# KUSC 2017 Top 100 Classical Music List



## Knight769

Here is the 2017 KUSC Top 100 List of classical music pieces. KUSC ran an online poll of listeners from March 3rd to April 16th to determine the top 100 classical music pieces of 2017. KUSC is notorious for being a Beethoven station. That is not a bad thing. And I see nothing wrong with it. But I am truly puzzled that no Mozart piece made the top 20 for the third year in a row. I guess my taste in music is different from KUSC listeners. I would have at least three Mozart pieces in the top 20. But I understand that not everyone connects to Mozart like I do. Enjoy this list. 


100. Williams: Theme from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

99. Beethoven: Piano Sonata #8 “Pathetique”

98. Rossini: William Tell: Overture

97. Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess

96. Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez

95. Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium

94. Tchaikovsky: Symphony #5

93. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto

92. Borodin: Polovetsian Dances

91. Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze

90. Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

89. Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

88. Chopin: Piano Concerto #1

87. Morricone: The Mission: Gabriel’s Oboe

86. Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

85. Tchaikovsky: Symphony #4

84. Copland: *** Down

83. Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6

82. Stravinsky: The Firebird

81. Khachaturian: Spartacus: Adagio

80. Sibelius: Symphony #2

79. Mozart: Symphony #25

78. Dvorak: Cello Concerto

77. Bernstein: West Side Story Symphonic Dances

76. Brahms: Piano Concerto #1

75. Bach: Goldberg Variations

74. Satie: Gymnopedies

73. Anonymous: Romance for Guitar

72. Barry: Theme from “Out of Africa”

71. Wagner: Die Valkure: Ride of the Valkyries

70. Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream

69. Bach: Air on the G String

68. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto

67. Brahms: Symphony #4

66. Borodin: String Quartet #2: Nocturne

65. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

64. Mozart: Magic Flute

63. Brahms: Symphony #3

62. Rachmaninoff: Symphony #2

61. Bach: Mass in b minor

60. Boccherini: Night Music on the Streets of Madrid

59. Elgar: Enigma Variations

58. Faure: Requiem

57. Handel: Water Music

56. Grieg: Peer Gynt

55. Beethoven: Violin Concerto

54. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

53. Gershwin: An American in Paris

52. Beethoven: Fur Elise

51. Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins

50. Mozart: Marriage of Figaro

49. Bizet: Carmen

48. Dvorak: String Quartet #12 “American”

47. Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica”

46. Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier

45. Williams: Theme from “Star Wars”

44. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #3

43. Schubert: Symphony #8 “Unfinished”

42. Grieg: Piano Concerto

41. Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia

40. Bach: Cello Suite #1

39. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

38. Ravel: Bolero

37. Mozart: Piano Concerto #21

36. Beethoven: Piano Sonata #14 “Moonlight”

35. Orff: Carmina Burana

34. Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

33. Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring 

32. Smetana: The Moldau 

31. Mozart: Symphony #41 “Jupiter” 

30. Massenet: Thais: Meditation 

29. Copland: Appalachian Spring 

28. Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture

27. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

26. Mozart: Requiem 

25. Barber: Adagio for Strings

24. Handel: Messiah

23. Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 “Organ” 

22. Mozart: Symphony #40 

21. Sibelius: Finlandia

20. Berlioz: Requiem 

19. Debussy: Clair de Lune

18. Bach: Toccata & Fugue in d minor 

17. Holst: The Planets 

16. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 

15. Pachelbel: Canon 

14. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1

13. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

12. Vivaldi: Four Seasons 

11. Rachmaninoff: Paganini Rhapsody 

10. Beethoven: Piano Concerto #5 “Emperor”

9. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto 

8. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2

7. Beethoven: Symphony #7

6. Dvorak: Symphony #9 “From the New World”

5. Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasy 

4. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

3. Beethoven: Symphony #6 “Pastoral”

2. Beethoven: Symphony #5

1. Beethoven: Symphony #9


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## TurnaboutVox

> 84. Copland: *** Down


 :lol:

Naughty Aaron!


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## Bettina

TurnaboutVox said:


> :lol:
> 
> Naughty Aaron!


In keeping with the TC censorship policy, this thread should be called the Top 100 Cl***ical Music List.


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## Art Rock

Never mind Mozart, zero Mahler is ridiculous.


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## Bulldog

Art Rock said:


> Never mind Mozart, zero Mahler is ridiculous.


And zero Bruckner and Shostakovich. Also, I always expect Beethoven to win, but the top three spots surprise me.

Just found that KUSU is in Utah - that explains everything.


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## KenOC

KUSC is a 24/7 CM station run by the University of Southern California (thus the call letters) in La-la Land.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

This is the worst list I've ever seen. Fur Elise has no business in the top 100, never mind ahead of Symphonie Fantastique, Brahms 3rd and 4th, Goldberg variations, or just about anything else on the list. And never mind those "themes" from Star Wars or Out of Africa. My goodness, this list didn't even deserve a thread on TC!


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## KenOC

Hey, Pachelbel's Canon made #15. So whatcha complaining about??? :lol:


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## Bulldog

KenOC said:


> KUSC is a 24/7 CM station run by the University of Southern California (thus the call letters) in La-la Land.


OOPS - I traded in the C for a U.


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## Nereffid

I am apoplectic about this list. How _dare_ other people not like the exact same music as I like! :lol:


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## hpowders

A top 100 list that doesn't have Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, Brahms Second Piano Concerto, Brahms Violin Concerto and no Piano Concertos by Mozart is one ****ed up list!!

Okay! Okay! He did include Raiders of the Lost Ark. That counts for something.

Don't tell me! Let me guess! The list comes from a California radio station.

I'm pretty sure that such a list would never emanate from the likes of Chicago, Boston or New York.


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## bz3

It's as cringey as I'd imagined. Gershwin in the top 5? Now c'mon, next you'll tell me house music is a real artform.


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## KenOC

hpowders said:


> Don't tell me! Let me guess! The list comes from a California radio station.I'm pretty sure that such a list would never emanate from the likes of Chicago, Boston or New York.


Wiki: "[KUSC] is the largest non-profit classical music station in the country." It is 24/7 classical music. Other stations, with listeners voting in the same way, might generate a list more to your liking, but I'm not real sure of that!


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## Pugg

Well... it gives an inside in the voters taste .......


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## KenOC

I’d guess that the bulk of KUSC listeners aren’t a lot like the denizens of this forum. Specifically, I’d guess:

They like something or they don’t, and they don’t worry much about it beyond that.
They can name some of the pieces that they like, but not many.
They listen mostly in background mode, except sometimes after dinner.
They don’t much like “modern” music -- note that only Stravinsky’s Firebird made it from his Big three.
They’re no snobs, and they’re happy to suggest Pachelbel’s Canon for their kid’s weddings.
If their ears are offended, they change the station (the ultimate disaster in radio).

I’d further guess that KUSC has the same perceptions about its listeners and programs accordingly. After all, how could it not? It's a numbers game when pledge drive time comes around.


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## Klassik

Knight769 said:


> 69. Bach: Air on the G String


There's something inappropriately appropriate about this ranking! 

But, seriously, are people really listening to Wilhelmj's arrangement of Bach's Air in C major or are they just listening to Bach's original Air in D major? I know it's a confusing and trivial thing, but I do wonder if people are listening to what they think they are listening to when it comes to this piece.

As for the rankings themselves, I'm only moderately surprised. I figured that Mozart would have had something higher and that Haydn would have made the list somewhere, but otherwise it's about what I expected. You kind of have to figure that this list would look like the track listing of those "101 Greatest Classical Hits" CDs you see at discount stores, but it does make you wonder what the 101st piece is that didn't crack the top 100.


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## Pugg

> Quote Originally Posted by Knight769 View Post
> 69. Bach: Air on the G String
> There's something inappropriately appropriate about this ranking!


I think you are the only one who actually spotted that.:lol:


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## Tchaikov6

No Wagner (Ride of the Valkyries doesn't count!)? No Mahler? Where are Bach masterpieces like St. Matthew Passion? This list is disappointing...


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## Rys

I really hate to see film music in these kind lists, no matter how good it is. I don't need to rant about all the other annoying things here. You all are handling that part well.

From what I can see we got ourself the American _Classical FM_ top classical list.


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## KenOC

I'm curious why people should get upset about the music that listeners to some radio station in California like. Very curious! :lol:


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## Rys

KenOC said:


> I'm curious why people should get upset about the music that listeners to some radio station in California like. Very curious! :lol:


Good point. I think too much of this list was made by "non-classical music listeners". Like Beethoven's fifth symphony is good, but does it really belong in the second place slot? I have a feeling some of the votes for it were cast by people who have only heard the first theme in the first movement!
They tampered with the results, that's what gets me riled up. Someday I want to see a list of the top 100 classical music by Honest classical music listeners.


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## KenOC

Rys said:


> Good point. I think too much of this list was made by "non-classical music listeners". Like Beethoven's fifth symphony is good, but does it really belong in the second place slot? I have a feeling some of the votes for it were cast by people who have only heard the first theme in the first movement!
> They tampered with the results, that's what gets me riled up. Someday I want to see a list of the top 100 classical music by Honest classical music listeners.


Too many lists by dishonest classical music listeners!


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## Pugg

KenOC said:


> I'm curious why people should get upset about the music that listeners to some radio station in California like. Very curious! :lol:


Perhaps they have a strange taste or none at all.


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## Pat Fairlea

KenOC said:


> I'm curious why people should get upset about the music that listeners to some radio station in California like. Very curious! :lol:


I agree. The list is much the same as the listener-ranking that the Classic FM station in the UK cranks out every year. It tells us something, but it's not exactly an objective survey of informed musical taste. And before anyone takes me to task for 'informed', I simply mean that these lists generally represent the views of people who have not heard a lot of CM. The votes show the same few dozen pieces are 'popular', so that's what the stations play, so that's what people hear and (often) enjoy. I believe the fashionable phrase is 'confirmation bias'? Don't berate the listeners, just treat the polls for what they are: indicative of something but nothing much.


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## Sonata

I actually like seeing a little film music in there. But otherwise I'm not crazy about this list. (well I humbly admit I'm one of those classical fans that likes Canon in D....well I love it). But yes it is disappointing


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