The classical repertoire contains over 500 years of music, a fact that might leave people new to classical music feeling overwhelmed. Where should you begin? How do you know what to listen to? How do you weed out the good from the bad?
First, I recommend not letting that massive amount of music get in your way. There’s so much to enjoy that almost anywhere you begin will lead to something you enjoy. Also, keep in mind that trying to learn anything new — knitting, golfing, a foreign language — takes a little time and effort. You have to begin with the basics, and that’s what I’ve provided on this page: a list of masterworks to help you begin the journey.
The list on this page could easily have been ten times longer, and I apologize for neglecting anything you might already enjoy. I wasn’t trying to identify the greatest pieces in music history. I wasn’t even trying to list my favorites. I simply wanted to provide a few pieces that I think you will enjoy if you are new to classical music. At the very least, my list should help you begin to develop an ear for different genres of music from different historical time periods.
The list should also serve as a springboard to discovering other pieces of music. If you listen to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 and like it, you should then search for Mozart’s other piano concertos. You won’t be disappointed. Listen to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and you will probably want to hear his other symphonies. (Try the Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth.) I hope this list is simply another tool in helping you understand and appreciate classical music.
So plug in your headphones, turn up the volume, and begin exploring the music listed below. Keep in mind that most pieces will sound better with repeated listenings. Some of them might even become addictive.
Baroque Era, 1600-1750
Orchestral Works
- Albinoni, Adagio in G minor
- Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No 2
- Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, “Air on a G String”
- Handel, Music for Royal Fireworks
- Handel, “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”
- Pachelbel, Canon in D major
- Bach, Concerto in D minor for Two Violins
- Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, “Spring”
- Vivaldi, Guitar Concerto in D major
Solo Keyboard
Choral Works
- Allegri, Miserere
- Handel, Messiah, “Hallelujah Chorus”
- Purcell, Dido and Aeneaus, “Dido’s Lament”
Classical Era, 1730-1820
Orchestral Works
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F major
- Haydn, Symphony No. 88 in G major
- Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G major, “Surprise”
- Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
- Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor
- Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major
- Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D major
- Haydn, Trumpet Concerto in E-flat
- Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A major
- Mozart, Flute and Harp Concerto in C major
- Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
- Beethoven, String Quartet No. 7 in F major
- Beethoven, String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major
- Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major
- Schubert, Piano Quintet in A major, “Trout”
- Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, “Pathetique”
- Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, “Moonlight”
- Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A minor
- Beethoven, Missa Solemnis, “Credo”
- Haydn, The Creation, “The Heavens are Telling”
- Mozart, Ave Verum Corpus
Romantic Era, 1800-1910
Orchestral Works
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor
- Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
- Bizet, L’Arlésienne Suites
- Borodin, In the Steppes of Central Asia
- Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F major
- Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “New World”
- Grieg, Peer Gent Suite
- Mahler, Symphony No 1 in D major
- Mahler, Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection”
- Mascagni, Cavalleria Rusticana, “Intermezzo”
- Mendelssohn, Hebrides Overture
- Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain
- Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade
- Saint-Saëns, Danse Macabre
- Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3 in C minor
- Schubert, Symphony No. 8
- J. Strauss, The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz
- Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra
- Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor
- Brahms, Violin Concerto in D
- Bruch, Violin Concerto in G minor
- Dvořák, Cello Concerto in B minor
- Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor
- Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor
- Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor
- Brahms, Clarinet Quintet in B minor
- Dvořák, Quartet in F, “American”
- Chopin, Berceuse in D-flat major
- Chopin, Nocturne in E-flat major
- Fauré, Pavane
- Fauré, Requiem, “Pie Jesu” and “Agnus Dei”
- Verdi, Requiem, “Dies irae”
- Bizet, Carmen, “Habanera,” “Toreador Song,” and “ Sequidilla”
- Borodin, Prince Igor, “Polovtsian Dances”
- Delibes, Lakmé, “Flower Duet”
- Puccini, La Boheme, “Che gelida manina” and “O Soave Fanciulla”
- Puccini, Madame Butterfly, “Humming Chorus” and “Un bel di vedremo”
- Verdi, La Traviata, “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici”
- Verdi, Nabuco, “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”
- Wagner, Tannhäuser, “Venusberg Bacchanale” and “Pilgrim’s Chorus”
- Wagner, Die Walküre, “The Ride of the Valkyries”
Modern Era, 1900-1945
Orchestral Works
- Barber, Adagio for Strings
- Copland, Appalachian Spring
- Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- Elgar, Enigma Variations
- Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
- Holst, The Planets
- Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet, “The Dance of the Knights”
- Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2 in E minor
- Ravel, Boléro
- Ravel, Rapsodie Espagnole
- Respighi, Pines of Rome, “The Appian Way”
- Shostakovich, Suite for Jazz Orchestra No 2
- Sibelius, Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major
- Sibelius, The Swan of Tuonela
- Stravinsky, The Firebird
- Vaughn Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
- Vaughn Williams, The Lark Ascending
- Elgar, Cello Concerto in E minor
- Falla, Nights in the Gardens of Spain
- Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
- Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
- Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez
- Ravel, String Quartet in F major
- Satie, Three Gymnopédies
Opera
- Gershwin, Porgy and Bess, “Summertime”
Postmodern Era, 1945 to the Present
Orchestral Works
- Bernstein, Overture to Candide
- Górecki, Symphony No. 3, “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”
- Khachaturian, Spartacus, “Adagio”
- Marquez, Danzón No. 2
- Jenkins, Palladio Concerto Grosso
- Shostakovich, The Gadfly
- Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major
- Pärt, Spiegel im Spiegel
- Piazolla, Libertango
- Einaudi, I Giorni
- Jenkins, The Armed Man, “Sanctus”
- Adams, Nixon in China
