[Violin] A curated selection of beloved classic masterpieces and popular pieces that continue to be cherished across eras
The violin, an instrument beloved since the Baroque era—the very roots of classical music.
At times graceful, at times passionately expressive, the violin’s richly nuanced tone continues to soothe our hearts.
In this article, we introduce classical masterpieces that let you fully enjoy the charm of the violin, adored both as a solo instrument and as the star of orchestras and ensembles.
We’ll also share tidbits about the historical context of their composition and the composers themselves, so even newcomers to classical music can enjoy with ease!
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[Violin] Carefully selected timeless and beloved classics and popular pieces (71–80)
After the DreamGabriel Fauré
This piece was originally the first song in Fauré’s song cycle “Three Songs.” The lyrics are a French translation by the poet Romain Bussine of a poem long passed down in Italy’s Tuscany region.
In the poem, a beautiful woman encountered in a dream and a fantastical world are depicted, and the sorrowful cry of the protagonist, awakened from the dream and left in reality, resounds.
That heartrending cry is expressed through the cello’s deep, warm tone.
Violin Partita No. 3 for Solo ViolinJ.S.Bach
Let me introduce one more piece by the same Bach as above.
Partita No.
3 is a path every violinist goes down at least once.
Compared to the Chaconne, its melodies are more approachable, yet it’s a piece packed with violinistic virtuosity.
Habanera Opening No. 83: AllegroCamille Saint-Saëns
It is said that when Saint-Saëns set out on a concert tour with the violinist Albertini in 1885, he conceived this work in front of a brightly blazing fireplace at a hotel in Brest, where they were rained in during early winter.
After completing it, he dedicated the piece to Albertini as a memento of the trip.
Listeners can enjoy a folk-like melody in the habanera rhythm alongside virtuosic passages.
If aren’t necessary soGeorge Gershwin
This piece is from the three-act, nine-scene opera Porgy and Bess, composed in 1935—two years before the death of American composer George Gershwin.
A pioneering work that paved the way for the modern musical, it portrays the lives of poor African Americans living in a Southern town in the early 1920s.
Please enjoy the distinctive rhythms characteristic of jazz and Black music.
Violin Sonata No. 5 “Spring”Ludwig van Beethoven
Next, let me introduce a famous violin masterpiece by the “Saint of Music,” Beethoven.
Even those not very familiar with classical music may have heard this violin sonata somewhere at least once.
It remains beloved today and is performed as one of the greatest masterpieces for violin.
Melancholy SerenadePyotr Tchaikovsky
One of Tchaikovsky’s few short pieces for violin.
The wistful, lingering rhythm recurs throughout the piece, giving the impression that it was composed on the basis of Russian folk songs.
It is most often performed with piano accompaniment, but in an orchestral arrangement it feels as if the scenery unfolds before your eyes.
Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K. 304Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Among Mozart’s violin sonatas, this is one that is performed fairly often.
It was composed while Mozart was traveling with his mother in Mannheim, so its structure reflects a relatively early style.
At that time, the violin-centered sonata had not yet been fully established; it tended to be more piano-centered, so it can also be regarded as a piano solo piece.