# The most beautiful thing ever written...`



## Gallus (Feb 8, 2018)

Is the Missa prolationum...






If you disagree, feel free to post your candidate below.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

*"The most beautiful thing ever written..."*

Well, yes, the Missa Prolationum is certainly beautiful

This is a tall order. This could be even more difficult if popular music is to be considered as well.

And it is tempting to be drawn into a discussion about whether there could ever be a *single* "Most Beautiful Music Ever Written". You'd be lucky to get people to agree to a list of 100, let alone one.

I suggest five additional worthy contenders:

Dvorak - Largo from Ninth (New World) Symphony
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Puccini - O Mio Babbino Caro
*Mozart - Lacrimosa*
Debussy - Clair de Lune


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Allegri : Miserere -Tallis Scholars ( Legendary 1980 recording) 
Just naming one, stunning.


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## Zama (Dec 10, 2019)

_*The most beautiful thing ever written...*_

*Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen* the 5th song of Five Rückert-Lieder (Mahler).


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## HerbertNorman (Jan 9, 2020)

This is very difficult...a few of my candidates...
Schubert: D.960
*Beethoven: Symphony nr. 7 Allegretto*
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Dvorak: Largo 9th Symphony , " From the New World"
Schubert: Winterreise


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Benedictus from Missa Solemnis


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

MarkW said:


> Benedictus from Missa Solemnis







Amen. The one from Mozart's, of course:

[ 13:07 ]










Enough of jokes, 
I nominate this as the most beautiful thing ever written:


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

of course this duet from Hindemith's opera Die Harmonie der Welt


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

*The most beautiful thing ever written...*



Gallus said:


> Is the Missa prolationum...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll agree to this: that _you_, Gallus, contend the most beautiful thing ever written is the Missa prolationum.

And there's nothing to dispute in that.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Frankly, I have long found a passage from Mahler's unfinished 10th Symphony to be what I consider the single most moving (maybe that means beautiful) piece of music I have ever heard. It appears in the final movement; Mahler sketched it out for strings, but other composers have since "completed" the orchestrations. Here's a sampling featuring a flute solo:






I hear this theme in the context of Mahler's work, but also in the context of all Western art music. And it seems to summarize and predict equally.

Here's another take. (Start at about 16 minutes in.)






Does this have to be _your_ "most beautiful piece"? Certainly not.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)




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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

This has always been my favourite piece of music since I heard it. I always feeling something when I hear it. Roge actually plays the notes detached as written, which I never heard done in practice before.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Most of Bach's music hits me in this way- I can't explain why I break into tears when I hear the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, the Goldberg Variations, or the organ sonatas. I think Bach set a standard of order and beauty for all future composers to match. Otherwise my nominations would be Chopin's Barcarolle, pretty much any Beethoven slow movement (the Emperor concerto, 9th Symphony, String Quartet No. 12, etc.) and the finale of Mahler 9. There are many more...


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Verdi - Messa da Requiem - Herbert von Karajan -


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## Helgi (Dec 27, 2019)

I discovered Mozart's Ave verum corpus K. 618 in a similar thread on here a while back. Certainly belongs on the list somewhere!

And two more performances of Allegri's Miserere for good measure. My long-standing favourite from St. John's College, Cambridge:





And a recent one from the lovely Tenebrae choir, excerpted:


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Zama said:


> _*The most beautiful thing ever written...*_
> 
> *Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen* the 5th song of Five Rückert-Lieder (Mahler).


This one gets my vote, for now.


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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

A definite contender for top of the heap


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I could say: Tallis - Spem in alium, but from this specific recording:










Sheer spiritual ecstasy. Period.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

My favourite piece of music is Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, but if we look at sheer beauty, I'd propose this one:

Faure - Requiem


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

These are the 5 pieces that came to mind, in the order that I thought of them; the most beautiful thing ever written is...

Arvo Pärt - Für Alina 
Chopin - Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
Beethoven - String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

For me it is the Verwandlungsmusik from Parsifal:


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Pyotr Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 "Auferstehung" - Claudio Abbado - Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Masterpiece . :angel:
in bold ore capitals but that is screaming.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Selby said:


> These are the 5 pieces that came to mind, in the order that I thought of them; the most beautiful thing ever written is...
> 
> Arvo Pärt - Für Alina
> Chopin - Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
> ...


What's the fifth? Or are you assuming Große Fuge in B♭ major goes without saying?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> I think Bach set a standard of order and beauty for all future composers to match.


I certainly think that way when I hear this cantata:







Helgi said:


> I discovered Mozart's Ave verum corpus K. 618 in a similar thread on here a while back. Certainly belongs on the list somewhere!


Also try: 
The modulations [ 2:50 ~ 3:38 ] and melodic material of [ 5:39 ~ 6:45 ] are priceless


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto - 2nd mvt


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Olias said:


> Mozart's Clarinet Concerto - 2nd mvt


Isn't the 2nd movement of Copland's Clarinet Concerto at least a viable rival?


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

SONNET CLV said:


> Isn't the 2nd movement of Copland's Clarinet Concerto at least a viable rival?


Yes definitely.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 - Adagio
Sibelius - Symphony No. 7
Wagner - Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod
Tchaikovsky - Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom - Cherubic Hymn
Scriabin - Sonata No. 3 - Andante


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

An impossible task. A lot of works or pieces could be mentioned.


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## Guillaume80 (Jan 19, 2020)

I think it is impossible to really vote on anything because there are so many...but this was a very good subject since it helped me to still discover some new and very moving pieces that I actually didn't know


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2020)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Most of Bach's music hits me in this way- I can't explain why I break into tears when I hear the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, the Goldberg Variations, or the organ sonatas. I think Bach set a standard of order and beauty for all future composers to match. Otherwise my nominations would be Chopin's Barcarolle, pretty much any Beethoven slow movement (the Emperor concerto, 9th Symphony, String Quartet No. 12, etc.) and the finale of Mahler 9. There are many more...


Totally agree with you about Bach. This is absolutely magnificent, but it's so difficult to chose as we are so over-indulged!!






Just tonight I watched an extended U-Tube discussion between Dr. Jordan Peterson, Dr. Stephen Blackwood and Professor Heather MacDonald and the topic was "The 'Higher' in Higher Education". It was an exploration, inter alia, of beauty in the artifacts of western culture and Professor MacDonald identified the Bach "*St. Matthew Passion*" as a high water mark, citing "Mach Dich mein Herze Rein" as but one exemplar from that work. Bach is increasingly my go-to for all things transcendental.


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

Impossible to say, but a passage that always brings tears to my eyes in a good performance is Wagner's magnificent quintet from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.


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## Guest (Feb 7, 2020)

That Quintet from Wagner is indeed very wonderful. (I see I made a spelling mistake with my German re the Bach aria.)


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

For me, today, is *Beethoven's string quartet No. 15, Op. 132*, as played by the Prazak Quartet. When I close my eyes listening to such music, particularly the _Heiliger Dankgesang_, I feel like if I'm experiencing the sounds of a higher, perfect, shining plane of existence. There's much music for me to explore and discover yet, but at this point this quartet seems like the non plus ultra of chamber music to me.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Beauty, beauty. Not that hard. I choose...

*Beethoven's 6th*.

Fav Expt 1 - 



Expt 2 - 



Expt 3 - 



Expt 4 - 




Then, it's difficult to say.

Dvorak's 9th is nice... don't know if it's 2nd in beauty though.

Fav Expt 1 - 



Expt 2 - 



 Listen to those damn counter-winds/horns at 11:06 
Expt 3 - 



Expt 4 -


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

The love for Renaissance music is heartwarming! Thank you to everyone who advocated Ockeghem, Allegri, or Tallis!

I might actually go with Allegri's _Miserere_ myself. Even though it's a Renaissance work, and therefore "neglected" practically by definition, it may be suffering the fate of works that get too popular -- let's call it "the Four Seasons effect" -- among the kind of people who populate a place like talkclassical.com.

Just for the sake of throwing out something that hasn't been mentioned yet, I will offer the first movement of Franck's violin sonata as a possibility, though it has romantic competition from the opening movement of Brahms' first piano trio or Debussy's P_relude to the Afternoon of a Faun_ (technical definitions aside, to me that's still romantic).


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## 1996D (Dec 18, 2018)

Zama said:


> _*The most beautiful thing ever written...*_
> 
> *Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen* the 5th song of Five Rückert-Lieder (Mahler).


The music fits the lyrics perfectly, and it's a great poem by Rückert, describing what the artist is.

I'll nominate the Adagio from Beethoven's 5th concerto, because it never complains, and that's rare for Romantic music. Beethoven finds complete peace and balance.


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## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

The 2nd movement of Mozart's 21st and 23rd Piano Concerti.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I think I would have to say Faure's Requiem, or Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

There is so much beauty in classical music that choosing one would require an ability to hold numerous candidates in my head at the same time and choose between them. That is probably beyond me. There are many fine examples in this thread but all I will say is that the most beautiful thing ever written must certainly have been by Mozart. He wrote so many candidates.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

in my case, I find the moments of almost painful beauty often in the slow movements of piano concertos, from Bach through Prokofiev and Ravel.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Strange Magic said:


> in my case, I find the moments of almost painful beauty often in the slow movements of piano concertos, from Bach through Prokofiev and Ravel.


I cannot nominate a definitive candidate for the OP, but piano concerto slow movements would be top contenders.
Shostakovich 2nd
Barber
Greig
There's three to mull over.


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## Swosh (Feb 25, 2018)

Has to be this for me!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

The Prelude of Parsifal ... ideally with the rest of the work to come.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Enthusiast said:


> The Prelude of Parsifal ... ideally with the rest of the work to come.


Or the finale of Parsifal, when preceded by the rest of the work.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

^ That works for me, too!


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## Globalti (Feb 18, 2020)

Beim Schlafengehen from Strauss's Four Last Songs, written, it's said, in anticipation of his death. Sung here by Gundula Janowitz; never fails to bring a tear to my eye:


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Globalti said:


> Beim Schlafengehen from Strauss's Four Last Songs, written, it's said, in anticipation of his death. Sung here by Gundula Janowitz; never fails to bring a tear to my eye:


Oh, that's lovely.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

DeepR said:


> Tchaikovsky - Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom - Cherubic Hymn







Rachmaninoff's The Lord's Prayer from the same liturgy is also a stunning piece.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Swosh said:


> Has to be this for me!


This version is immense, I've heard it before. Except it's a bloody shame that the finishing chord with the strings is cut off from this video.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

So many choices, but the Romance from "The Gadfly" by Shostakovich takes some beating:


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## erki (Feb 17, 2020)

This one I listen sometimes when I need some quick beauty fix. Aria - Cantilena from Bachiana brasileira No. 5 by Villa Lobos


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## Agamenon (Apr 22, 2019)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Or the finale of Parsifal, when preceded by the rest of the work.


My vote goes to the finale of Parsifal.

About Parsifal Debussy wrote this: 
" One of the most beautiful edifices on sound ever raised to the glory of music"


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

DeepR said:


> Scriabin - Sonata No. 3 - Andante


Transcendent, crystal clear...


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## Sad Al (Feb 27, 2020)

This?


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

I agree with the poster that said it's almost certainly something from Mozart; no other composer could match him for sheer beauty. Maybe somewhat stereotypically, I nominate this as the most beautiful work of all time:


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Just a few...

Massenet: Meditation from "Thais"
Schumann: "Traumerei" from Kinderszenen
Debussy: Clair de Lune
Dvorak: Humoresque no. 7 (for violin and cello)
Grieg: "The Last Spring" (orchestral)


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Albinoni: Adagio
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder, Oft Denk' Ich, Sie Sind Nur Ausgegangen, Janet Baker
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
Charles Ives: The Housatonic at Stockbridge, Tilson-Thomas with Boston SO

BTW, I'm sick of you Wagner freaks...


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Geirr Tveitt - Velkomne med aera (Welcome with Honour)





Reynaldo Hahn - L'Heure exquise





Canteloube - "Bailero"


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

and also something from Bach. My candidates would be this cantata





or Chaconne


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

Another vote for Bach, but this time:


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

I'm surprised that Ravel appeared only once until now. If we're talking about sheer, gentle beauty, I think that pieces such as *Ma mère l'oye* and *Pavane for a Dead Princess* deserve a mention.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

erki said:


> This one I listen sometimes when I need some quick beauty fix. Aria - Cantilena from Bachiana brasileira No. 5 by Villa Lobos


I listen to this quite often, in part for the simple beauty of Villa-Lobos' composition and in part for Anna Moffo's wonderful voice. Her legendary breath control is what this piece needs.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Some Schumann contenders:
Fantasiestücke Op.73
Marchenbilder Op.113
Gesänge der Frühe Op.133
Fantasie Op.17 3rd Movement
Fantasiestücke Op.12 No.1
Humoreske Op.20


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

This is it for me.


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## Agamenon (Apr 22, 2019)

Another Wagner (freak  ): Lohengrin - Prelude


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

Mahler Symphony #10, third movement ("Purgatorio") 
Sibelius Symphony #3, second movement
Kalinnikov Symphony #1, second movement
Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

Agamenon said:


> Another Wagner (freak  ): Lohengrin - Prelude


Yes!!!!!!  :angel: :tiphat:


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

Sloe said:


> For me it is the Verwandlungsmusik from Parsifal:


Yes!!!!!!!!!!  :angel:


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

May I add Wagner's _Tannhäuser_ overture:






:angel: ...................


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## Classical Playlists (Jan 26, 2020)

Well that's easy!

Schubert - 'The String Quintet'

by far ... Or am I not allowed to choose a work that wasn't written by a human being?


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

This forum has weird standards of beauty (as well as any other forum.) The most "beautiful" thing ever written is probably the Aika melody from an old TV series called Inuyasha. Never saw this show, but the music is very beautiful.

*2:01*





*0:55*


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)




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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Two more


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

SanAntone said:


>


I'm not a big fan of "Mass," but agree that the opening Simple Song is drop dead gorgeous!


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

At this particular moment I think it's this: (IMO, the best recording of this aria is by tenor Markus Schäfer on the Brüggen recording, but it's unavailable as a single video on YouTube)


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Ethereality said:


> This forum has weird standards of beauty (as well as any other forum.) The most "beautiful" thing ever written is probably the Aika melody from an old TV series called Inuyasha. Never saw this show, but the music is very beautiful.
> 
> *2:01*
> 
> ...


And maybe I'm a little too harsh on this forum particularly, but there is a very weird obsession here with generic aesthetic, like classical/romantic era aesthetic.


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)




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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

DeepR said:


> Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 - Adagio


This

Also Mondnacht from Schumann's Liederkreis


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## Tempesta (Sep 2, 2021)

This is a tough one. My own thoughts on beauty seem to change with the seasons and evolve as I age. "Most beautiful thing" invokes schmaltz ... so I'm going with Ravel's _Adagio assai_ (E major) from his _Piano Concerto in G major_


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Gallus said:


> Is the Missa prolationum...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## chipia (Apr 22, 2021)

Scriabin Sonata No.4 comes to mind, especially the first movement.


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## Clairvoyance Enough (Jul 25, 2014)

Since it's impossible to pick one I'll just offer what I find most beautiful right now, the andante of Nielsen's 3rd.


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## mkur (Sep 2, 2021)

This is an interesting one.

Short answer: no such thing.

Elaborating a bit:

A "beauty" is a post romantic notion. Most of us have got it imprinted what harmonics should lead to what
kind of emotion. Of course it evolves but generally most of music - both art and pop (and rock) is like 
just making use of preconceived notions. Nothing bad in it but it's far from art ;-)

A little bit overlooked nowadays Leonard Bernstein TV series gives much insight into it then I might be able to.
Also there's a lot of psychology type science to it.

For me classical music is one more venue to explore to find myself amused. 
A nice harmony or a huge climax generally puts me off ;-)

I can understand Mozart and Bach fans but - my apologies - Bartok or Shostakovich are better.

Still looking for a new most beautiful thing ;-)


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## JohnP (May 27, 2014)

WHOA! The eyes of this beholder just got big as saucers. Let's see, for starters...

Beethoven. Piano Sonata No. 11, 2nd movement: Adagio con molto espressione.
Beethoven. Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109. Fourth variation from 3rd movement: Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo.
Brahms. Chorale Prelude A Lovely Rose is Blooming), Op. 122, No. 8
Brahms. Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2
Chopin. Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, 3rd movement: Largo
Haydn. 2nd movement: Adagio cantabile movement of Symphony 90
Ravel. Ma mère l'Oye. 5th movement: Le jardin féerique
Schumann. Fantasy in C

I'm listing them in alphabetical order since I can't choose. If I had another week, the list would only get longer.


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## mkur (Sep 2, 2021)

OK then.

Brahms 2nd piano concerto is the most beautiful piece.
The whole thing.


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

My answer would never be the same on any two days, but right now it's this, specifically the theme:


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

For my part, I'd like to exclude the usual suspects and representatives of the traditional notions of beauty. So I've filtered my spreadsheet where I write down everything I listen to, and write brief impressions, to select works written post-1945 that I've described as beautiful, and other variants of the word, of course, in my native language, spanish (bello, lindo, precioso, mostly). 
So a few examples of that:

Messiaen - Turangalila Symphonie
Messiaen - Quartet for the end of time
Messiaen - Catalogue des Oiseaux
Messiaen - Des canyons aux étoiles
Messiaen - Éclairs sur l'au déla 
Études transcendentales - Ferneyhough
Hindemith - Mass
Hindemith - Zwölf Madrigals
Stabat Mater - Poulenc
Choir Concerto - Schnittke
Birtwistle - The Mask of Orpheus
Rihm - Vigilia
Veress - String Trio
Ligeti - Sonata for viola solo
Ligeti - Musica ricercata
Ligeti - Violin Concerto
Ligeti - Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel
Ligeti - Lux aeterna
Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts
Cage - Sonatas and interludes for prepared piano
Stockhausen - Chöre für Doris
Stockhausen - Freude (Klang 2. Stunde)
Stockhausen - Natürliche Dauern (Klang 3. Stunde)
Stockhausen - Am Himmel wandre ich
Feldman - For Phillip Guston 
Xenakis - À Helene
Haas - String Quartet 3
Strauss - Vier Letzte Lieder 
Britten - War Requiem
Kurtág - Hölderlin Gesänge
Golijov - Ainadamar
Nono - Das atmende Klarsein
Rautavaara - True and False Unicorn
Rautavaara - Lorca Suite
Grisey - Les espaces acoustiques II
Berio - Coro
Berio - Sinfonia
Norgard - Symphony 2
Norgard - Symphony 3
Norgard - String Quartet 10
Norgard - Nuit des hommes
Weinberg - Requiem
Gubaidúlina - Johannes Passio

Surely, I'm missing a bunch. And I cutout the IIVS which is chock full of beautiful pieces (Berg's lyric suite, webern's symphony and concerto, and the two cantatas, among others, Schoenberg's piano pieces, string quartets...)

*But-Above-All: Mahler's 2nd symphony. *


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

allaroundmusicenthusiast said:


> For my part, I'd like to exclude the usual suspects and representatives of the traditional notions of beauty. So I've filtered my spreadsheet where I write down everything I listen to, and write brief impressions, to select works written post-1945 that I've described as beautiful, and other variants of the word, of course, in my native language, spanish (bello, lindo, precioso, mostly).
> So a few examples of that:
> 
> Messiaen - Turangalila Symphonie
> ...


Those two stick out as ones I too would cite. But I applaud your effort to focus on relatively contemporary music.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

mkur said:


> This is an interesting one.
> 
> Short answer: no such thing.
> 
> ...


I struggle too with the idea of singling out one piece as "most" anything. Nevertheless, I can see why some of the suggestions have been made, and the list of more modern compositions is particularly useful.

One I feel is perfectly formed is the Berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

So many great pieces listed here, I'm glad Walton made an appearance from SanA. I'd add the Passacaglia, also from the 'Henry V Suite'. Kernis has written a modern 'Barber Adagio' with his 'Musica Celestis'. One of my favourite recordings and performances of Purcell's 'Music for a While' comes from Kathleen Battle. This is close to perfection imv and every time I hear it, I'm utterly moved by it. Then there is a little known gem by Herbert Howells of effortless grace of beauty (starts at around 5'40")


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

SanAntone said:


> Those two stick out as ones I too would cite. But I applaud your effort to focus on relatively contemporary music.


Wouldn't you include in your selection Feldman's piece?


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

mkur said:


> *A nice harmony* or a huge climax generally puts me off ;-)


To each his own, but I hope I never reach this point!


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

allaroundmusicenthusiast said:


> Wouldn't you include in your selection Feldman's piece?


I prefer other Feldman pieces, e.g Palais de Mari - but yes, Feldman is on my list.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243. I think it's the "most perfect" single work I've ever heard.


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

dissident said:


> Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243. I think it's the "most perfect" single work I've ever heard.


Can you please speak to this comment a bit?

What is it about this work that makes you say this?

Thank you


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

eljr said:


> "Thank you


in advance"eeeeeeeeeeee


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## neofite (Feb 19, 2017)

"The most beautiful thing ever written?"

So many, it's an impossible task! (Amazingly, most of them were written by just a few dozen composers.) But if I absolutely had to make a choice, it could be the Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakmé. A hauntingly beautiful melody sung by two of that greatest of all instruments in combination with exquisite orchestration.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

eljr said:


> Can you please speak to this comment a bit?
> 
> What is it about this work that makes you say this?
> 
> Thank you


Extremely tight and "economical" and the music matches the text about as perfectly as it can.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

The most beautiful thing ever written is Tchaikovsky's piano concerto no. 3, his very last composition. My word is, of course, absolute, unmistakable and final. 






I believe that the composers' last works tend to be their best. I think that the proximity of death makes them pay more attention to more important things in life, and thus their works tend to reflect these last blossoms of enhanced state of conscience of theirs.


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## AaronSF (Sep 5, 2021)

So many beautiful pieces. Of course there isn't "one" most beautiful.

Just for fun, here's a beautiful piece I ran across recently that takes Romanticism to a fervid high.

Franz Schmidt: Intermezzo from the opera "Notre Dame":


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

dissident said:


> Extremely tight and "economical" and the music matches the text about as perfectly as it can.


Thank you, on your recommendation I have paid more attention to this piece. I have incorporated it into a few of my playlists.

I have done the same with Mozart Piano Concerto #25 which you championed in another thread.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

eljr said:


> Thank you, on your recommendation I have paid more attention to this piece. I have incorporated it into a few of my playlists.
> 
> I have done the same with Mozart Piano Concerto #25 which you championed in another thread.


Excellent. If you aren't familiar with Bach's choral music, the Magnificat may be a terrific introduction.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

^^^I sang in the Magnificat as a non-orchestral player drafted into the tenor section at college. I remember those semiquavers where a challenge for my lack of vocal ability. Great music tho'.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

"On one stave, for a small instrument, the man [Bach] writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind." (J Brahms)


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## Eriks (Oct 10, 2021)

When caught off-guard some "folksy" stuff in your native tounge, e.g. gammal Fäbodpsalm hits hard, and feels like the most beatiful thing one has ever heard (for a while):


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

mikeh375 said:


> ^^^I sang in the Magnificat as a non-orchestral player drafted into the tenor section at college. I remember those semiquavers where a challenge for my lack of vocal ability. Great music tho'.


I don't know how singers make it through the last 10 measures or so without turning blue, to be honest.


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

dissident said:


> Excellent. If you aren't familiar with Bach's choral music, the Magnificat may be a terrific introduction.


I am quite familiar but I am not a student of music, I am but an "appreciator" of music. It leaves me at a decided disadvantage. On your recommendation I sat very attentively, likely for the for time, and critically listened. It is wonderful as you say.

I shall follow your posts for other such cues.

best regards :tiphat:


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## Sumantra (Feb 1, 2018)

Piano Concertos of Mozart


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