# Most well-known classical songs?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 8, 2004, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388 "2004-01-08T08:04:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/1 "2004-01-08T08:04:12Z")
I’m trying to learn a little bit about classical music (my current amount of knowledge in the field could dance on the head of a pin with space to spare), so I was wondering if any of my fellow Dopers would be so kind as to let me know some of the better-known composers and some of their better-known works. If you could point me in the direction of a useful website or a book I could read, I would greatly appreciate that as well.
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### Author:  [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/2 "2004-01-08T08:52:28Z")
Assuming you mean compositions rather than songs, and not fully reflecting my own taste, I’d say these are the most important composers to start with:
BACH
Overtures, Brandenburg concertos, cello suites, toccata&fuga’s
MOZART
Clarinet concerto, Piano concerto 20, Requiem, Symphony 40
BEETHOVEN
Symphonies 6 and 9, Violin concerto, Piano concerto 5
SCHUBERT
Winterreise, Unfinished symphony, Octet, Impromptus
MENDELSSOHN
Violin concerto, Italian symphony, Scottish symphony, Midsummernights dream
BRAHMS
Symphony 1, Hungarian dances, Clarinet quintet, Deutsches Requiem
TCHAIKOVSKY
Violin concerto, Sleeping beauty, Piano concerto 1, Symphony 6
DVORAK
New world symphony, Slavonic dances, String quartet 14, Cello concerto
DEBUSSY
La mer, Prelude d’un apres-midi d’un faun, Clair de lune, Nuages
Also check out evergreens like Moldau (Smetana), Adagio (Barber), Finlandia (Sibelius), Canon (Pachelbel), Adagio (Albinoni).
If you’re curious about opera, I’d recommend to start with Puccini (say Tosca).
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### Author:  [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/3 "2004-01-08T09:10:18Z")
CHOPIN (Nocturnes, Etudes) should definitely be in there as well, if you’re intrested in piano.
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### Author:  [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/4 "2004-01-08T09:18:03Z")
Some suggestions for classical pieces that are well-known:
1. Beethoven’s _Fifth Symphony_ (Or Symphony #5)
2. Beethoven’s _Ninth Symphony_ (Or Symphony #9)
You can probably find them on the same CD and I will bet that you recognize both of them.
1. Chopin’s _Etudes_ are nice.
2. Tchaikovsky’s _First Piano Concerto_
3. Tchaikovsky’s _1812 Overature_ (very fierce and fiery!)
4. Tchaikovsky’s _Nutcracker Suite_
5. Handel’s _Messiah_ (Choral Music) It grows on you.
6. Bach’s _Toccata and Fugue_ You’ll recognize this. Pay attention to how much is going on at one time during the fugue.
7. Bach’s _Inventions_
8. See the movie _Amadeus_. It’s about Mozart. The soundtrack is marvelous – two CD’s and a nice overview of his work.
9. Mozart’s _Jupiter Symphony_ – especially the second movement.
10. Rachmaninoff’s _2nd Piano Concerto_ One of my absolute favorites. Very brooding and moody.
11. Debussy’s _Claire de Lune_ It means “moonlight love.” Debussy is often very nice for when you are with a woman.
12. For opera, I would not buy one particular opera first. I would get a mixture of opera singers performing _arias_ – songs. Try to find CD’s with arias by Puccini and Verdi. They are the most familiar. Also, arias from Bizet’s _Carmen_. Kathleen Battle is escellent. Kiri Te Kanawa. Pavarotti. I still love Maria Callas for _Carmen_.
13. George Gershwin: _Porgy and Bess_ (opera)
14. George Gershwin: _Rhapsody in Blue_
15. George Gershwin: _An American in Paris_
16. Dvorak: _New World Symphony_
17. Aaron Copeland: _Appalachian Spring_
18. Dave Brubeck’s _Time Out_ (Okay, it’s jazz – but it is classic!)
19. Miles Davis’s _Kind of Blue_ (can’t mention jazz with Miles)
or Dizzy…but I’ll stop.
Reading is good, but listening is better. But maybe someone can recommend a book that teaches you how to listen.
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/5 "2004-01-08T10:45:42Z")
The two most-recognized Classical pieces are “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (Mozart) and “Over the Waves” (A Mexican composer whose name escapes me; the song is used in any old Popeye or Warner Brothers cartoon with a nautical theme, and five distinctive notes of it are used at the tail end of the faux-swing “You and Me and the Bottle Make Three”).
“The Wedding March” and “The Graduation March” have to be up there as well. Also “The William Tell Overture.”
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/6 "2004-01-08T10:50:33Z")
You might want to rent/buy/check out from the library one of those compilations from Naxos or Deutsche Gramofon for a crash course of the basics. The Naxos one has a great little paperback book that comes with it with bios of all the important classical composers, musical terms, etc. When I get home I can post the actual name of it.
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/7 "2004-01-08T12:34:51Z")
Here it is: The A to Z of Classical Music. This might be a good starting place for what you’re looking for.[The A to Z of Classical Music](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YYRT/qid=1073564950/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-3079295-9216136?v=glance&s=classical)
It’s put out by Naxos, who has a mission to archive all important classical music–but don’t look for A-list musicians to be on their CDs.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/8 "2004-01-08T13:10:18Z")
Motzart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”
Pachebel’s “Canon in D”
Vilvaldi’s “Four Seasons”
Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavier/Clavichord” was a favorite of mine to play on the piano.
Beethoven’s 5th and Beethoven’s 9th (particulary the “Ode to Joy”) also “Moonlight Sonota”
Handel’s “The Messiah” Also his very simple variation " The Harmonious Blacksmith". I loved to play that piece, so simple, so elegant.
Hayden’s “Suprise Symphony”
"In the Hall of the Mountain King " by Grieg
“The Swan” by Sean Sans
“Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev
Brahm’s Lullaby
Chopin’s “Chopsticks” Or “Minute Waltz”
Johann Strauss’ “Vienes Waltz” or “The Beatiful Blue Danube”
“Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The Graduation March is “Pomp and Circumstance” by Sir Edward William Elgar
“Jupiter, Giver of Jollity” is well known, it’s a movement from Gustav Holst’s “Planets Suite”. I know Isao Tomita did a variation on it, that’s nice, though it’s also synthesized. [Check it out here.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003F1P/qid=1073564451/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-1862407-7400121) Clips of it are still used by shows like “Dateline NBC” for background sound.
Also try looking into “Switched on Bach” by Wendy Carlos. You can sample her arrangements of Bach [here.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000641BM/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2_cp/102-1862407-7400121?v=glance&s=music) She made that album in the 70’s I believe.
Here are a couple of links to sites that list composers and their compostions. [This one’s nice.](http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mn200/music/composers.html)
[This one isn’t bad either.](http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/)
Also, if you want to “ease into” a taste for classical music,
[this artist](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002SKU/qid=1073564545/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-1862407-7400121) might help. She plays classical music with a modern flair.
Also, believe it or not, Bugs Bunny cartoons, or old Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc. cartoons. They often used classical music. I also like Henry Mancinni’s works in those cartoons.
Good Luck
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### Author:  [@moodtobestewed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodtobestewed)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/9 "2004-01-08T14:07:12Z")
The [All Music Guide’s Classical site](http://www.allclassical.com/) is an excellent resource, but tends to be comprehensive rather than newbie-friendly. But you can read up on specific pieces by composers, so if you find something you like you can get some background info.
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### Author:  [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/10 "2004-01-08T14:11:16Z")
That’s a great link moodtobestewed. I tried a few rather obscure favourites of mine (like Lilburn, EJ Moeran and Sallinen), but even they are included.
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### Author:  [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/11 "2004-01-08T14:36:14Z")
“Fur Elise” by Beethoven (I think…)
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/12 "2004-01-08T15:12:22Z")
[Snooty British actor voice] “You may know this lovely tune as _Stranger in Paradise_. But did you know it is really the _Polovtsian Dance number three_ by Borodin?” [/Snooty British actor voice]
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### Author:  [@Labor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labor)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/13 "2004-01-08T15:38:37Z")
Those really are some great lists of the most played of all classical music pieces.
Nobody mentioned just listening to public radio. That’s a great place to hear a lot o variety with no investment.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/14 "2004-01-08T15:46:29Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Zabali\_Clawbane \*
> Also, believe it or not, Bugs Bunny cartoons, or old Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc. cartoons._\*
I highly recommend Disney’s _Fantasia_ (or _Fantasia 2000_) as a rudimentary primer to a wide variety of classical music.
…
All – I think it would help the OP to suggests instances where classical music and ordinary pop culture intersect. This way, the OP may learn that he/she recognizes more classical music than he/she realizes. Mention of the classical music in Looney Tunes cartoons is a perfect example.
I’ll offer my own:
– Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” is better known as the theme to the Lone Ranger television series.
ATTN: _Caddyshack_ spoiler below
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– In the movie _Caddyshack_, the music during the exploding-golf-course scene is Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”
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### Author:  [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/15 "2004-01-08T18:46:46Z")
_Also Sprach Zarathustra_ by Richard Strauss is much better known as, “that music from _2001: A Space Odyssey_.”
Franz von Suppé’s overtures “Light Cavalry” and “Poet and Peasant” are used in nearly every cartoon ever made, as are Rossini’s overtures “William Tell” and “Barber of Seville.”
**Sqube** , also try doing a search in CS for titles containing the word, “classical.” You’ll see this topic comes up about every two months.
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### Author:  [@Marks\_1st\_wife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marks_1st_wife)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/16 "2004-01-08T19:01:06Z")
What a strange coincidence, I was thinking only this morning how pitiful it is that most of my classical music knowledge comes from watching Bugs Bunny cartoons. Several of the pieces that Zambali mentioned are in one Looney Tune or another.
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### Author:  [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/17 "2004-01-08T19:49:22Z")
A local radio station does an annual Classical Music Top 40 poll, so that’s probably a good place to start:
[2003 Top 40 Countdown](http://www.wrr101.com/wrr_info/poll_results_2003.shtml)
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### Author:  [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/18 "2004-01-08T20:55:40Z")
If you want to start somewhere with some good variation, both from the Masters and some interesting but obscure composers like Paul Dukas, go no further than the Fantasia soundtracks. Sure, they truncated Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and the Nutcracker Suite, but it’s still a worthwhile introduction to some of the classics.
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### Author:  [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/19 "2004-01-11T02:49:31Z")
How many people who have enjoyed Della Reese’s “Don’t You Know?” are aware that it’s from La Boheme by Puccini. When Giacomo wrote it, it was called “Musetta’s Waltz.”
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### Author:  [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-well-known-classical-songs/223388/20 "2004-01-11T18:33:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Earthling \*
> \*\*A local radio station does an annual Classical Music Top 40 poll, so that’s probably a good place to start:
>
> [2003 Top 40 Countdown](http://www.wrr101.com/wrr_info/poll_results_2003.shtml) \*\*
Our local classical station does a similar poll, but lists (and plays) the [top 98](http://www.king.org/playlist/great.html).
Lots of good stuff there!
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