# What is the best piece of music ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078 "2003-02-10T11:31:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/21 "2003-02-10T20:36:35Z")
**Here, There, & Everywhere** - The Beatles ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/22 "2003-02-10T20:56:24Z")
Beethoven’s 9th Pachelbels Canon in D Personally, I prefer Bachs Great Organ Fugue in G-minor (BWV 542), and his Passacaglia and Fugue in C (BWV 582). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/23 "2003-02-10T21:00:32Z")
Oh! I forgot the 2nd Brandenburg Concerto, especially the 3rd movement. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/24 "2003-02-10T21:20:58Z")
[Off-Topic][Hijack] Damn, and me thinking I’m so clever :). Thanks anyway, **NoClueBoy** , also for starting the other tread. I’ve read some of the Black Widowers stories, but not the one you mentioned. It got me wondering, though, whether Asimov expanded the idea from the one for the other. I’m sorry to say a quick search for the story I remembered didn’t bring back the title to me either. Damn, that guy has written a lot of stuff! Anyway, one post farther away from newbie-dom. 😃 [/Off-Topic][/Hijack] ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/25 "2003-02-10T21:43:52Z")
**blowero** may be thinking of Douglas Adams’s _Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency_. It’s been a while since I read it, but I remember something about Bach’s music at the end of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/26 "2003-02-10T21:47:06Z")
Oh yes, I didn’t notice **blowero** ’s post, but yes, it is _Dirk Gently_. That particular twist tied in quite well with the plot, too. Hard to fathom that they lived in a world without Bach before that. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/27 "2003-02-10T22:33:28Z")
Yes, thanks - That’s the book I was talking about, allright. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/28 "2003-02-10T22:42:27Z")
**TTT** : your story sounds like this Asimov one, which isn’t one of the Black Widower stories (mild spoilers on this page): [The Secret Sense](http://homepage.mac.com/jenkins/Asimov/Stories/Story238.html) **NoClueBoy** : your story sounds like “The Ultimate Melody” from Clarke’s _Tales from the White Hart_. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/29 "2003-02-10T22:53:26Z")
Wow! That’s it! Thanks **rowrrbazzle**! No wonder I couldn’t find it in the Asimov stuff. :smack: On a side note\*, I wonder who copied whom? I like Mozart’s _Requiem Mass_, or whatever it’s called. Spock (in TOS’s _Requiem for Methuselah_) like Beethovan for his mathematical precision. \*Not intended as a pun. Saw it in Preview… ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/30 "2003-02-11T03:39:54Z")
Ding, ding, ding we have a winner. **Achenar** is correct, the finest piece of music ever is **Bach’s** _Toccata & Fugue in D minor_. Although **Gershwin’s** _Rhapsody in Blue_ and **Pachibel’s** _Canon in D_ are fairly close seconds. And when all is said and done _Here, There & Everywhere_ might be **The Beatles** best tune. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/31 "2003-02-11T04:22:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \* > \*\*Asimov (or maybe Clarke) did a short story on this very subject. Plot spoiler ahead. > > Turns out, the perfect piece of music is fatal, taking up too much brain power to process. Oh well. \*\* I think I would still be willing to hear it. (what would be the _point_ of living afterwards?) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/32 "2003-02-11T05:45:46Z")
Since _de gustibus non est disputandum_, there is probably no one accurate answer to this question – it belongs in In My Humble Café-Society Opinion, slung somewhere between the two forums. But I’d give the edge to Pachelbel’s Canon, mentioned above, in that it is one piece that is both appealing to nearly every classical music lover that is also appreciated by people who don’t like classical music. There are very few pieces that fit this credential, and of them I would consider the Canon the best. I personally like the Morning passage from the Overture to _Peer Gynt_ best of any classical piece, with several things already listed (including the Canon) and Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto close on its heels. Among 20th century “serious” music, **Stoid** has it. Of post-1960 pop/rock/hip-hop/genres-without-end, perhaps the piece that touches me most is the Eagles’ “Desperado,” with Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” in second place. But faced with picking a piece that would be appealing to virtually all musical tastes, the Canon would have to be it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/33 "2003-02-11T06:07:46Z")
There can only be 2 nominees. Ravel’s _Bolero_ even though Ravel himself dismissed it as “a prank” is available on a [CD with 10 versions](http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=90266367023) of the same piece. Similarly _Stairway to Heaven_ is available on a [CD with 12 versions](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005J65/ref%3Dase%5Fphilmann/104-9917487-5683147) of the Zep song. ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/34 "2003-02-11T06:14:34Z")
It’s got to be the Brandenburg concertos, especially if you consider accessability. Every class in which I’ve played 'em has loved them, I even get requests from my high schoolers. Personally, I put Pachelbel’s Canon a hair’s breadth behind. It’s beautiful, but is it best? Hmmm, I wonder about Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/35 "2003-02-11T06:40:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > But I’d give the edge to Pachelbel’s Canon, mentioned above, in that it is one piece that is both appealing to nearly every classical music lover that is also appreciated by people who don’t like classical music. I like classical music, and I loathe Pachelbel’s _Canon_. I had to play it (in my high school orchestra, oddly enough, BadBaby) and the viola part is intricate and boring at the same time. I never need to hear that piece of music again. In college, I played it once on the campus radio station, at 78 rpm from a 33 record; it didn’t help. Bach’s _Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor_ is an interesting choice. I was on a street in Stutgart once and I heard it played on two accordians, and it kicked ass. Forget consensus, I couldn’t even pick just one song myself. _Rhapsody in Blue_ is brilliant (as long as the pianist knows it’s a song, and not a career), _In the Mood_ is great. Scott Joplin’s _Solace_ is beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ersatz_Shmoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/36 "2003-02-11T06:52:06Z")
**Polycarp** , have you heard the Langley Schools Music Project version of “Desperado”? It’s heartbreaking and a little unsettling at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![auliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@auliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auliya)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/37 "2003-02-11T06:56:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Ravel’s Bolero you beat me to it, **don’t ask** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/38 "2003-02-11T07:26:34Z")
The way I feel tonight: “Skylark” by Hoagy Carmichael. Ask me again tomorrow. It’ll be something else then. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/39 "2003-02-11T08:24:35Z")
[ul] [li] **Cloudburst** from Ferde Grofé’s **Grand Canyon Suite**.[/li][li] **My Favorite Things** by John Coltrane.[/li][li] **The Brandenburg Concertos**.[/li][li]Barber’s **Addagio for Strings**.[/li][li] **Rhapsody in Blue** by George Gershwin.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078/40 "2003-02-11T10:18:20Z")
The examples mentioned illustrate my point. I am a classical music lover and some of the classical suggestions would not even make my 100 classical favourites (like Pachelbels Canon or Ravels Bolero). Bachs Brandenburg Concertos would not be in my top25 Bach compositions (the BWV565 toccata and fugue would definitely be in that hypothetical list though). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-piece-of-music-ever/154078.md?page=3)