50 Greatest Pieces of Music


50 GREATEST PIECES OF WORLD MUSIC

Pachelbel's Canon, also known as Canon in D major (Kanon und Gigue für 3 Violinen mit Generalbaß in German) (PWC 37, T. 337, PC 358), is the most famous piece of music by German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. It was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue in the same key. Like most other works by Pachelbel and other pre-1700 composers, the Canon remained forgotten for centuries and was rediscovered only in the 20th century. Several decades after it was first published in 1919, the piece became extremely popular, and today it is frequently played at weddings and included on classical music compilations, along with other famous Baroque pieces such as Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach. (Wikipedia)

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1787)

The Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, K. 525 was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787. The work is more commonly known by the title Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The German title means "a little serenade", though it is often rendered more literally but less accurately as "a little night music". The work is written for a chamber ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello with optional double bass, but is often performed by string orchestras. (Wikipedia)

3. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 (1808)

The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast scherzo which leads attacca to the finale. First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterwards. E. T. A. Hoffmann described the symphony as "one of the most important works of the time". (Wikipedia)

4. Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Spring (1723)

The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery pizzicato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why the movement is often dubbed "Storm." (Wikipedia)

 5. Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, Mvt. 1 (1801)

The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata (Mondscheinsonate in German), was completed in 1801. It is dedicated to his pupil, 17-year-old Countess Giulietta Guicciardi,with whom Beethoven was, or had been, in love. It is one of Beethoven's most popular sonatas. (Wikipedia)

7. Misirlou, Folk Song (1800s)
10. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9, Final Movement, Ode to Joy (1785)

11. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 40, First Movement (1788)
12. Nino Rota - The Godfather, Love Theme (1972)
13. Lalo Schifrin - Mission: Impossible, Theme (1967)
14. Abraham Zevi Idelsohn - Hava Nagila (1918)
15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca (1778)
16. Daniel Alomía Robles - El Cóndor Pasa (1913)
17. Henry Mancini - Peter Gunn Theme (1958)
18. Bella Ciao, Italian Partisan Song (1800s)
19. Carlos Gardel - Por una Cabeza (1935)
20. Dougie MacLean - Last of the Mohicans, Promentory (1990)
21. John Williams - Schindler's List, Theme (1992)
22. Remo Giazotto - Adagio in G minor (1958)
23. Maurice Ravel - Boléro (1928)
24. Gioachino Rossini - William Tell Overture: Final (1833)
25. Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise (1800s)
26. Carl Orff - Carmina Burana, O Fortuna (1935)
27. Astor Piazzolla - Libertango (1974)
28. Francis Lai - Love Story (1970)
29. Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme (1963)
30. Greensleeves, English Folk Song (1580)
31. Monty Norman - James Bond Theme (1962)
32. Georges Bizet - Carmen, Habanera (1845)
33. Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.1 (1888)
34. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake (1876)
35. Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube Waltz (1866)
36. Frédéric Chopin - Preludes, op.28 no. 4 (1839)
37. Ochi Chernye, Russian Folk Song (1800s)
38. Léo Delibes - Lakme, Flower Duet (1883)
39. Johannes Brahms - Brahms's Lullaby (1868)
40. Clint Mansell - Requiem for a Dream (2000)
41. Carlos Eleta Almaran - Historia de un Amor (1950s)
42. Gerardo Matos Rodríguez - La Cumparsita (1916)
43. Erik Satie - Gnossienne No.1 (1887)
44. Johann Strauss Sr. - Radetzky March (1848)
45. George Frideric Handel - Sarabande (1600s)
46. Louis Guglielmi - La Vie En Rose (1946)
47. Edward Elgar - Salut d'Amour (1888)
48. Alexander Borodin - Polovtsian Dances (1890)
49. Gioachino Rossini - The Barber of Seville (1816)
50. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)


 
Honorable Mention

A. R. Rahman - Mumbai Theme (1995) 
Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude (1723)
Karl Jenkins - Palladio (1996)
Klaus Badelt, Hans Zimmer - Pirates of the Caribbean, He's a Pirate (2003)
Gabriel Fauré - Pavane (1887)
The Lonely Shepherd, Folk Song (1800s)
Farid Al Atrash - Noura Ya Noura (1960s)
Dmitri Shostakovich -  Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2, Waltz (1938)
Vangelis - Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Alex North - Unchained Melody (1955)
Sakura Sakura, Japanese Folk Song (1800s)