Classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music.
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.
- [Orchestra] Introducing famous and popular pieces
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- Mozart: An Introduction to His Signature and Popular Works
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- Debussy’s masterpiece. Popular classical music.
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- Brahms's masterpieces. Popular classical music.
- Classical music by Japanese composers. Recommended classical music.
- [Violin] A curated selection of beloved classic masterpieces and popular pieces that continue to be cherished across eras
- [Masterpiece Classics] A special showcase of gem-like masterpieces so beautiful they’ll move you to tears
- A poignant classic masterpiece. Recommended classical music.
- [François Couperin] Introducing famous and popular pieces by the composer who loved the harpsichord
- Classic masterpieces recommended for women
Classical masterpieces. Recommended classical music (61–70)
Carmina BuranaCarl Orff
Anyway, although only the opening “O Fortuna” is oddly famous, this piece is a secular cantata based on a collection of poems discovered in Germany in the 19th century, and in fact it consists of 25 numbers and takes about an hour to perform.
Among them are songs about taverns, too.
Classical Masterpieces: Recommended Classical Music (71–80)
The Sinking TempleClaude Debussy
It was inspired by the legend of the city of Ys in Brittany, which sank beneath the sea.
Using harmonies alone, it depicts the scene of a majestic cathedral, accompanied by bells and chant, rising from the ocean and then sinking back out of sight.
In any case, the harmonies are striking, and it is a beautiful piece.
Morning (from the Peer Gynt Suite)Edvard Hagerup Grieg
“Morning” from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite.
It was composed for Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt.
The refreshingly bright melody at the beginning is so famous that, true to its title, it’s invariably chosen for classical playlists to listen to in the morning.
It’s almost the kind of piece that could lull you to sleep.
Although the piece depicts a morning in the Sahara Desert, it’s said that Grieg had never actually seen it, which is why the melody turned out as it did.
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1Edward William Elgar
Elgar’s March “Pomp and Circumstance” No.
1 is commonly known in Japan simply as “Pomp and Circumstance,” though there seems to be some debate about the naming.
Be that as it may, it’s frequently performed at various ceremonies and events, and is one of the hallmark works that has made the British composer Edward Elgar widely known.
In the UK, this melody is chiefly known as “Land of Hope and Glory.” The piece is so beloved that it is often called “Britain’s second national anthem” and a “British patriotic song.”
Gymnopédie No. 1Erik Satie
Gymnopédies takes its name from Gymnopaedia, an ancient Greek festival honoring the gods.
It is said that the festival was so raucous with drink and excitement that many people even died in the frenzy.
Satie, however, drew his musical inspiration from a serene ancient vase depicting the festival, which is why the piece flows slowly and quietly throughout.
Marked “Lent et douloureux” (“slow and dolorous”), the work embodies Satie’s characteristic sensibility—part humor, part irony—making it a uniquely captivating piece.
Wedding March from the opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”Felix Mendelssohn
A super famous song that needs no introduction—the wedding march.
It’s the piece that plays when the doors swing open and the bride and groom enter the venue, so there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know it.
It was originally a piano duet, but it has been arranged for orchestra.
Mendelssohn is said to have been 17 when he composed it.
It’s based on Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Grand Etude after Paganini “La Campanella”Franz Liszt
An étude by Liszt, known as the “magician of the piano.” Its difficulty makes you want to say, “Huh? An étude?” Liszt composed many works of transcendental virtuosity, but this piece is an arrangement for piano of Paganini’s violin music.
Paganini, the prodigy so technically brilliant he was said to have “sold his soul to the devil,” and Liszt, the magician—it’s no wonder this turns into a parade of transcendental technique.
