RAG Music - Classic The classic masterpiece... in classical music
Classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music. favorite_border Last updated:2026/1/26
Classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music. Former vocal coach specializing in Western music Ryo With the motto “Learn the basics and enjoy putting them into practice,” I worked as a vocal coach specializing in Western music. As a teen, I questioned the idea that “Western music equals English,” and started listening to songs from around the world. Today, I devour music from over 80 countries and run a personal blog introducing tracks. I often listen to genres like nuevo flamenco, bolero, canzone, and R&B. I’ll keep updating articles daily to find the one perfect song you’re looking for!
Piano-playing singer-songwriter / Executive Committee Member, Special Music Festival in Rinku Osaka Housui Sachiyo I learned to hit the keys on a toy piano, started Electone lessons at six, and began piano at ten. I loved the piano so much that I declared, “I want to go to a music college!” and from junior high I studied vocal music, ear training, and music theory (though I never even took the entrance exam in the end). In my childhood, my saxophone-playing father introduced me to jazz, and my mother to rockabilly. I was utterly obsessed with classical music in junior high. In high school, my grandmother took me to hear live tango performances, and before I knew it I’d become an eclectic listener. Lately, influenced by my high-school-aged daughter, I’ve been listening to koto music and nagauta. I hold the rather rare qualification of ‘Music Proficiency Test Level 3, Western Music track.’
Classical music created by various musicians over a long history.
From pieces whose beautiful melodies bring peace of mind to those whose grandeur overwhelms you, the range is truly diverse.
With so much out there, many people may feel, “I want to listen, but I don’t know where to start.”
For you, we’ve picked out some recommendations to get you started—“Begin with these!”
Please take a moment to enjoy the world of classical music that continues to be loved across the ages.
Table of Contents Classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music. Siegfried Idyll Richard Wagner Air on the G String J.S.Bach Dance of Death Franz Liszt “Ride of the Valkyries” from the opera “Die Walküre” Richard Wagner Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque Claude Debussy Symphony No. 9 “Choral” Ludwig van Beethoven Scene from the ballet music Swan Lake Pyotr Tchaikovsky “Winter” from The Four Seasons, a violin concerto Antonio Lucio Vivaldi Etude No. 3 “Farewell” Frederic Chopin Nessun dorma from the opera Turandot Giacomo Puccini Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 “Fate” Ludwig van Beethoven Play of Water Maurice Ravel From Eight Concert Etudes: 3. Toccatina Nikolai Kapustin Bolero Maurice Ravel A Little Night Music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ‘Jupiter’ from the suite ‘The Planets’ Gustav Holst Piano Concerto No. 2 Sergei Rachmaninov Unaccompanied Partita “Chaconne” J.S.Bach Ballade No. 1 in G minor Frederic Chopin March from The Love for Three Oranges Sergei Prokofiev Canon Johann Pachelbel Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphonic Poem “La Mer”: Three Symphonic Sketches — III. Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea Claude Debussy Triumphal March from the opera Aida Giuseppe Verdi Fugue in D minor J.S.Bach String Serenade Pyotr Tchaikovsky The Carnival of the Animals, No. 13: The Swan Camille Saint-Saëns The Carnival of the Animals, No. 14: Finale Camille Saint-Saëns Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor Alexander Borodin Radetzky March Johann Strauss I Overture to the opera ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In the Forest Albert Ketèlbey Seaside at Dusk, H.128: No. 3 “The Stormy Seashore” Bohuslav Martinů dream Claude Debussy Suite ‘Mirrors’: A Boat on the Ocean Claude Debussy Quiet lagoon Eric Coates Water Music: Hornpipe Georg Friedrich Händel Water Music, Suite No. 2 – II. Alla Hornpipe Georg Friedrich Händel Summer Morning Heino Kasuki At the seaside at night Heino Kasuki Symphony No. 5 “Revolution,” Fourth Movement Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D 960 — Movement III: Allegro vivace con delicatezza Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 114, D. 667 “Trout” — IV. Theme and Variations: Andantino Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral,” from the 4th movement: “Ode to Joy” Ludwig van Beethoven Nocturne No. 2 Frederic Chopin Waltz of the Flowers Pyotr Tchaikovsky Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 J.S.Bach Water Music Henderu Aesop’s Feast, Opus 39-12 Charles Valentin Alkan Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178 Franz Liszt English Country Tunes Michael Finnissy 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: Prelude Nikolay Kapustin 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 3: Toccatina Nikolay Kapustin 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 5: Scherzo Nikolay Kapustin Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 8: Finale Nikolay Kapustin The Flight of the Bumblebee Rimsky-Korsakov-Cziffra La Campanella Franz Liszt Spring from The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi Hymn No. 320: “Nearer, My God, to Thee” Eliza Flower) String Quartet No. 1, Second Movement: Andante cantabile Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, Movement III Sergei Rachmaninov Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from the opera Lohengrin Wilhelm Wagner Ave verum corpus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Etude Op. 10 No. 3 “Farewell” Frederic Chopin Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” Second Movement Antonín Dvořák Sword Dance Aram Khachaturian Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 114, D 667 “Trout” — III. Scherzo: Presto Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 2, Movement 1 Alexander Borodin Pavane for a Newborn Princess Charles-Henry Like a melody Johannes Brahms Suite bergamasque, No. 3: Clair de Lune Claude Debussy Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra André Jolivet No. 153 from Mikrokosmos: Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm Bartók Béla Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Camille Saint-Saëns The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals Camille Saint-Saëns Carmina Burana Carl Orff The Sinking Temple Claude Debussy Morning (from the Peer Gynt Suite) Edvard Hagerup Grieg Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 Edward William Elgar Gymnopédie No. 1 Erik Satie Wedding March from the opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Felix Mendelssohn Grand Etude after Paganini “La Campanella” Franz Liszt Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor, “Mazeppa” Franz Liszt The Art Song “Erlkönig” Franz Schubert Military March Franz Schubert Overture from the operetta ‘Light Cavalry’ Franz von Suppé Etude Op. 10, No. 12 “Revolutionary Etude” Frederic Chopin Hallelujah from the oratorio Messiah George Frideric Handel O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi Giacomo Puccini Overture from the opera “La gazza ladra” (The Thieving Magpie) Gioachino Rossini Dies Irae from Requiem Giuseppe Verdi ‘Brindisi’ (Drinking Song) from the opera La Traviata Giuseppe Verdi Swan of Tuonela Jean Sibelius Toccata and Fugue in D minor J.S.Bach Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring J.S.Bach Hungarian Dance No. 5 Johannes Brahms Theme and Variations (from String Sextet No. 1) Johannes Brahms Unaccompanied Cello Sonata Kodály Zoltán ...to be continued play_arrow Play in playlistClassical masterpieces. Recommended classical music (1–10) Siegfried IdyllNEW! Richard Wagner Recommended for when you want to be wrapped in a calm, intimate atmosphere.
This piece was composed by Richard Wagner, known as the “King of Music Drama.” It was performed in December 1870 as a birthday gift for his wife, Cosima, and is accompanied by a heartwarming story: it was played on the staircase of their home solely for his family.
While Wagner is often associated with grand, monumental operas, this work is characterized by the delicate and gentle timbre of a small orchestra.
It is also cherished as a classic of the Christmas season, and its pastoral melodies—evoking birdsong and the light of morning—can bring a pleasant sense of focus without interrupting your work as background music.
A perfect classical number for those who want to study or work quietly.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
Air on the G String J.S.Bach Bach’s “Air on the G String” is the popular name for an arrangement of the second movement of the Orchestral Suite No.
3 in D major, BWV 1068, made by violinist August Wilhelmj for solo violin with piano accompaniment.
The piece is transposed from D major to C major, which allows it to be played entirely on the violin’s lowest string—the G string—hence the title.
It is also called heavenly music and is known for its sweet, lyrical melody; it’s frequently used in films and on television.
Don’t you think it really sounds like music that might be playing in heaven?
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
Dance of Death Franz Liszt This is Franz Liszt’s piano solo arrangement of Danse macabre, a symphonic poem by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
The symphonic poem originated from a song composed by Saint-Saëns based on a poem by the French poet Henri Cazalis, which he later orchestrated into the work known today.
Danse macabre depicts people and the Grim Reaper dancing wildly around graves in the face of death’s terror, and the image of the Reaper and skeletons rattling their bones and dancing frenetically past midnight atop the graves is brilliantly rendered even on the piano.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
“Ride of the Valkyries” from the opera “Die Walküre” Richard Wagner You often hear this piece on variety shows and the like.
It is the overture to Act III of Wagner’s music drama Die Walküre, composed in 1856.
“Valkyries” refers to multiple demi-goddesses from Norse mythology; in Japanese they’re sometimes called war goddesses.
This piece serves as the prelude to the scene where the Valkyries, mounted on winged horses and armed with shields and spears, race across the sky to carry the souls of fallen soldiers back to a rocky mountaintop.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque Claude Debussy From the title “Clair de Lune,” one might imagine an otherworldly moonlit night.
However, what Debussy sought to portray was not merely a scene of moonlight.
The piece draws inspiration from “Clair de Lune,” a poem in French poet Verlaine’s collection Fêtes galantes.
In this poem, an ambiguous world is depicted, where opposing elements—joy and sorrow—are intricately intertwined.
Captivated by the poem, Debussy depicted this ambiguous world of “moonlight” without using words.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
Symphony No. 9 “Choral” Ludwig van Beethoven Beethoven’s immensely famous Symphony No.
9 in D minor, Op.
125 “Choral,” is a monumental masterpiece that not only encompasses a comprehensive synthesis of music prior to the Classical era, but also served as a signpost for the coming age of Romantic music.
The fourth movement is performed with soloists and chorus, and is well known as the “Ode to Joy.” Although the original lyrics are in German, they have been translated into virtually every language around the world.
Beethoven had been nurturing the concept since he was 22, making it something of a lifelong work; its impact on not only the music world but also on culture and the arts is immeasurable.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
Scene from the ballet music Swan Lake Pyotr Tchaikovsky This is ‘Scene’ from Swan Lake, the ballet music composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
As a popular composer known for his melancholic melodies and lavish orchestration, Tchaikovsky seems to move listeners’ emotions directly.
Because it is frequently performed in classical concerts, it also puts conductors’ abilities to the test.
Along with The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, it is regarded as one of the three great ballets.
expand_less Raise the rankingexpand_more lower
