If you enter only the first characters of the title into any search engine, you will receive more than three million links to this famous composition. And this is quite understandable. This work, also known as Bagatelle in A Minor, is probably one of the most recognizable tunes today, even if the listener does not know its title or the name of the composer. The work was written in 1810, when Beethoven was already practically deaf. The title “Für Elise” still holds a mystery. So it is still not known exactly to whom this composition is dedicated. Some believe that this is actually just the name "Teresa" illegibly written in the composer's drafts, namely Teresa Malfatti, the woman Beethoven wanted to marry but was refused. According to other sources, this could be Elisabeth Röckel's nickname, opera singer and close friend of Beethoven. One way or another, the composition “Fur Elise” excites the hearts of many, regardless of who the composer dedicated it to.

"Turkish Rondo", Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Rather better known as the "Turkish March", this work is an integral part of Mozart's unrivaled repertoire.

It was written in 1783 and is not actually a separate work, but only the third and last movement of Sonata No. 11. The reason why the work was named this way is because of its consonance with the Turkish Janissary orchestra. Like any military march music, “Turkish Rondo” is characterized by a powerful drum sound. It was quite popular not only in the 17th century, but in modern Turkey.

"Ave Maria", Franz Schubert

In fact, the 28-year-old Schubert did not intend to compose such a deeply reverent religious composition commissioned by the Church. The well-known Latin prayer “Ave Maria” inspired an unknown musician to set its text to Schubert’s music many years after the music itself appeared. Franz Schubert originally wrote music for an excerpt from Walter Scott's poem "The Virgin of the Lake". It was called "Ellen's Third Song" and depicted the heroine of the poem praying to the Virgin Mary for help. The success of the musical passage was so great that the composer himself could not recover from amazement and overwhelming emotions. Unfortunately, he had only three years left to enjoy success - Schubert died at the age of 31.

"Moonlight Sonata", Ludwig van Beethoven

In the sunny Hungarian summer of 1801, another work by Beethoven was born, which was to become famous throughout the world. Today the name “Moonlight Sonata” is probably familiar to almost everyone, young and old. Initially, the composition was called “Almost a Fantasy” or simply “Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor” and was dedicated to the composer’s young student, Countess Juliet Guacardi, with whom he was deeply in love at that time. Unfortunately, their wedding did not take place due to the disagreement of the countess's parents. Still, that doesn't explain the name of the composition, does it. The “moon” featured in the title was once seen by the poet Ludwig Relstab over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Over time, the name became attached to the melody and in this form has survived to this day. As was the case with many composers of the time, the sonata was published only after Beethoven's death.

"Moonlight" from the Bergamasco Suite, Claude Debussy

Poetry connoisseurs will first of all recognize in the title of this work the poem of the same name by Paul Verlaine. So it is, because this work is the result of the inspiration of a brilliant composer with the lines of a poem by a French poet. The literal translation from French – “moonlight” – speaks of the extraordinary softness and touchingness of the melody. This is a perfect example of how music should influence the soul rather than the mind, which is the essence of the avant-garde idea that influenced Debussy's style at that time. The work “Moonlight” (also called “Sentimental Walk”) has become so popular that the number of films in which it appears has reached 120, including the films “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Twilight”.

"Fantasy-impromptu", Frederic Chopin

As you have probably noticed, almost every great work was originally dedicated to someone or something. This 'fantasy' is no exception. The genius of romantic music, Frederic Chopin, decided to dedicate his composition to his close friend Julian Fontana. And it was in the hands of Fontana that the fate of the work passed after Chopin’s death. Julian published the work in 1855, disobeying the instructions of a friend who was categorically against any publication of the Fantasia. There was a special reason for Chopin’s reluctance to publicize his work. Some time after composing the Fantasia, Chopin analyzed it and realized that the melody was very reminiscent of both Moscheles' Impromptu and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. And being accused of plagiarism would be one of the worst career consequences for a 24-year-old composer of this caliber.

"Wedding March", Felix Mendelssohn

No wedding march ever written has been performed for 150 years in a row at virtually every wedding ceremony, including royal ones. Undoubtedly, Mendelssohn thus left his mark on history. The first bride to walk down the aisle to the sounds of this march was none other than Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Victoria Adelaide Marie Louise. In 1858, she said yes to Frederick William IV, King of Prussia. However, young Mendelssohn did not set such a goal for himself when composing the work - he simply admired Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and intended to write music for it at the age of 17. In addition to its “wedding popularity,” this work is also considered a masterpiece classical music.

"Of the pleasures of life, music is second only to love; But love is also a melody". A.S. Pushkin "The Stone Guest"

Classical music

Classical music- This....? No, you are not reading a music history textbook. Everyone here knows what it is, otherwise you wouldn’t have come to this section with the opportunity to download classical music to your computer or listen to classical music online for free directly on the website.

Stereotypes about classical music

When the words “classical works” are mentioned, each of us will imagine our own images. For some, beautiful classical music is certainly associated with Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” and the opening chords of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. For others, it’s Paganini’s caprices or Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Arias and romances, operas and operettas, symphonies, quartets, and this is not a complete list of the genres that come to mind when we talk about classics.

However, the majority of listeners participating in surveys to determine their favorite type of music prefer other genres. Only a small percentage of respondents will give an answer in favor of classical music. Based on this, there is a common opinion that this music is “elite” - high music, that it is accessible to a few, or even that it is music for highbrow intellectuals and snobs.

What is this opinion based on? On what facts? Or is this rather a consequence of the emotional reaction of people who did not delve into the essence of the matter, but simply accepted the opinions of others as a given? Acceptance of stereotypes leads to rejection and reluctance to become more closely acquainted with this broad and important, perhaps the most important of all musical movements. All this is reminiscent of an episode that happened in a restaurant, when a guest, not having had time to fully taste the ordered dish, already calls the chef to express his complaints to him.

Until the moment we truly recognize the essence of a thing, we have already formed our own opinion regarding it or we have borrowed it. Why do people use stereotypes that lead to such widespread beliefs that classical music cannot be understood without special education, or that it is boring and that it would be better to listen to something easy and not waste time trying to understand the real possibilities of classical music, what a rich can she offer a choice to everyone, for every taste and for every mood?

Classical music as a basis for other styles and directions

In order to understand the essence, you just need to open up to the music, discarding preliminary conclusions made about it, clear your mind of previously perceived ideas, the roots of which you can no longer find, and hear what is. Classical music has a lot to offer, because over the centuries its rich repertoire has been formed, consisting of instrumental and vocal works, solo and ensemble music, from a variety of styles and genres, complemented by the technical and stylistic individuality of various composers.

It was she who laid the foundation for the development of modern music, from which such trends as minimalism, popular music and even electronic and many others grew. Yes, but how could it be otherwise? It couldn't have been any other way. We just have to trace the historical chain of development of music, and then all of the above becomes obvious.

As long as classical music has existed, it has been honing its means and stylistic devices. It would be surprising if other musical movements, newer ones that appeared much later, did not take advantage of the arsenal of means that the classics have at their disposal. She, like a kind parent, gives everything she has so that the younger generation can take advantage of the fruits and create something new and unique from them.

Listen to classical music online

Listen to classical music for the soul

Why think that to listen to classics you need to try to understand something, make some effort? They are not needed at all! Music itself will reveal itself to you through sounds, images and states. She is just waiting for this, she wants to be heard. The section of the site contains a collection of classical music with its best examples, from baroque compositions by Vivaldi and Bach to concerts by Beethoven, as well as works by romantic and impressionist composers.

In this selection, calm classical music is represented by compositions written in different eras and marked by stylistic diversity: the philosophical music of Brahms and Beethoven side by side with the pure serenity of Mozart’s piano concertos or the pleasantly relaxing melancholicity of Chopin’s nocturnes, the nostalgic-spatial Rachmaninoff opuses will remind those living in distant lands of their native spaces, and the impressionistically shaky play of colors in Debussy’s music will open up to you in "Moonlight" and the piano prelude "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair".

Schumann's miniature, 3-minute masterpiece "Träumerei" will open the door to the Universe of dreams and classical music, which you can listen to again and again, surrendering to your dreams and letting the music gently, like a fluffy cloud, envelop your consciousness. Fairy-enchantress, never before has classical music online been presented with the best examples of compositions from various historical eras, chosen by the delicate taste of a connoisseur, helping to create a mood and thereby have a beneficial effect on your psyche.

Concertos for soloists and orchestra

Each part of this list is accompanied by a playlist with all the works mentioned in it

Johann Sebastian Bach

Brandenburg concerts

A simultaneously large-scale and compact cycle of six chapters ranging from ten to twenty minutes in length. Six completely different concerts, united by Bach's pure joy of life, each of which became the first of its kind: for example, the Fifth Brandenburg - the first ever concert for clavier and orchestra.

Alban Berg

"In Memory of an Angel"

If the opera Wozzeck is one of the highest achievements of the new Viennese school in the field of musical drama, then the Violin Concerto is a masterpiece of lyrical expression. It will not leave you indifferent, although there are no memorable melodies; but the finale of the concert is based on a quote from Bach, organically woven into the fabric of the work.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Concerto for violin and orchestra

Forget everything you've heard about the heaviness of Beethoven's symphonies - this concert seems to speak to you personally, and there is not a penny in it. If you get bored in the middle, you will be rewarded in the finale: it will give you such a beautiful and sad melody that you can hardly restrain yourself from grateful tears. One of the greatest violin concertos in the world.

Johannes Brahms

Concerto for violin and cello and orchestra

If there are not as many concertos for cello and orchestra created as for violin or piano, then there are even fewer concertos for violin and cello, and the more valuable each one is. The brightest among them is Brahms' Double Concerto, which incorporates the best features of his symphonic and chamber works. Full of the most beautiful melodies and, despite all the outward restraint, unusually emotional.

Antonio Vivaldi

"Seasons"

One of the most popular works of classical music, an absolute hit, known to everyone. Four seasons - four violin concertos, each better than the other.

George Gershwin

Rhapsody in Blues

The first successful attempt to cross classical and jazz, which gave rise to more than one new direction and yet remained unique.

Antonin Dvorak

Concerto for cello and orchestra

One of the first large-scale works with cello in leading role, where the harmony and sophistication of the composition are combined with the incredible accessibility of melodies that fall on the ear without any effort.

Felix Mendelssohn

Concerto for violin and orchestra in E minor

Everyone knows the wedding march from A Midsummer Night's Dream, although it is by no means Mendelssohn's main composition. He owns excellent Italian and Scottish symphonies, beautiful trios, quartets and oratorios, as well as the Violin Concerto: no less important than Beethoven’s, but much more intelligible.

Sergei Rachmaninov

Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 3

The music of Rachmaninoff and Mahler do not have much in common, but it was Mahler who conducted one of the first performances of the concerto. Although the Third Concerto initially remained in the shadow of the famous Second, it also ranks among the highest achievements of the genre and is one of the most serious tests for participants in piano competitions. And its main theme is one of the best melodies in all musical literature.

Jean Sibelius

Concerto for violin and orchestra

TO end of the 19th century century, the primacy of the Austro-German tradition in music was called into question: one after another, new national schools declared themselves - Hungarian, Czech, Polish. The founder of another, Finnish, one of the most advanced in the world today, was Sibelius, whose concert is unlike any other and yet hits the heart.

Opera: from Monteverdi to Bizet and masterpieces of the 20th century

Georges Bizet

"Carmen"

It's hard to believe that the premiere of Carmen was not a success: the hits here follow one another with such density that no other great opera can boast of. Overture, habanera, Toreador couplets, seguidilla, "Gypsy Dance" - just to name a few. One can only envy those who have not heard them yet.

Richard Wagner

"Tannhäuser"

You probably shuddered as a child at the sounds of “Ride of the Valkyries” and heard a lot of unpleasant things about Wagner. Try to make up about his music own opinion; If Wagner's operas are too long for you, the orchestral fragments will suffice as a starting point. The incredibly beautiful overture from the opera “Tannhäuser” is a valuable masterpiece in its own right, which you will surely enjoy, regardless of your sympathy for the socio-political views of the author.

Giuseppe Verdi

"La Traviata"

“Don Giovanni”, “Carmen” and “La Traviata” are one of the three best operas in the world. The charm of La Traviata is impossible to resist, even if you are indifferent to Italian opera: the music is so delightful - bright and at the same time permeated with a foreboding of disaster. Famous story love that is born and dies before our eyes.

Claudio Monteverdi

"Orpheus"

It makes no sense to place any of Monteverdi’s three operas on any list of the best operas: this Italian genius, who actually founded opera as a genre, is so original. Start with “Orpheus,” especially since the toccata that opens it sounds from everywhere and is probably familiar to you: you won’t be able to tear yourself away.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

"Don Juan"

Opera of operas, the main one for all times and peoples. No other great opera has maintained such a balance between the tragic and the comic, the high and the low, the will to life and the inevitability of death. As Svyatoslav Richter said, “Così fan tutte” is a greater mysticism than “Don Juan”. There, it’s all the statue’s fault that it came to life... But here it’s the woman’s fault that she was born in the first place.”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“This is what all women do” (“Così fan tutte”)

The middle-aged cynic Don Alfonso undertakes to prove to two young men that the fidelity of their brides is a relative concept. The guys supposedly go to war, return in the guise of foreigners in love, and each courtes the other’s bride. The girls, not without pleasure, submit to their new fate and get married, but then the real suitors return. Two weddings decide to go ahead, although no one looks happy. The opera is about the fact that women are more mysterious and unpredictable than men.

Leos Janacek

"The Adventures of a Trickster Fox"

According to the writer Milan Kundera, Janáček accomplished a feat by opening up the world of prose to opera. Indeed, Janáček’s melodies are based on human speech in all the fullness of its psychological nuances. "The Adventures of a Trickster Fox" is the most lyric opera Czech composer, which tells about the coexistence of two worlds - the world of people and the world of animals - and calls for their rapprochement.

Alban Berg

"Wozzeck"

Music unlike anything you've heard before. On the second or third try, you will discover that the language of this opera about a mad soldier is not so strange: the composer simply does not compose melodies, but bases the music on the natural intonations of human speech. The difference with Janacek, according to Kundera, is obvious: “ German Expressionism characterized by a preferential attitude towards excess mental states, delirium, madness. Janacek’s expressionism is a rich fan of emotions, a close opposition of tenderness and rudeness, rage and calm.”

Kurt Weill

"The Threepenny Opera"

The composition, which formally belongs to the classics of the 20th century, was sold out into hits, covered dozens of times, starting with the brilliant “Macky Knife” - one of the melodic symbols of the century. Although Weill is a major innovator in the field of academic music, no composer of his generation has received such attention from pop and rock performers.

Igor Stravinsky

"Oedipus the King"

The dissimilar “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring” still do not seem to be the works of two different authors, while in the opera-oratorio “Oedipus Rex” you certainly will not recognize the creator of “Petrushka”. It is no coincidence that Stravinsky was called a chameleon and a man of 1001 styles. In "Oedipus" they sing in Latin, and the music - perhaps Stravinsky's most beautiful - goes back to the late Baroque: no Russian archaism, no pancakes.

Dmitry Shostakovich

"Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk"

The main themes of one of the key operas of the twentieth century were sex and violence; that is why, shortly after its triumphant premiere in 1934, it was officially banned by Stalin himself in 1936. Pay special attention to the dancing of the guests in the third act and the singing of the convicts in the fourth - once you hear it, it is no longer possible to forget it.

Richard Strauss

"Electra"

The opera is based on the story of the death of King Agamemnon, who was killed by his wife and her lover. The king's daughter hates her mother and lives in hope of retribution. Driven by noble motives, the heroine feels like an instrument in the hand of God, and this obsession turns her into a monster. At the very first moment of such a gloomy story, the orchestra unleashes music so hopeless on the listeners that the hair stands on end. The opera, which runs for almost two hours without an intermission, is like a grandiose symphony that you cannot tear yourself away from.

Solo. Piano and violin

Charles Ives

"Sonata "Concord"

More than a sonata, a whole study on the topic: can music express anything beyond what it sounds? One of the most important piano works of the 20th century remained unfinished only because the author himself decided so: “The Sonata seems unfinished to me every time I play it. Perhaps I won’t deny myself the pleasure of not finishing it at all.” The sonata is imbued with Beethoven’s “theme of fate,” either restoring order in the midst of chaos or turning the narrative 180 degrees.

Johann Sebastian Bach

“The Well-Tempered Clavier” (HTK)

Probably the most perfect work in the history of music: two cycles of 24 preludes and fugues in all existing keys are like two colossal Gothic cathedrals, each more beautiful than the other. The first Prelude in C major can be played by almost anyone on the piano; however, the cycle gradually becomes more complex. And everything gets more interesting.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Sonatas and partitas for solo violin

Isn't it boring to listen to a lonely violin for a long time? Not at all - she can do much more than we can imagine. At the very least, Bach strives to fully embrace its possibilities. The pearl of the cycle is the famous chaconne, more piercing than which there is no music in the world.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano Sonata No. 14

Among Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, "Moonlight" may not be the best, but it is certainly the most famous; it was quoted by many - from Shostakovich to The Beatles. Few works in the world have outgrown their boundaries to such an extent, becoming a symbol of unrequited love.

Claude Debussy

Preludes

A condensed encyclopedia of the great composer's work, a bizarre combination of romanticism and impressionism, long traditions of piano music and paradoxes of the 20th century. The titles of each prelude are placed not at the beginning, but at the end of the notes, as if asking the listener riddles, checking whether he correctly grasped the mood of the piece, be it “Sails”, “Steps in the Snow”, “Mists” or “Fireworks”.

Olivier Messiaen

"Twenty Views of the Baby Jesus"

One of Messiaen’s main opuses, even in the year of his centenary, was more often played in fragments than in its entirety: this cycle requires too much dedication. The largest piano work of the era, with which only Shostakovich’s 24 preludes and fugues can be compared, is a creation atypical for the mid-twentieth century: where is the irony and reflection, where is the rigor and calculation? This is a grandiose prayer, two and a quarter hours of mostly major music with numerous repetitions.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Piano Sonata No. 11

The well-known Turkish Rondo is in fact not an independent piece, but the finale of one of Mozart’s sonatas, the other parts of which are no less delightful. Like, in fact, Mozart’s other piano sonatas, not to mention his “Fantasies”.

Modest Mussorgsky

"Pictures at an Exhibition"

This cycle is best known for its orchestration by Maurice Ravel, which is perceived today as a brilliant, but very pop hit. Listen to the original version of "Pictures", originally written for piano: you will be shocked by how unusual and not at all a hit music it is.

Niccolo Paganini

24 caprices for solo violin

A new word in discovering the possibilities of the violin and violinists, which has remained a test of virtuosity for the third century. The last, twenty-fourth caprice is better known than others - a short but brilliant theme, variations on which many great composers wrote.

Erik Satie

Gymnopedies and other works for piano

Although Satie is a composer of the 20th century, many of his works appeared in the previous century: in 1888, gymnopedies were written that anticipated the listening easy genre. Satie also had the idea of ​​music as an unobtrusive background - today there is nowhere to escape from it, but a hundred years ago it was new.

Frederic Chopin

24 preludes for piano

An encyclopedia of musical romanticism and at the same time a motley kaleidoscope of genres: elegy, mazurka, march, song without words and much more. The main means of expressiveness that attracts the listener's attention is the contrast of major and minor in each adjacent pair of preludes.

Robert Schumann

"Kreysleriana"

A cycle of fantasy plays, the name of which was given by the image of Johannes Kreisler, a mad conductor invented by Hoffmann, frightening those around him with his devotion to music. One of best essays Schumann, the most romantic composer who ever lived.

Masterpieces of vocal music

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantatas

In addition to the magnificent “Passion” and the Mass in B minor, Bach wrote over two hundred cantatas. Even more than this entire list, they deserve the words “ The best music in the world". You'll fill up a playlist for months to come if you decide to listen to them all one by one. Since it is impossible to single out the best from the best, we will note three: “Heaven rejoices, earth rejoices” (BWV 31) with a magnificent trumpet solo in the finale, “Who will believe and be baptized” (BWV 37) with the wonderful aria “Faith gives us wings for the soul” and the most famous is probably “I’ve had enough” (BWV 82).

Luciano Berio

Folk songs

A truly universal composition; Berio, the most prominent avant-garde artist of the second half of the twentieth century, processed a number of original songs from Europe and Asia, adding a couple of his own to them. A listener who is far from the avant-garde will be glad that avant-garde artists also have works that seem simple and understandable.

Benjamin Britten

War Requiem

Unusual composition: two orchestras with two conductors, two choirs, three soloists and an organ. A tenor, baritone and chamber orchestra are responsible for the “military” part of the requiem, which is based on the poems of a poet who died in the First World War. A symphony orchestra, choir and soprano perform the traditional parts of the requiem from "Requiem æternam" and "Dies irae" to "Agnus Dei" and "Libera me". An amazing result, unlike both the funeral masses of previous eras and the unconventional requiems of the twentieth century.

Antonio Vivaldi

Arias from operas

You should listen at least to know: “Seasons” is not the only one and, perhaps, not even best work Vivaldi. At the very least, a collection of his arias performed by Magdalena Kozena will make you forget about the evergreen hit for a while.

Valery Gavrilin

“Russian notebook. German notebooks"

The “Russian Notebook” reflected the experience of Gavrilin the folklorist, and this deeply national work is an analogue of the great cycles of Schubert and Schumann. But with what can we compare “German Notebooks”, written on Heine’s poems - the most Schumannian material? How to explain the appearance of such a wonderful cycle as “The First German Notebook” by a second-year student, from whom the professor, under the threat of a bad mark, demands “something vocal”? Probably only by miracle.

George Frideric Handel

"Messiah"

On the eve of religious holidays, “Messiah” is performed all over the world; A true story about one orchestra member is connected with this. To the question “What happened to you?” he replied: “I had a nightmare! I dreamed that I was playing “Messiah” again! Moreover, when I woke up, it turned out to be true!” The best performances of “Messiah” have nothing in common with this reality; it is truly divine music. Having completed Messiah in three weeks, Handel said: “I thought that the sky had opened and I saw the Creator.”

Gustav Mahler

Songs about dead children

One of the most terrible compositions in the history of music: whether we believe in fate or not, however, shortly after the creation of this vocal cycle, Mahler lost his beloved daughter. Five incredibly beautiful and inexpressibly sad songs.

Gustav Mahler

"Song of the Earth"

The first symphony, where they sing from beginning to end, and the large orchestra sounds chamber-like - so that all the instruments can be heard. The author considered the last part - “Farewell” - suicidal, but I want to return to it again and again.

Olivier Messiaen

Three Little Liturgies of the Divine Presence

Catholicism, the study of the language of birds and attention to non-European cultures - these are the features that make up Messiaen’s work, a separate direction in the music of the twentieth century. Although Messiaen's language is unlike anyone else's, his music is unusually infectious: listen to the liturgies at least once and you will find yourself humming them.

Alfred Schnittke

"The Story of Doctor Johann Faust"

Schnittke’s cantata has nothing in common with Goethe’s “Faust”: it is based on the “People’s Book of Faust” of the 16th century. A brilliant find - Mephistopheles, appearing in two guises: the seducing devil (countertenor), the mocking and punishing devil (contralto). Although Alla Pugacheva’s planned participation in the Moscow premiere was cancelled, mounted police were on duty outside the hall. The hero's humiliation reaches its peak in a rollicking tango with saxophones, unexpectedly invading the harsh music.

Dmitry Shostakovich

Symphony No. 14

Although Shostakovich's penultimate symphony is dedicated to Britten, it is more closely associated with Mahler. Essentially a continuation of his Song of the Earth, a cantata symphony with two singers is entirely dedicated to death. Even among Shostakovich's gloomy symphonies, this one in particular is full of depression and a sense of loneliness. The two voices unite only to sing in the finale: “Death is sovereign. She is on guard and in a happy hour.”

Franz Schubert

"Winter Retreat"

The pinnacle of world vocal music: 24 songs united by a common bitter mood and gloomy images of nature. The final one, “The Organ Grinder,” is one of Schubert’s most hopeless songs (and he has about 600 of them!): a melancholy melody sounds against the backdrop of the dull, monotonous sounds of an organ grinder.

Great symphonies

Hector Berlioz

Fantastic Symphony

One of the first - perhaps the most striking - examples of program music: that is, music that is preceded by a specific scenario. The story of Berlioz's unrequited love for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson formed the basis of a masterpiece, which includes "Reverie", and "Ball", and "Scene in the Fields", and "Procession to Execution", and even "Dream on the Night of the Sabbath".

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 7

Of Beethoven's three most famous symphonies, it is better to start neither with the Fifth with its "theme of fate" nor with the Ninth with its finale "Embrace, Millions." In the Seventh there is much less pathos and more humor, and the brilliant second part is familiar even to listeners who are far from the classics from the arrangement of the Deep Purple group.

Johannes Brahms

Symphony No. 3

Brahms's first symphony was called Beethoven's Tenth Symphony, referring to the continuity of tradition. But if Beethoven's nine symphonies are unequal, then each of Brahms' four symphonies is a masterpiece. The pompous beginning of the Third is just a bright cover for a deeply lyrical statement, reaching its climax in an unforgettable allegretto.

Anton Bruckner

Symphony No. 7

Mahler is considered Bruckner's successor; Compared to his rollercoaster-like canvases, Bruckner's symphonies can seem a little boring - especially their endless adagios. However, each adagio is followed by an exciting scherzo, and the Seventh Symphony will not let you get bored from the very first movement, thoughtful and drawn-out. No less good are the finale, scherzo and dedicated to memory Wagner Adagio.

Joseph Haydn

Symphony No. 45 “Farewell”

It seems impossible to write simpler than Haydn, but this deceptive simplicity lies the main secret of his mastery. Of his one hundred and four symphonies, only eleven were written in a minor key, and the best among them is “Farewell,” at the end of which the musicians leave the stage one by one. It was from Haydn that the group Nautilus Pompilius borrowed this technique to perform the song “Goodbye, America.”

Joseph Haydn

Symphony No. 90

Compared to the impetuous Farewell, Haydn's later symphonies are much more balanced and positive. They are full of special warmth, artless beauty and harmony. And, of course, humor: the last part of the symphony is crowned with a “false” ending, which even the sophisticated audience takes for the real one and begins to applaud while the orchestra is still playing.

Antonin Dvorak

Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”

While collecting material for the symphony, Dvorak studied the national music of America, but did without quoting, trying primarily to embody its spirit. The symphony in many ways goes back to both Brahms and Beethoven, but is devoid of the pomposity inherent in their opuses.

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 5

Mahler's two best symphonies seem similar friend on a friend only at first. The confusion of the first movements of the Fifth leads to a textbook adagietto, full of languor, repeatedly used in cinema and theater. And the ominous fanfare of the introduction is met by a completely traditional optimistic ending.

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 6

Who would have thought that Mahler's next symphony would represent the darkest and most hopeless music in the world! The composer seems to be mourning all of humanity: such a mood is established from the very first notes and only worsens towards the finale, which does not contain a ray of hope. Not for the faint of heart.

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 7

The trilogy ends with a mystery symphony. It is generally considered inconvenient to perform and perceive, although it is a real celebration of music: if in the rest of Mahler’s symphonies you still look for conflict, willy-nilly, it is almost impossible to find it here. One can only guess why between the outer movements of the Seventh there is, as it were, another internal symphony of two octurnes and a central scherzo.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphony No. 25

Among Mozart’s forty-odd symphonies, only two were written in a minor key, and in the same key: G minor unites whole line his key works. The Twenty-Fifth and the Forty are separated by fifteen years, in the case of Mozart - almost half his life. Both are equally sad, but while the Fortieth unfolds thoughtfully and leisurely, the Twenty-Fifth comes at you with all the speed of the Sturm und Drang era.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphony No. 40

Another super hit, the beginning of which causes involuntary irritation. Try to tune your ears as if you are hearing the Fortieth for the first time (even better if you are): this will help you experience the brilliant, although completely hackneyed, first part and know that it is followed by no less wonderful second, third and fourth.

Sergei Prokofiev

Classical symphony

Prokofiev explained the name of the symphony this way: “Out of mischief, to tease the geese, and in the secret hope that ... I will beat it if over time the symphony turns out to be such a classic.” After a series of daring compositions that excited the public, Prokofiev composed a symphony in the spirit of Haydn; it became a classic almost immediately, although his other symphonies have nothing in common with it.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Symphony No. 5

Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is not as popular as his ballets, although its melodic potential is no less; Any two or three minutes of it could be turned into a hit by, for example, Paul McCartney. If you want to understand what a symphony is, listen to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, one of the best and most complete examples of the genre.

Dmitry Shostakovich

Symphony No. 5

In 1936, Shostakovich was defamed at the state level. In response, calling on the shadows of Bach, Beethoven, Mahler and Mussorgsky for help, the composer created a work that became a classic at the time of its premiere. According to legend, Boris Pasternak said about the symphony and its author: “He said everything he wanted - and he didn’t have anything for it.”

Dmitry Shostakovich

Symphony No. 7

One of the musical symbols of the twentieth century and certainly the main musical symbol of the Second World War. A subtle drum roll begins the famous “invasion theme,” illustrating not only fascism or Stalinism, but any historical era, the basis of which is violence.

Franz Schubert.** Unfinished Symphony

The Eighth Symphony is called the Unfinished Symphony - instead of four movements there are only two; however, they are so rich and strong that they are perceived as a complete whole. Having stopped work on the work, the composer did not touch it again.

Bela Bartok.

Concerto for orchestra

Bartók is known primarily as the author of countless plays for music schools. The fact that this is not all Bartok is evidenced by his concert, where parody is accompanied by severity, and sophisticated technique is accompanied by cheerful folk melodies. In fact, it is Bartók’s farewell symphony, as is Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.”

Sergei Rachmaninov

"Symphonic Dances"

Rachmaninov's last opus is a masterpiece of unprecedented power. The beginning seems to warn of an earthquake - it is both a harbinger of the horrors of war and an awareness of the end of the romantic era in music. Rachmaninov called “Dances” his best and favorite composition.

Chamber Music Treasures

Johannes Brahms

Sonata for violin and piano No. 3

A chamber ensemble is one of the most subtle types of music making: a violin sonata, piano trio or string quartet can often express much more than a ballet or symphony. A synonym for chamber music is the name of Brahms, whose every chamber composition is a masterpiece. Including this sonata, the unforgettable beginning of which is born from a phrase, as if interrupted mid-sentence.

Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet No. 11 “Serioso”

Beethoven's late quartets are one of the pinnacles of chamber music. Before this, the composer had not written them for almost fifteen years, taking a pause after the brilliant quartet in F minor with the subtitle “Serioso” - “Serious”. Despite its brevity, it is incredibly rich in ideas and changes of mood, especially the fast part, the intonation of which constantly rushes between interrogative and affirmative.

Johannes Brahms.

Quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello No. 1

Another gem where each of the chapters is full of surprises, especially the last two: isn’t that jubilant march in the middle of the lyrical part surprising? Doesn't the final "Rondo in the Hungarian style" leave any of the "Hungarian Dances" far behind? The quartet was created by Brahms long before his First Symphony, but the four instruments were given such a wealth of melodies and harmonies that it would be enough for an entire orchestra.

Antonin Dvorak

Quintet for piano, two violins, viola and cello No. 2

Dvorak's second quintet was created in 1887, a quarter of a century after Brahms' quartet. Another one late romantic essay, even more contrasting and even more densely flavored with Eastern European motifs - there is a place for both Ukrainian duma and Bohemian dances. There are three main characters here: the cello and viola, whose solos open the first and second movements, as well as the piano, which connects the fabric of the quintet with invisible threads.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sonata for violin and piano No. 21

The saddest music in the world.

Cesar Frank

Sonata for violin and piano

One of the best violin sonatas ever written is a completely romantic composition, striving with all its might to go beyond the boundaries of romanticism. Without a doubt, you will remember the amazingly beautiful first phrase the first time, and not only that.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

"In memory of the great artist"

For many, Tchaikovsky is “The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, First Piano Concerto. The trio “In Memory of the Great Artist” has nothing in common with these works - a tragic, deeply intimate statement, devoid of any heaviness or pomp. You've never heard Tchaikovsky like this before.

Dmitry Shostakovich

String Quartet No. 8

The title “In Memory of the Victims of Fascism and War” is only a cover for the real title that Shostakovich had in mind: “In Memory of the Author of this Quartet.” Not at all last essay The composer nevertheless became his monument to himself: a mournful epitaph, layered with quotes from Shostakovich’s best works.

Franz Schubert

Piano trio No. 2

Schubert's chamber works are no less expressive and soulful than his vocal ones. An example of this is the trio for piano, violin and cello: the main theme of its second movement is remembered the first time and for the rest of your life, check it out.

Classics of the 20th century

Charles Ives

"The Unanswered Question"

A small masterpiece is the key to all the music of the twentieth century: strings play one thing, flutes another, trumpet another. There is no memorable melody, but it sounds beautiful and bewitching.

Arnold Schoenberg

Serenade

Another example, along with “Wozzeck,” of “dodecaphony with a human face.” Although hardly anyone will be able to sing a few bars of the serenade, it is full of drive and humor: among the instruments are a guitar and a mandolin, giving the chilly sound of the ensemble some informality and even nationality.

Arnold Schoenberg

"Lunar Pierrot"

If the serenade is an example of a strict, established style, then Pierrot Lunaire is only his search: Schoenberg had not yet discovered dodecaphony, but had already abandoned tonality, major and minor. To the accompaniment of a small ensemble, a vocal part sounds in the manner of speech singing - halfway between singing and excited human speech. One of the most revolutionary works of the twentieth century.

Pierre Boulez

"A Hammer without a Master"

The musician who created the master recordings of Schoenberg's works responded to his death with an article with the provocative title "Schoenberg is Dead." And three years later, “The Hammer without a Master” appeared for voice and ensemble, a kind of “Pierrot Lunaire” of the second half of the twentieth century. Stravinsky, who defined Pierrot Lunaire as the solar plexus new music, would later without hesitation call “The Hammer Without a Master” the best modern composition, sounding "like ice cubes clinking as they collide in a glass."

Claude Debussy

"Afternoon of a Faun"

The day of the composition's premiere - December 22, 1894 - became the birthday of musical impressionism. “Faun” begins with an unforgettable flute solo that opened new horizons in world music.

Zoltan Kodaly

"Dancing from Galanta"

A spectacular piece based on authentic folk melodies, where slow tempos are replaced by such fast ones that it takes your breath away. This change of pace - characteristic feature Verbunkos, a Hungarian dance performed at recruitment points and at the farewell to the army. Fifteen minutes of pure joy.

Darius Milhaud

"World creation"

The French composers of the Six offered a European version of what Gershwin had accomplished: combining the classical tradition with jazz and big-city sounds, turning to simple forms and catchy melodies. Milhaud was especially successful with his ballets Bull on the Roof and The Creation of the World. “What, this is also a classic!?” - you ask. Absolutely yes.

Arthur Honegger

"Pacific 231"

Another musical symbol of the twentieth century in general and technological progress in particular. Having finished the energetic orchestral piece, the author, as a joke, gave it the name of the most powerful steam locomotive in the world. The public took the joke seriously, hearing in Pacifica a sound portrait of a steam locomotive accelerating, humming, and then braking; excellent music that gives a lot of scope to the imagination.

Krzysztof Penderecki

"Cry for the victims of Hiroshima"

The play, like Pacific 231, was made famous primarily by its title. Written in the most advanced language for the mid-twentieth century, the score was not successful under its original name “8.37”, but under the new name it became very popular, although not a single note was changed. As positive as “Pacific” is, “Crying” is just as depressive, although you should definitely get to know it.

Sergei Prokofiev

"Romeo and Juliet"

The best of the musical incarnations of Shakespeare's tragedy, numbering several hits - first of all, the well-known theme “Dance of the Knights” (popular under the name “Montagues and Capulets”). It's amazing that Grand Theatre, who commissioned the ballet, initially rejected it, considering the music unscenic and unthinkable for the theater.

Maurice Ravel

"Bolero"

The drum roll and the flute play a deceptively simple theme, which is gradually picked up by other instruments in the orchestra. It seems like a simple scheme, but the listener will still be left with his mouth open, even if he knows “Bolero” by heart.

Maurice Ravel

Waltz

A typical Viennese waltz gradually emerges from the vague hum. The dancers spin faster and faster, and finally the spring of this enraged music box bursts. An eerie and perfect depiction of the end of a beautiful era, which was replaced by a century of world wars.

Arvo Pärt

"Frates"

Pärt - most performed contemporary composer, his works are heard around the world hundreds of times a year. In the mid-1970s, Pärt moved from the avant-garde to quiet, slow music, which turned out to be incredibly in demand: many Pärt lovers are far from the classics and perceive his works as a kind of musical sedative. The reference composition is “Fratres”, which sounds different in each of the numerous editions, but does not lose the intonation of a sad question mark.

Steve Reich

"Different Trains"

Another living classic, once considered an avant-garde artist. “Other Trains” is a monument to the victims of the Holocaust: Reich contrasts the trains of his childhood, on which he crossed America more than once, with others that sent his European peers to concentration camps. The work was written for a string quartet and a soundtrack that includes the sound of wheels, locomotive whistles, and stories of Holocaust survivors. Fragments of human speech, recorded in notes, became the basis of instrumental parts. Ideal for your first meeting with Reich.

Igor Stravinsky

"Parsley"

One of the most perfect expressions of the Russian spirit in music: Maslenitsa, barrel organ, accordion, gypsies, trained bear, “Along the Piterskaya Street”, “Oh you, my canopy, canopy”, carnival, fun, pancakes.

Igor Stravinsky

"Sacred spring"

The complete opposite of “Petrushka”: paganism, fear of death, slow dark round dances, sacrifice in the hope of appeasing the elements, completely mind-blowing harmonies - one of the most revolutionary and scandalous scores in the history of music.

Alfred Schnittke

Concerto grosso №1

The calling card of the main Soviet composer after Shostakovich: elements of mutually exclusive styles merge here into a single whole. “Within the Concerto grosso, I introduced a lively children’s chorale, a nostalgic-atonal serenade - a trio guaranteed to be an authentic Corelli (made in the USSR) and my grandmother’s favorite tango, played by her great-grandmother on the harpsichord.”

Alfred Schnittke

"Revision's Tale"

An ideal introduction to Schnittke's music for those who find it too difficult. The combination of the harpsichord with pop instruments creates a multifaceted space where there is a place for Beethoven’s “theme of fate”, and a parody of Haydn, whose intonations are brought to the point of sweetness, and the shadows of Mozart and Tchaikovsky dancing tango and cancan.

Simply masterpieces

Johann Sebastian Bach

Suites for orchestra No. 2 and 3

Compared to HTC, the two suites sound like light music, especially since each contains at least one super hit: “Joke” and “Aria”, respectively, which have long been distributed as ringtones and TV and radio screensavers. However, this could also happen with other fragments of these suites, which are replete with bright melodies.

Johannes Brahms

"Hungarian dances"

If a symphony orchestra plays an encore, in one case out of three the conductor will choose the First “Hungarian Dance”; as a last resort - the fifth. Two dozen miniatures for two pianos, later arranged for orchestra, were created based on authentic Hungarian melodies; result - 21 exemplary encores.

Edvard Grieg

"Peer Gynt"

Ibsen's drama "Peer Gynt" is world famous, and Grieg's music, written for its premiere, is even more popular: "Solveig's Song" and "In the Cave of the Mountain King" you undoubtedly know. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of listening to “Peer Gynt” in its entirety.

Alexander Scriabin

"Prometheus"

In his last and perhaps most significant symphonic work, Scriabin sought to express the idea of ​​the triumph of the spirit, to achieve the utmost radiance. Therefore, “Prometheus” (aka “Poem of Fire”) was written not only for orchestra, piano, organ and choir, but also for a light keyboard, immersing the concert hall in the radiance of one color or another. However, the music of “Prometheus” itself is literally overflowing with sunlight.

Bedřich Smetana

"My motherland"

Cycle of symphonic poems - musical portrait Czech Republic, its history, nature and legends. “Vltava” is especially popular, in which you can hear the flow of the river, hunting in the forest on its banks, and the night dances of mermaids. main topic dates back to the 17th century Italian song "La Mantovana". Later, the same melody formed the basis of the Israeli anthem.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

"Scheherazade"

First, the author gave the parts of the suite names: “The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship”, “The Fantastic Story of Prince Kalender”, “The Prince and the Princess”, “The Baghdad Holiday. Sea. The ship crashes on a rock with bronze horseman. Conclusion,” but later decided to remove them. Nevertheless, they are well known, and, listening to music, we involuntarily associate the violin with the voice of Scheherazade, the exclamations of the winds with a storm at sea, the solo flute with the ship of Sinbad the Sailor. One of the best examples of program music.

Richard Strauss

"Don Quixote"

The most famous of Strauss’s works is the poem “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” the introduction of which serves as the intro for the program “What? Where? When?". However, “Don Quixote,” where the cello sings on behalf of the famous knight, is much richer in unexpected turns and, like little other music in the world, resembles an exciting movie.

Listen to something from the classics - what could be better?! Especially on weekends, when you want to relax, forget about the worries of the day, the worries of the work week, dream about beautiful things, and just lift your spirits. Just think, classic works were created by brilliant authors so long ago that it’s hard to believe that something can survive so many years. And these works are still loved and listened to, arrangements and modern interpretations are created. Even in modern adaptation, the works of brilliant composers remain classical music. As he admits, classical works are ingenious, and everything ingenious cannot be boring.

Probably all great composers have a special ear, a special sensitivity to tone and melody, which allowed them to create music that is enjoyed by dozens of generations not only of their compatriots, but also of classical music fans around the world. If you still doubt whether you love classical music, then you need to meet with, and you will see that in fact, you are already a long-time fan of beautiful music.

And today we will talk about the 10 most famous composers in the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach

The first place deservedly belongs. A genius was born in Germany. The most talented composer wrote music for harpsichord and organ. The composer did not create a new style in music. But he was able to create perfection in all the styles of his time. He is the author of more than 1000 essays. In his works Bach combined different musical styles with which he became acquainted throughout his life. Often musical romanticism was combined with the Baroque style. In life Johann Bach As a composer he did not receive the recognition he deserved, interest in his music arose almost 100 years after his death. Today he is called one of the greatest composers who ever lived on earth. His uniqueness as a person, teacher and musician was reflected in his music. Bach laid the foundations of the music of New and Contemporary times, dividing the history of music into pre-Bach and post-Bach. There is an opinion that music Bach gloomy and gloomy. His music is rather fundamental and thorough, restrained and focused. Like the reflections of a mature, world-wise person. Creation Bach influenced many composers. Some of them took cues from his works or used themes from them. And musicians all over the world play music Bach, admiring her beauty and perfection. One of the most sensational works - "Brandenburg Concerts"- excellent proof that music Bach can't be considered too gloomy:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

He is rightfully considered a genius. At the age of 4 he was already fluent in playing the violin and harpsichord, at the age of 6 he began composing music, and at 7 he was already skillfully improvising on the harpsichord, violin and organ, competing with famous musicians. Already at 14 years old Mozart- a recognized composer, and at the age of 15 - a member of the music academies of Bologna and Verona. By nature, he had a phenomenal ear for music, memory and the ability to improvise. He created an astonishing number of works - 23 operas, 18 sonatas, 23 piano concertos, 41 symphonies and much more. The composer did not want to imitate, he tried to create new model, reflecting the new individuality of music. It is no coincidence that in Germany music Mozart called “music of the soul”, in his works the composer showed traits of his sincere, loving nature. The Greatest Melodist special meaning gave to the opera. Operas Mozart- an era in the development of this type of musical art. Mozart widely recognized as one of the greatest composers: his uniqueness lies in the fact that he worked in all musical forms of his time and achieved the highest success in all of them. One of the most recognizable works - "Turkish March":

Ludwig van Beethoven

Another great German was an important figure of the Romantic-Classical period. Even those who know nothing at all about classical music know about it. Beethoven is one of the most performed and respected composers in the world. The great composer witnessed the tremendous upheavals that occurred in Europe and redrew its map. These great upheavals, revolutions and military confrontations are reflected in the composer’s work, especially symphonic works. He embodied pictures of heroic struggle in music. IN immortal works Beethoven you will hear the struggle for freedom and brotherhood of people, the unshakable faith in the victory of light over darkness, as well as dreams of freedom and happiness for mankind. One of the most famous and amazing facts his life - the ear disease developed into complete deafness, but despite this, the composer continued to write music. He was also considered one of the best pianists. Music Beethoven Surprisingly simple and understandable to the widest circles of listeners. Generations and even eras change, and music Beethoven still excites and delights the hearts of people. One of his best works – "Moonlight Sonata":

Richard Wagner

With the name of the great Richard Wagner most often associated with his masterpieces "Wedding Choir" or "Ride of the Valkyries". But he is known not only as a composer, but also as a philosopher. Wagner looked at his musical works as a way of expressing a certain philosophical concept. WITH Wagner a new one has begun musical era oper. The composer tried to bring opera closer to life; music for him is only a means. Richard Wagner- creator of musical drama, reformer of operas and the art of conducting, innovator of the harmonic and melodic language of music, creator of new forms of musical expressiveness. Wagner- author of the world's longest solo aria (14 minutes 46 seconds) and the world's longest classical opera (5 hours and 15 minutes). In life Richard Wagner was considered a controversial person, who was either adored or hated. And often both together. Mystical symbolism and anti-Semitism made him Hitler's favorite composer, but closed the way for his music to Israel. However, neither supporters nor opponents of the composer deny his greatness as a composer. Wonderful music from the very first notes Richard Wagner absorbs you completely, leaving no room for disputes and disagreements:

Franz Schubert

Austrian composer - musical genius, one of the best song composers. He was only 17 when he wrote his first song. In one day he could write 8 songs. For my creative life he created more than 600 compositions, based on poems by more than 100 great poets, including Goethe, Schiller and Shakespeare. That's why Franz Schubert in the top 10. Although creativity Schubert very diverse in the use of genres, ideas and reincarnations, the predominant and defining thing in his music is vocal and song lyrics. Before Schubert the song was considered an insignificant genre, and it was he who elevated it to the level of artistic perfection. Moreover, he combined the seemingly incompatible song and chamber symphonic music, which gave rise to a new direction of lyrical-romantic symphony. Vocal and song lyrics are a world of simple and deep, subtle and even intimate human experiences, expressed not in words, but in sound. Franz Schubert lived very short life, only 31 years old. The fate of the composer's works is no less tragic than his life. After death Schubert many unpublished manuscripts remained, stored in bookcases and drawers of relatives and friends. Even those closest to him did not know everything he wrote, and throughout for long years he was recognized mainly only as the king of song. Some of the composer's works were published only half a century after his death. One of the most beloved and famous works Franz Schubert – "Evening Serenade":

Robert Schumann

With an equally tragic fate German composer- one of the best composers of the romantic era. He created music of amazing beauty. To get an idea of ​​German romanticism of the 19th century century, just listen "Carnival" Robert Schumann. He was able to break free from the musical traditions of the classical era, creating his own interpretation romantic style. Robert Schumann was gifted with many talents, and even for a long time could not decide between music, poetry, journalism and philology (he was a polyglot and translated fluently from English, French and Italian). He was also an amazing pianist. And yet the main calling and passion Schumann there was music. His poetic and deeply psychological music largely reflects the duality of the composer’s nature, a rush of passion and escape into the world of dreams, awareness of vulgar reality and the desire for the ideal. One of the masterpieces Robert Schumann, which everyone simply must hear:

Frederic Chopin

Perhaps the most famous Pole in the world of music. Neither before nor after the composer was a musical genius of this level born in Poland. The Poles are incredibly proud of their great compatriot, and in his work the composer more than once glorifies his homeland, admires the beauty of the landscapes, laments the tragic past, and dreams of a great future. Frederic Chopin- one of the few composers who wrote music exclusively for piano. His creative heritage includes neither operas nor symphonies, but piano pieces are presented in all their diversity. His works form the basis of the repertoire of many famous pianists. Frederic Chopin is a Polish composer who is also known as a talented pianist. He lived only 39 years, but managed to create many masterpieces: ballads, preludes, waltzes, mazurkas, nocturnes, polonaises, etudes, sonatas and much, much more. One of them - "Ballad No. 1, G minor".

Franz Liszt

He is one of the world's greatest composers. He lived a relatively long and surprisingly rich life, experienced poverty and wealth, met love and faced contempt. In addition to his natural talent, he had a fantastic ability to work. Franz Liszt earned not only the admiration of music connoisseurs and fans. Both as a composer and as a pianist he received universal approval from European XIX critics centuries. He created more than 1300 works and similar Frederic Chopin gave preference to works for piano. Brilliant pianist Franz Liszt knew how to reproduce the sound of an entire orchestra on the piano, improvised masterfully, and had a fantastic memory musical compositions, he had no equal in reading notes from a sheet. He had a pathetic style of performance, which was also reflected in his music, which was emotionally passionate and heroically upbeat, creating colorful musical pictures and making an indelible impression on listeners. The composer's calling card is his piano concertos. One of these works. And one of the most famous works Liszt – "Dreams of Love":

Johannes Brahms

A significant figure of the romantic period in music is Johannes Brahms. Listen and love music Brahms counts good taste and a characteristic sign of a romantic nature. Brahms did not write a single opera, but he created works in all other genres. Special glory Brahms brought his symphonies. Already in the first works the composer’s originality is evident, which over time transformed into his own style. If we consider all the works Brahms, it cannot be said that the composer was greatly influenced by the work of his predecessors or contemporaries. And in terms of the scale of creativity Brahms often compared to Bach And Beethoven. Perhaps this comparison is justified in the sense that the work of the three great Germans represents the culmination of an entire era in the history of music. Unlike Franz Liszt life Johannes Brahms was devoid of turbulent events. He preferred quiet creativity, during his lifetime he earned recognition of his talent and universal respect, and was also awarded considerable honors. The most outstanding music in which the creative force Brahms had a particularly bright and original effect, is his "German Requiem", a work that the author created for 10 years and dedicated to his mother. In your music Brahms glorifies the eternal values ​​of human life, which lie in the beauty of nature, the art of great talents of the past, and the culture of their homeland.

Giuseppe Verdi

What are the top ten composers without?! The Italian composer is best known for his operas. He became the national glory of Italy, his work is the culmination of the development of Italian opera. His achievements and merits as a composer cannot be overestimated. His works still, a century after the death of the author, remain the most popular, widely performed, known to both connoisseurs and lovers of classical music.

For Verdi The most important thing in opera was drama. The musical images of Rigoletto, Aida, Violetta, and Desdemona created by the composer organically combine the bright melodicism and depth of the characters, the democracy and sophistication of musical characteristics, violent passions and bright dreams. Verdi was a real psychologist in understanding human passions. His music is nobility and power, amazing beauty and harmony, inexpressibly beautiful melodies, beautiful arias and duets. Passions run high, comedy and tragedy intertwine and merge together. The plots of operas, by his own admission Verdi, must be “original, interesting and... passionate, with passion above all else.” And most of his works are serious and tragic, demonstrating emotional dramatic situations, and the music of the great Verdi gives expressiveness to what is happening and emphasizes the accents of the situation. Having absorbed all the best that was achieved by the Italian opera school, he did not deny operatic traditions, but reformed Italian opera, filled it with realism, and gave it the unity of the whole. At the same time, he did not announce his reform, did not write articles about it, but simply wrote operas in a new way. Triumphant procession of one of the masterpieces Verdi- operas - swept across Italian stages and continued in Europe, as well as in Russia and America, forcing even skeptics to recognize the talent of the great composer.

10 most famous composers in the world updated: April 13, 2019 by: Elena