Liebestraume No.3 | Listz |
| 6 | Fingal's Cave | Mendelssohn |
| 6 | Piano Concerto No.23 in A; K.488 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 6 | Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture) - 'Love Theme' | Tchaikovsky |
| 6 | 'Winter' Concerto RV.297 from 'The Seasons' - 1.Allegro | Vivaldi |
| 5 | Birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels - 9.Aria: 'Schafe können sicher weiden' (Sheep May Safely Graze) | Bach |
| 5 | Carmen Suite No.1; Fantasia della Carmen - March of The Toreadors | Bizet |
| 5 | String Quintet No 5; Op.13 - 3.Minuet | Boccherini |
| 5 | Suite Bergamasque - 4.Passepied | Debussy |
| 5 | Orchestral Suite in G-Major | Khoroshev; Igor |
| 5 | Serenade No.13 in G 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' K.525 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 5 | Scheherazade; Op.35 (symphonic suite) - 4.Festival at Baghdad | Rimsky-Korsakov |
| 5 | The Tale of Tsar Saltan - Flight of the Bumblebee | Rimsky-Korsakov |
| 5 | William Tell Overture - 4:Finale | Rossini |
| 5 | Impromptus; Op.90 D.899 - No.3 in Gb | Schubert |
| 5 | 'Ma Vlast' - Vltava | Smetana |
| 4 | Adagio in G minor | Albinoni |
| 4 | Orchestral Suite No.2 in B-; BWV1067 (7.Badinerie) | Bach |
| 4 | Toccata and Fugue in D-; BWV565 (Toccata [9:15]) | Bach |
| 4 | Adagio for Strings Op.11 | Barber |
| 4 | Bagatelle No.25 in A- 'Fur Elise;' WoO.59 | Beethoven |
| 4 | Etudes Op.10 - No.3 in E | Chopin |
| 4 | Fantaisie-impromptu in C#-; Op.66 | Chopin |
| 4 | Nocturne No.2 in Eb; Op.9 | Chopin |
| 4 | Peer Gynt Suite No.1; Op.46 - 3.Anitra's Dance | Grieg |
| 4 | Solomon - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba | Handel |
| 4 | Octet for Strings; Op.20 - 1st mov | Mendelssohn |
| 4 | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Mendelssohn |
| 4 | Serenade No.13 in G 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' K.525 - 4.Rondo-Allegro | Mozart |
| 4 | St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain | Mussorgsky |
| 4 | Orpheus in the Underworld - The Can-Can | Offenbach |
| 4 | Peter and the Wolf | Prokofiev |
| 4 | A Night on the Bare Mountain | Rimsky-Korsakov+ Mussorgsky |
| 4 | Carnival of the Animals - The Swan | Saint-Saëns |
| 4 | Carnival of the Animals - Aquarium | Saint-Saëns |
| 4 | Radetzky March | Strauss |
| 4 | The Blue Danube Waltz | Strauss II |
| 4 | Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka op. 214 | Strauss II |
| 4 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 7.Dance of the Reed Pipes | Tchaikovsky |
| 4 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 8.Waltz of the Flowers | Tchaikovsky |
| 4 | Swan Lake; Op.20 - 10.Scène | Tchaikovsky |
| 3 | Songs of Spain ("Chants d’Espagne"); Op.232 - 4.Córdoba | Albeniz |
| 3 | Double Concerto in D- for Two Violins; BWV1043 - 1.Vivace | Bach |
| 3 | Suite No.2 in B minor; BMV 1067 - 7.Badinerie | Bach |
| 3 | Hungarian Dance No.2 in D- | Brahms |
| 3 | Symphony No.3 in F; Op.90 (1.Allegro con brio) | Brahms |
| 3 | Hungarian Dance No. 5 | Brahms |
| 3 | Etude No.3; Op.10 | Chopin |
| 3 | Arabesque No.1 in E | Debussy |
| 3 | Petite suite (orch. arr.) - 4:Ballet | Debussy |
| 3 | Ritual Fire Dance from Love the Magician ballet | Falla |
| 3 | Peer Gynt Suite No.1; Op.46 - 4.In the Hall of the Mountain King | Grieg |
| 3 | Piano Concerto in A-; Op.16 - 3.Allegro moderato molto e marcato | Grieg |
| 3 | Danse Macabre; Op.40 | Saint-Saëns |
| 3 | Piano Concerto in A-; Op.54 - 1.Allegro affettuoso | Schumann |
| 3 | My Country; The Moldau | Smetana |
| 3 | The Stars and Stripes Forever | Sousa |
| 3 | The Dying Swan | Tchaikovsky |
| 3 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 3.Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy | Tchaikovsky |
| 3 | Serenade for strings - Waltz | Tchaikovsky |
| 3 | Aida: Triumphal March | Verdi |
| 3 | Die Walküre - Ride of the Valkyries | Wagner |
| 2 | Piano Sonata No.21 in C; Op.53 'Waldstein'.mid | Beethoven |
| 2 | Hungarian Dance No.1 in G- | Brahms |
| 2 | Intermezzo 118 No.2 | Brahms |
| 2 | Ballade No.1 in G-; Op.23 | Chopin |
| 2 | Ballade No.4 in F-; Op.52 | Chopin |
| 2 | Etude Op.10 No.12 in C- 'Revolutionary' | Chopin |
| 2 | Etude Op.25 No.11 - 'Winter Wind' | Chopin |
| 2 | Etudes Op.10 - No.4 in C#- | Chopin |
| 2 | Les Sylphides Ballet (Nocturne in Ab; Op.32; No.2) | Chopin |
| 2 | Piano Concerto No.2 in F-; Op.21 - 3.Allegro vivace | Chopin |
| 2 | Prelude No.20 in C- ('Funeral March') | Chopin |
| 2 | Waltz in C#; Op.64 No.1; 'Minute Waltz' | Chopin |
| 2 | Waltz No.2 | Chopin |
| 2 | Waltz No.6 in D flat: Minute | Chopin |
| 2 | Waltz Op.18 (Grand Valse Brilliante) | Chopin |
| 2 | Children's Corner (6.Golliwogg's Cakewalk) | Debussy |
| 2 | Symphony No 9 'From the New World' - ?Largo | Dvorak |
| 2 | American in Paris | Gershwin |
| 2 | Peer Gynt Suite No.1; Op.46 - 1.Morning Mood | Grieg |
| 2 | 'Water Music' - Alla Hornpipe | Handel |
| 2 | Symphony No.45 in F#- 'Farewell' | Haydn |
| 2 | Czardas | Monti; Vittorio |
| 2 | Piano Concerto No.21 in C ('Elvira Madigan'); K.467 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 2 | Piano Sonata in A; K.331 - 3.Rondo alla Turca | Mozart |
| 2 | Piano Sonata in C; K.545 - 3.Rondo | Mozart |
| 2 | Symphony No.25 in G-; K.183 - 1.Allegro con brio | Mozart |
| 2 | La Gioconda: Dance of the Hours | Ponchielli |
| 2 | 'Romeo and Juliet' - The Knights' Dance | Prokofiev |
| 2 | Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor - 1.Allegro Moderato | Rachmaninov |
| 2 | Prelude in C# minor | Rachmaninov |
| 2 | Ave Maria | Schubert |
| 2 | The Bartered Bride - 2.1.2.Furiant | Smetana |
| 2 | The Liberty Bell | Sousa |
| 2 | Die Fledermaus - Overture | Strauss II |
| 2 | Swan Lake; Op.20 - 2.Valse | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | Swan Lake; Op.20 - Act I: Introduction; 1.Scène | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | Swan Lake; Op.20 - 27.Dance des cygnes: Allegro moderato | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | Symphony No.3 in D; Op.29 - 4.Scherzo: Allegro vivo | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | Symphony No.5 in E-; Op.64 - 2.Andante cantabile; con alcuna licenza. Moderato con anima | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 2.March | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 4.Russian Dance (Trépak) | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 4.Russian Dance (Trépak) | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | The Sleeping Beauty; Op.66 - 6.Valse | Tchaikovsky |
| 2 | The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz | Tchaikovsky |
| 1 | Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: Allegro | Bach |
| 1 | Well-tempered Clavier; Book 1/48 - Prelude No. 3 | Bach |
| 1 | Two-part Invention No. 13 | Bach |
| 1 | Minuet in G | Beethoven |
| 1 | La Damnation de Faust: Marche hongroise | Berlioz |
| 1 | Piano Concerto No.2 in F-; Op.21 - 1.Maestoso | Chopin |
| 1 | Preludes Op.28 (No.4 in E- 'Suffocation') | Chopin |
| 1 | Sonata in B-; Op.58 No.3 - 4.Finale; Presto non tanto | Chopin |
| 1 | Krakowiak; for piano and orchestra; Op.14 | Chopin |
| 1 | Golliwog's Cake-Walk from Children's Corner Suite | Debussy |
| 1 | Pomp and Circumstance; March No 1 in D - Land of Hope and Glory | Elgar |
| 1 | Morning song | Elgar |
| 1 | Sicilenne | Faure |
| 1 | Concerto Grosso in B-; Op.6; No.12; HWV.330 - 2.Allegro | Handel |
| 1 | Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in C#- | Listz |
| 1 | String Quartet in Eb; Op.12 - 2.Canzonetta: Allegretto | Mendelssohn |
| 1 | Divertimento No.1 in D; K.136 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 1 | Piano Sonata in C; K.545 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 1 | Sonata in A; K.331 - 1.Allegro | Mozart |
| 1 | The Marriage of Figaro; K.492 - Overture | Mozart |
| 1 | Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra; Adagio | Rodrigo |
| 1 | Verklärte Nacht; Op. 4 (Transfigured Night) | Schoenberg |
| 1 | Marche Militaire in D; Op.51 No.1 D.733 | Schubert |
| 1 | Piano Concerto in A-; Op.54 - 3.Allegro vivace | Schumann |
| 1 | Toccata in C; Op.7 | Schumann |
| 1 | The Bartered Bride - Polka | Smetana |
| 1 | 'Also sprach Zarathustra' - Introduction | Strauss |
| 1 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 1.Miniature Overture | Tchaikovsky |
| 1 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 6.Chinese Dance | Tchaikovsky |
| 1 | 'Summer' Concerto RV 315 from 'The Seasons' - 3.Presto | Vivaldi |
| 0 | Brandenburg Concerti No.2 in F; BWV1047 (1.Allegro) | Bach |
| 0 | Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G; BWV1049 - 3.Presto | Bach |
| 0 | Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G; BWV1049 (1.Allegro) | Bach |
| 0 | Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D; BWV1050 - 1.Allegro [11:10] | Bach |
| 0 | Cantata 140. 1. Chorus | Bach |
| 0 | Concerto for Cembalo in D-; BWV1052 (1.Allegro) | Bach |
| 0 | Double Concerto in D- for Two Violins; BWV1043 - 3 | Bach |
| 0 | Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben; BWV147 - 1.Jesu; Joy of Man's Desiring [3:30] | Bach |
| 0 | Well-tempered Clavier; Book 1/48 - Prelude No. 1 | Bach |
| 0 | Well-tempered Clavier; Book 1/48 - Prelude No. 2 | Bach |
| 0 | String Quartet No.15 in A-; Op.132 - 5.Allegro appassionato | Beethoven |
| 0 | Symphony No.3 in Eb 'Eroica'; Op.55 (4.Finale) | Beethoven |
| 0 | Symphony No.7 in A; Op.92 (1.Poco sostenuto - Vivace) | Beethoven |
| 0 | Symphony No.9 in D- 'Choral'; Op.125 (4.Presto - Ode to Joy) | Beethoven |
| 0 | Symphony 7 - Movement 2 | Beethoven |
| 0 | Symphony No.4 in E-; Op.98 (2.Andante moderato) | Brahms |
| 0 | Ballade No.2 in F; Op.38 | Chopin |
| 0 | Etude in F; Op.10; No.8 | Chopin |
| 0 | Polonaise in Ab 'Heroic'; Op.53 | Chopin |
| 0 | Prelude No.7 | Chopin |
| 0 | Notebook 2; Minuet No. 4 | Christian Pezold |
| 0 | Nocturnes - 2.Fêtes | Debussy |
| 0 | Overture; Ruslan and Ludmila | Glinka |
| 0 | Water Music Suite No.1 in F; HWV.348 - 9.Bourée | Handel |
| 0 | Adagio from Spartacus | Khachaturian |
| 0 | Gayanch; Sabre Dance | Khachaturian |
| 0 | Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor - Adagietto | Mahler |
| 0 | A Midsummer Night's Dream; Op.21+61 - 9.Wedding March | Mendelssohn |
| 0 | Violin Concerto; Op. 64 - Allegro molto appassionato | Mendelssohn |
| 0 | Symphony No.4 in A; Italien; Allegro Vivace | Mendelssohn |
| 0 | Piano concerto No.23 in A; K.488 - 3.Allegro assai | Mozart |
| 0 | Piano Sonata in C; K.545 - 2.Andante | Mozart |
| 0 | Symphony No.36 in C; K.425 - 4.Finale: Presto | Mozart |
| 0 | Symphony No.40 in G-; K.550 - 4.Finale: Allegro assai | Mozart |
| 0 | Horn Concerto No. 4 - Rondo | Mozart |
| 0 | Piano Concerto No 23 - Adagio | Mozart |
| 0 | Piano concerto No.21 - Andante | Mozart |
| 0 | Gopak from Sorotchinksky Fair | Mussorgsky |
| 0 | Pavan for a Dead Princess | Ravel |
| 0 | Capriccio Espagnol; Finale | Rimsky-Korsakov |
| 0 | Gymnopedie No.1 | Satie |
| 0 | Die Junge Nonne; D.828 | Schubert |
| 0 | Impromptus; Op.142 D.935 - No.1 in F- | Schubert |
| 0 | Piano Sonata No.21 in Bb; D.960 - 1.Molto moderato | Schubert |
| 0 | Fantasy; Op. 12 - Ende vom Lied - 2.Aufschwung | Schumann |
| 0 | Alla Marcia | Sibelius |
| 0 | The Light Cavalry | Suppe |
| 0 | '1812' Overture Op.49 | Tchaikovsky |
| 0 | The Nutcracker (Suite from the Ballet); Op.71a - 5.Arabian Dance | Tchaikovsky |
| 0 | Violin Concerto in D; Op. 35; 1. Allegro Moderato | Tchaikovsky |
| 0 | Piano Concerto No.1 - Allegro non troppo | Tchaikovsky |
| 0 | Piano Concert no.1 | Tchaikovsky |
| 0 | Notebook 2; Minuet No. 7 | Unknown |
| 0 | 'Spring' Concerto RV.269 from 'The Seasons' - 1.Allegro | Vivaldi |
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