[Masterpiece Classics] A special showcase of gem-like masterpieces so beautiful they’ll move you to tears
Masterpieces of classical music are played on TV, in movies, and in shopping malls, permeating our daily lives as background music.
There are many times when a piece that mysteriously brings you to tears turns out to be a work of classical music.
This time, from among such classical works, we’ve carefully selected timeless masterpieces under the theme “so heartbreakingly beautiful they’ll make you cry.”
Please enjoy to your heart’s content the profound sonorities unique to classical music, which combines both delicacy and boldness.
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[Masterpiece Classics] A Showcase of Exquisitely Beautiful Gems That Will Move You to Tears (41–50)
ChaconneTomaso Antonio Vitali
A violin piece that is sweetly melancholic yet accompanied by brilliance.
It came to light in the 19th century, nearly a century after Vitali’s time.
When the violinist David arranged and published the previously unknown Chaconne in G minor, the piece became widely known.
However, because the score he used for the arrangement was not written directly by Vitali, there is also a controversial theory that it may be a forgery.
Memories of the AlhambraFrancisco Tárrega
This is a masterpiece for classical guitar by Francisco Tárrega, who was active in 19th-century Spain.
Characterized by delicate, beautiful tones that seem to depict the flow of water or the whisper of the wind, it makes full use of tremolo technique.
Composed based on memories from a visit to the Alhambra, the piece condenses Spain’s history, culture, and magnificent architectural beauty.
Though it presents a formidable technical challenge—an ultimate test for guitarists—it remains a work of profound allure that resonates deeply with listeners.
From “Fantasy Miniatures,” No. 1: ElegySergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninoff, the world-renowned composer and pianist born in Russia, wrote many works whose melodies are not only beautiful but steeped in sorrow.
There are countless Rachmaninoff pieces suitable for introduction in this article, but the one featured here is the first piece, “Élégie,” from his 1892 solo piano set Morceaux de fantaisie.
While the second piece, “Prelude,” may be more famous, the beauty and poignancy of the melody in “Élégie” are equally remarkable.
Centered on left-hand arpeggiated figures, the music unfolds with a flowing, melancholic grace that is truly gorgeous.
To think that Rachmaninoff completed such a work at the young age of 19—his talent can only be described as astonishing.
From ‘The Seasons’: ‘October – Autumn Song’Pyotr Tchaikovsky
“The Seasons” is a set of twelve piano pieces composed with Russian seasonal scenes as their themes.
It originally began as a project in a music magazine, which each month featured a poem by a Russian poet expressing the mood of the season, alongside a piano piece by Tchaikovsky musically depicting the character of that poem.
The poem published with the piece “October” conveys the melancholy and poignancy of autumn—the falling leaves and the fading colors disappearing from the garden.
Liebesträume No. 3Franz Liszt
The third piece of Liszt’s piano collection Liebesträume is very famous, known for its memorable, romantic, and beautiful main theme that’s often heard at weddings.
Did you know, however, that Liebesträume is not only a set of three pieces, but was originally composed as songs? Around 1845, Liszt wrote them as lieder for soprano solo, and the work also bore the title “O lieb, solang du lieben kannst” (“O love, as long as you can”).
A few years later, in 1850, Liszt himself arranged them as solo piano pieces, giving rise to the Liebesträume we commonly hear today.
The song “O lieb, solang du lieben kannst,” set to a poem by the German poet Ferdinand Freiligrath, has a unique vocal beauty of its own, so I recommend listening to it alongside the piano version.
Fantaisie-ImpromptuFrederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin, a representative composer of early Romantic music in Poland.
Among his works, the Fantaisie-Impromptu is especially popular.
Although it has been loved for many years, it was actually published posthumously, and there is a theory that he did not publish it because it resembles Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
Indeed, when you listen to it, you can sense a similar atmosphere to the Moonlight Sonata, but the melody is crafted to convey beauty within its pathos.
It’s an expression only Chopin could achieve, so if you love the Romantic era, be sure to check it out.
SicilianaGabriel Urbain Fauré
A chamber work by the French composer Fauré, later repurposed as No.
5 of the incidental music for the play Pelléas et Mélisande.
A “sicilienne” is a 17th–18th century dance originating in Sicily, typically in a gentle 6/8 or 12/8 meter.
Although Fauré originally wrote the piece for cello and piano, it is now performed on various instruments such as flute and trumpet.
It is characterized by a beautiful melody tinged with wistfulness, and despite its simplicity, it possesses remarkable depth.
Oboe Concerto in D minor, 2nd movement: Adagio — Love of VeniceAlessandro Marcello
Alessandro Marcello, a prodigy who was extraordinarily active from the 1700s to the 1740s.
While there are many musical geniuses, he also left numerous achievements as a mathematician and philosopher, and on top of that, he possessed an astonishing musical talent—a genius blessed with not just two but three gifts from heaven.
His Oboe Concerto in D minor, Second Movement: Adagio, “Venice’s Love,” is one of his signature works, crafted with a structure that lets a poignant sadness drift within its beauty.
Pay attention to the melody that conveys a glimpse of the Baroque music in which he excelled.
Cantabile in B-flat majorFrederic Chopin
Frederic Chopin’s work, whose wistful melody tightens the chest, is a gem of a miniature composed in 1834 and published posthumously.
True to its title, which means “to sing,” it combines a beautiful melody with a vocal, cantabile character.
Although it is not performed very frequently in concerts, its quiet, intimate melody in B-flat major leaves a deep impression on listeners.
Why not listen to it when you want to linger in a bittersweet mood or gently process your sadness?
Impromptu No. 15 “Hommage à Édith Piaf”Francis Poulenc
Poulenc, one of the composers known as “Les Six” who were active in the 20th century.
As the title suggests, this piece is an homage to Édith Piaf.
Its circling melody sounds sweet yet wistful, while the lowest voice crafts a shadowed duet with the tune.
Partway through, the music shifts to C major and seems as if it might brighten, but in the end it returns to C minor—expressing a melancholic wavering of the heart.