# Battle or War Pieces??



## Mahler Maniac

Do you guys know any good Classical pieces that conjur up or expertly describe Battle or War?? I have one, but I would like some more. Thanks alot 

MM


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## Hexameron

There are many pieces with "battle sounds" or imitations and feelings of war.

Supreme models are Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, and many works from Prokofiev. There's also Chopin's Military Polonaise and Liszt's Symphonic Poem No. 11 "Battle of the Huns." I think Monteverdi did a vocal work about a Knight's battle, too, but I only know that from reading it somewhere; I never heard the piece.


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## linz

Gustav Holst: 'The Planets' Mars "God of War"
Carl Orff: 'Carmina Burana' was used in the popular 80's film 'Excalibur'
Franz Liszt symphonic poem: 'Mazeppa' sounds like battle music.
Percy Grainger: 'The Warriors'


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## Hexameron

Yea, I forgot about Holst. That's a good list there, linz!

I'd also say Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" suggests a ride to war.


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## rojo

Maybe Britten`s War Requiem?

The invasion theme in the first movement of Shostakovich`s 7th Symphony (Leningrad)?

I thought there was a part of Bartok`s Concerto for Orchestra that portrayed bombs falling, but now I`m not sure I`m remembering the right piece...


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## Mahler Maniac

Thanks alot guys for the suggestions!! I really appreciate it!!


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## Kurkikohtaus

Richard Strauss - _Ein Heldenleben_ (the "Hero's Battlefield" section)
John Williams - _Duel of the Fates_ (from "Phantom Menace")


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## linz

Shostakovich's 10th, Allegretto? (When you get to the movement, you'll know it!) 
Listen to it on www.Amazon.com to see if you like it.
Herbert von Karajan with the Berliner Philharminker on Duetsche Grammaphone is a fine recording of it.


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## mahlerfan

Well, Duel of the Fates by John Williams is a good one, as is Mars, The Bringer of War, in Gustav Holst's "Planets".


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## Kurkikohtaus

I also forgot *Shostakovich 11th* ("The year 1905")

There is a passage in the 2nd mvmt that portrays the Cossack slaughter of hundreds of peasants. It begins with a percussion solo . . . hard to miss, very graphic.


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## Guest

May I suggest Olivier Messiaen and his "Quartet for the End of Time," composed in 1940 during his captivity in a German prisoner of war camp?


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## IAmKing

Daffodylls said:


> May I suggest Olivier Messiaen and his "Quartet for the End of Time," composed in 1940 during his captivity in a German prisoner of war camp?


YES! Awesome piece of music...


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## Giovannimusica

*War Music*

May I humbly suggest that the music scored for the 1980's film *Conan the Barbarian* composed by Basil Poledouris is very martial. If my memory serves me, the score calls for 24 wagner tubas (among other things) - WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!

Cheers!

Giovanni


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## flash_fires

"Battle of the Heroes" -John Williams
Star Wars Ep. 3


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## D Minor

Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli (Mass in Time of War), written in 1796 as Napoleon was advancing on Vienna, where it was to be performed

Dimitri Shostakovich wrote most of his 1941 Symphony # 7 in Leningrad during the first two months of Nazi siege.


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## Edward Elgar

Nobody has mentioned Verdi's Requiem! The Dies Irae is so descriptive of the chaos of battle. Also, Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony mvt. 2 is quite boystrous and millitary in places, expertly juxtaposed with the beautiful second subject.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Hexameron said:


> I'd also say Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" suggests a ride to war.


A less well-known version of Wagner "battle music" occurs in *Rienzi*... the _Santo Spirito Cavaliere_ chorus. Although the work is pretty much gone from the opera houses, that passage lives on in the overture, which remains a repertory composition.

Trivia note- although Wagner publicly criticized his own efforts in Rienzi (having proceeded to his "Gesamtkunstwerk" music-drama formulations), Rienzi remained one of Wagner's most popular works, while he lived.


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## anon2k2

How about Mars from The Planets? That is pretty "martial" in nature.
Also, the "Battle on the Ice" from Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky.
Sort of related is the first movement of the Mahler 6th. The introductory march is definitely martial.
And finally, just about any John Phillip Sousa march!


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## CampOfTheSaints

I agree with most of what has been already recomended, especially Shostakovich's 11th Symphony. Yes, the second movement really brings to life the cold-blooded murder of 100's of men, women and children in 1905.

Yes, Shostakovich KNEW WAR first hand, and the terror of living in a Communist Police State, which is why I recommend ALL OF HIS WAR SYMPHONIES. 

There is a great box set of his War Symphonies by Valery Gergiev and The Kirov Orchestra, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

These War Symphonies, No. 4 through No. 9, were composed by Shostakovich just before, durring, and after the War. Death and suffering can be heard throughout all of these works, as well as a glimer of hope for victory.

This box set is really nice, with lot's of black and white war photos included, as well as some photos of old Soviet propaganda posters. And all of the symphonies were recorded live, with a crisp, clear sound. 

So, if you really want to hear what war sounds like in music, get this box set of CD's.


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## Rondo

I would add: Verdi's _Dies Irae_, Prokofiev's _Ivan the Terrible_, and (since people mentioned John Williams) the soundtrack from _Planet of the Apes_ (Elfman's or Goldsmith's).

Im surprised no one has mentioned Schoenberg's _A Survivor from Warsaw_.


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## Sid James

William Walton's Spitfire Prelude & Fugue.


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## Atabey

anon2k2 said:


> Also, the "Battle on the Ice" from Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky.


I was shocked how until that moment this was not mentioned.


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## Lang

Panufnik, Tragic Overture. The battle music from Strauss' Ein Heldenleben. Susato, 'Battle' Pavane.


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## theclassicalguy

What about the last movement from Petr Eben's _Sunday Music_? It's for solo organ and is supposed to depict the end of the battle of Armageddon (heard in the distance) and the ensuing victory. It's an astounding piece. I can recommend a recording if anyone is interested.


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## flash_fires

theclassicalguy said:


> What about the last movement from Petr Eben's _Sunday Music_? It's for solo organ and is supposed to depict the end of the battle of Armageddon (heard in the distance) and the ensuing victory. It's an astounding piece. I can recommend a recording if anyone is interested.


I would love to listen to a good recording. If you would prefer to send it by e-mail, my address is _[email protected]_. Thank you in advance.


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## Yagan Kiely

> Supreme models are Beethoven's Wellington's Victory


Dear God, supreme example of how Beethoven was as bad as Andre Rieu on the rare occasions that Beethoven made a point of not trying. Horrible piece! First years at my uni who prefer metal are more musical than that abomination.


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## theclassicalguy

Flash Fires,
I'm afraid I don't have a clip I could email you, but this is probably the best recording of the piece out there (of only about 3). The organist is fantastic and is recording a cycle of CDs of all of Eben's organ music. It's great stuff.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=3345&name_role1=1&bcorder=1&comp_id=8721


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## Mahler Maniac

Awesome suggestions!

Thanks so much!

I too love Holst's Planet's and Mahler's 6th.

I will research all the suggestions given and will thoroughly enjoy them!

Also, I will share with you that this piece created for the Japanese Anime 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', is a very good war piece. It's called 'Decisive Battle'.

Thanks!


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## shsherm

I can think of two scores which were written for television shows in the 50's. One is the score for "Victory At Sea" written by Richard Rogers of Broadway musical fame and another is the music for a documentary series called "Air Power" which was composed by Norman Dello Joio who died last year at the age of 95. He won a Pulitzer prize as well as an Emmy.


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## Weston

Yagan Kiely said:


> Dear God, supreme example of how Beethoven was as bad as Andre Rieu on the rare occasions that Beethoven made a point of not trying. Horrible piece! First years at my uni who prefer metal are more musical than that abomination.


On this we can agree -- and I am a huge Beethoven fan.


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## martinlp

I was once sat in the middle of the orchestra for the Verdi Requiem, while a recent conflict was in full flow. The start of the Dies Irae (with the flying strings and the thumping bass drum) was uncomfortably like being caught in a war zone.


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## cvirata

did anyone see either the 1998 Nagano or 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics? there was figure skating pair from Central/Eastern Europe. They skated to a piece that was meant to evoke the war in the Balkans (so said the broadcaster).

the piece was a crescendo; the strings were grating louder and louder. 
a vocalist was wailing towards the end. 

to me, the piece built up feelings of war-as-despair. 

unlike Holst's Mars which was also terrifying yet somewhat awe-inspiring, the piece was terrifying and sorrowful (made me think of dead villagers, ravaged countryside with dying half-starved children and mothers wailing for their deathbound sons... no i was not smoking anything. i was having dinner with my parents while watching at that time)

would anyone know this piece?


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## ouled nails

Not a direct answer but all these works were inspired by war and its human tragedies. It's a list I compiled on another classical music site. Note that these are mostly not descriptive of war battles but nevertheless were written because, or as a result of war:

Aaltonen, Erkki - Symphony no. 2 "Hiroshima" 
Adams, John - The Wound-Dresser, for barytone and orchestra. 
Alfven, Hugo - Gustav II Adolf, op. 49. orchestra. 
Alwyn, William - Tragic Interlude. 2 horns, timpani, string orchesta. 
Antheil, George - Symphony no. 4 “1942" 
Antheil, George - Campaign. Symphonic suite for orchestra. 
Arnell, Richard - Symphony no. 2 (???) 
Arnell, Richard - Symphony no. 3 (???) 

Ballif, Claude - Cendres, music for percussion 
Balada, Leonardo - Symphony no. 6, “Symphony of Sorrows.” 
Balada, Leonardo - Guernica. orchestra. 
Barber, Samuel - Symphony no. 2 and Commando March (commissioned by the military) 
Barber, Samuel - A Stopwatch and an Ordinance Map. Male chorus, brass, and kettledrums (inspired by Spanish Civil War) 
Bartok, Bela - String Quartet no. 6 (also inspired by his mother's passing) 
Bartok, Bela - Concerto for Orchestra (???) 
Bartok, Bela - Kossuth. Symphonic poem. 
Bax, Arnold - In Memoriam. cor anglais, harp, and string quartet. 
Bax, Arnold - Violin sonata no. 2 (biographers call the second movement "The Dance of Death") 
Bax, Arnold - Malta G.C. Film music for orchestra. 
Beauvarlet-Charpentier, Jean-Jacques - Victoire de l'armee d'Italie, ou la bataille de Mntenotte, for piano or organ. 
Beethoven, Ludwig van - Wellington’s Victory, op. 91. 
Beethoven, L.V - Symphony no. 3, op. 55 “Eroica” 
Beethoven, L.V. - Germania, WoO 94. Bass, chorus, orchestra. 
Ben-Haim. Paul - Symphony no. 1. orchestra. 
Bennett, Richard Rodney - A Farewell to Arms 
Bennett, Robert Russell - The Four Freedom Symphony (war bond drive) 
Berg, Alban - Wozzeck, opera (military themes) 
Berlioz, Hector - Les Troyens, opera. 
Berlioz, Hector - Grande symphonie funebre et triomphale. Military band, strings and chorus (commissioned to be performed on 28 July, 1840) 
Berlioz, Hector - Scene heroique (La revolution grecque), chorus/orchestra 
Bernstein, Leonard - Symphony no. 1 "Lamentation of Jeremiah." 
Bernstein, Leonard - Symphony no. 3, "Kaddish" 
Bernstein, Leonard - Halil: Nocturne for solo flute, string orchestra and percussion (in memory of fallen Israeli soldiers in 1973 Yom Kippur War) 
Biber, Dietrich - Battaglia 
Blacher, Boris - Alla marcia, orchestra 
Blacher, Boris - Dance Scenes (La) Vie, orchestra. 
Blacher, Boris - Chiarina, orchestra 
Blacher, Boris - Partita, orchestra 
Blacher, Boris - Two Sonatinas 
Blacher, Boris - Drei Psalmen 
Bliss, Arthur - Morning Heroes. for narrator, chorus, orchestra. 
Blitzstein, Marc - Airborne Symphony (1946) 
Blitzstein, Marc - Freedom Morning. symphonic poem for orchestra. 
Bloch, Ernest - America. chorus and orchestra (2nd movement) 
Blumenfeld, Harold - Songs of War. chorus and guitar obbligato. 
Blumenfeld, Harold- War Lament. chorus and guitar obbligato. 
de Boer, Ed - Symphony no. 1 (1989). 
Boulanger, Lili - Pour les funerailles d'un soldat, bar., chorus, orchestra. 
Bridge, Frank - Lament for string orchestra (1915) 
Bridge, Frank - A prayer, for chorus and orchestra (1916) 
Bridge, Frank - Piano Sonata (in memory of Ernest Farrar) 
Bridge, Frank - Oration for solo 'cello and orchestra (1930) 
Bridge, Frank - Rebus, for orchestra (1939-40) 
Britten, Benjamin - War requiem. 
Britten, Benjamin - Sinfonia da Requiem 
Britten, Benjamin - Ballad of Heroes. tenor, chorus and orchestra. 
Bull, John - A Battle and No Battle. keyboard. 
Bull, John - Battle Pavan. keyboard. 
Bull, John - Battle Galliard. keyboard. 
Bull, John - Coranto Battle. keyboard. 
Busnois, Antoine - La messe de l'homme armee 
Busoni, Ferreuccio - Zweite Orchestersuite, op. 34a. 
Byrd, William - The Battle. ten independent movements. 
Byrd. William - In Fields Abroad. Consort song. 
Byrd, William - Look and Bow Down. consort song. 

Carr, Benjamin - The Siege of Tripolli. An Historical Naval Sonata. piano. 
Casella, Alfredo - Elegia eroica. orchestra. 
Casella, Alfredo- Pagine de guerra. piano four hands. 
Coles, Cecil - Behind the Lines, suite for orchestra. 
Constant, Marius - La Guerre, in Éloge de la Folie, ballet 
Converse, Frederic - The Answer of the Stars. chorus, sopr., orchestra. 
Copland, Aaron - Fanfare for the Common Man (comm. by E.Goossens) 
Copland, Aaron - Symphony no. 3 (celebrates end of World War II) 
Copland, Aaron - A Lincoln Portrait. 
Cowell, Henri - Fanfare for the forces of three Latin American Allies. 
Creston, Paul - Fanfare for the Paratroopers. 
Creston, Paul - Chant of 1942, op. 33. 
Crumb, George - Black Angels: Thirteen Images from the Dark Land (US-Vietnam War) 
Cui, Cesar - War: A Momentous Song. Song. 

Dallapiccola, Luigi - Canti di prigionia, for chorus, two pianos, 2 harps and percussion 
Dallapiccola, Luigi - Il prigioniero, opera. 
Dallapiccola, Luigi - Canti di liberazione, for mixed chorus and orchestra 
Damrosch, Walter - Manila Te Deum. solo quartet, chorus and orchestra. 
Damrosch, Walter - Dunkirk. ballad-poem, bar., chorus, small orchestra. 
Dandrieu, Jean-Francois - Les caracteres de la guerre, harpsichord. 
Debussy, Claude - Berceuse Heroique (orch. by Debussy) 
Debussy, Claude - En blanc et en noir (second movement) 
Debussy, Claude - Noel pour les enfants qui n'ont plus de maison. 
Delius, Frederick - Requiem. soprano, baritone, double chorus, orch. 
Diamond, David - Symphony no. 2 (“a war symphony,” D. Diamond) 
Diamond, David- Epitaph (On the Grave of a Young Cavalry Officer Killed in the Valley of Virginia). voice and piano. 
Diamond, David - This Sacred Ground (section on the civil war) 
Dowland, John - Round Battle Galliard. Lute. 
Duparc, Henri - Au pays ou se fait la guerre, song. 
Dupre, Marcel - De profundis. chorus, tenor, organ, and orchestra. 
Dussek, Jan Ladislav - The Sufferings of the Queen Marie Antoinette, op.23 
Dvorak, Anton - Hussite, dramatic overture. 
Dufay, Guillaume - Messe "l'homme armee" for four voices. 

Eisler, Hanns - Schweyk in the Second World War 
Eisler, Hanns - Deutsche Sinfonie, op. 50 
Elgar, Edward - Polonia, symphonic prelude (for Polish victims) 
Elgar, Edward - The Spirit of England (patriotic work) 
Elgar, Edward - Carillon, op. 75 (German invasion of Belgium) 
Elgar, Edward - Le drapeau belge, op. 79 (war-torn Belgium) 
Elgar, Edward - Fringes of the Fleet. 4 baritones and orchestra. 
Elgar, Edward - Une voix dans le desert, narrator, sopr., orchestra. 
El-Khoury, Bechara - Lebanon in Flames, op. 14, for orchestra. 
El-Khoury, Bechara - Requiem for orchestra, op. 18. 
Enesco, Georges - Symphony no. 3, op. 21. 
Englund, Einar - Symphony no. 1 (first Finnish war symphony?) 

Farrar, Ernest - Heroic Elegy, op. 36. 
Fibich, Zdenek - Sarka, op. 51. Opera (Amazonian warrior Sarka) 
Finzi, Gerald - "Channel firing" , op. 16 no. 5, baritone and piano, from Before and After Summer, no. 5. 
Foerster, Joseph B. - Kantata 1945, op. 187. 
Foote, Arthur - Three Songs, 1914-1918. voice and piano. 
Foss, Lukas - Elegy for Anne Frank. orchestra and piano obbligato. 
Foss, Lukas - Symphony no. 3 (Of Sorrows), with organ and orchestra. 
Fried, Grigori - The journal of Ann Frank, soprano and orchestra. 
Fuleihan, Anis - Fanfare for the Medical Corps. 

Ginastera, Alberto- Cantata para America magica (3rd movement) 
Glass, Philip - Civil wars : a tree is best measured when it is down, opera 
Glass, Philip - Appomatox, opera. 
Gliere, Reinhold - Symphony no. 3 "Il'ya Murometz" 
Goldschmidt, Bertold - Zwei Psalmen 
Golijov, Osvaldo - Ainadamar “Fountains of Tears,” opera. 
Goossens, Eugene - Fanfare for the Merchant Marine. 
Gorecki, Henrik Mikolaj- Symphony no. 3, op. 36. 
Gottschalk, Louis - Bataille, op. 64. piano. 
Gottschalk, Louis - Chant de guerre, op. 78. piano. 
Gottschalk, Louis - Chant du soldat: grand caprice de concert, op. 23. 
Gottschalk, Louis - L'Union, op. 48, piano. 
Gould, Morton - Holocaust Suite (1978) 
Gould, Morton - World War I, selections (CBS Series, 1964) 
Gould, Morton - Symphony no. 1 (1943) 
Gould, Morton - Symphony no. 2 "On Marching Tunes." 
Gould, Morton - Fanfare for Freedom. 
Gould, Morton - Jericho. Wind ensemble. 
Gretchaninov, A. - Poeme elegiaque, op. 175. grand orchestra. 
Guerrero, Francisco - Missa de la batalla escoutez. Five voices. 
Gurlitt, Manfred - Soldaten, opera. 
Gurney, Ivor - In Flanders, songs. 

Handel, G.F. - Dettingen Anthem. Chorus, soloists, and orchestra. 
Handel, G.F. - combat scenes in Belshazzar, and other operas. 
Handel, G.F. - Music for the Royal Fireworks (Peace of 1748) 
Hanson, Howard - Fanfare for the Signal Corps 
Hanson, Howard - Drum Taps. bar., chorus, and orchestra. 
Harris, Roy - Fanfare for the Forces 
Harris, Roy - March in Time of War (dedicated to composers in WWII.) 
Harris, Roy - Symphony no. 5 (first dedicated to USSR soldiers)(1942) 
Harris, Roy - Symphony no. 6, Gettysburg 
Harris, Roy - Symphony no. 10 "Abraham Lincoln". Fourth movement. 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Miserae (dedicated to Dachau camp Nazi prisoners). 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - String Quartet no. 1 (beginnings of Nazi oppression) 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Sinfonia Tragica (lost score found in Belgium in 1980s) 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Sonata “April 1945), piano 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Symphony no. 1 “Versuch eines Requiem” 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Symphony no. 2 (a lament for a bombed Germany) 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Symphony no. 3 (last mov. drawn from Sinfonia Tragica) 
Hartmann, Karl Amadeus - Concerto funebre for violin and string orchestra 
Hartmann Karl Amadeus - Das Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend, opera. 
Harty, Hamilton - With the Wild Geese. symphonic poem. 
Haydn, Joseph - Missa in Augustiis 
Haydn, Joseph - Mass in Time of War 
Haydn, Joseph - Lines from the Battle of the Nile. Aria for soprano/piano. 
Heilner, Irwin - "Channel Firing," medium voice and piano. 
Heming, Michael - A Threnody for a Soldier Killed in Action. orchestra. (based on Heming's sketch, before he was killed in action) 
Henkemans, Hans- Bericht aan de levenden voor gemengd koor, orkest en declamatie 
Henry, Pierre - Symphony no. 10, Title 7, War. 
Herrmann, Bernard - For the Fallen. Symphonic poem. 
Hewitt, James - Battle of Trenton. piano. 
Hewitt, James - The 4th of July. Grand Military Sonata. piano. 
Hindemith, Paul - When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloomed. Requiem. 
Holst, Gustav - Mars, in The Planets. 
Holst, Gustav - Battle March, op. 26, no. 1 in Choral Hymn for the Rig Veda, chorus and orchestra. 
Holst, Gustav - Ode to Death (W. Whitman) 
Honegger, Arthur - Symphony no. 2, (written during German occupation of Paris) 
Honegger, Arthur - Symphony no. 3 “Symphonie Liturgique” (war march of the Dona Nobis) 
Honegger, Arthur = Jeanne d'Arc au bucher, oratorio. 
Hummel, J. N. - Six Waltzes followed by a Great Battle, op. 91. Orchestra 
Husa, Karel - Music for Prague 1968. Band. 

d’Indy, Vincent - Symphony no. 3, op.73 "De Bello Gallico" 
Ippolitov-Ivanov, Mikhail - Caucasian War March in Caucasian Sketches, "Iveria" op. 42 no. 4 
Ireland, John - The Soldier. voice and piano. 
Ives, Charles - Orchestra Set No. 2 "From Hanover Square North, at the End of a Tragic Day, the Voice of the People Again Arose." 
Ives, Charles - He is There! and Tom Sails Away. voice and piano. 
Ives, Charles - They are There: A War Song March. Chorus and orch. 
Ives, Charles - In Flanders Fields. bar. or male chorus and piano. 

Janacek, Leos - Taras Bulba, Rhapsody. 
Janacek, Leos - Tema con variazioni, op. 23. piano (tragedy of Lidice) 
Janequin, Clement - La guerre, chanson. 
Janequin, Clement - La bataille de Metz. chanson. 
Janequin, Clement - La guerre: Escoutes tous gentils. chanson 
Janequin, Clement - La guerre de Renty. chanson. 
Janequin, Clement - Messe la battaille. four-voice mass. 
Jenkins, Karl - The Armed Man "A Mass for Peace" 
Jolivet, Andre - Les trois complaintes du soldat vaincu, voice and orchestra. 
Joseph, Wilfred - Requiem (1963) (inspired by the victims of the Holocaust) 

Kabalevsky, D.- Requiem “for those who died in the war against fascism” 
(+ several 1942 lesser works to inspire heroism) 
Kagel, Maurizio - Der Tribun 
Kastal'sky, Alexander - Requiem for the Fallen Heroes of the Allied Armies 
Kauer, Ferdinand - La conquete d'Oczakow: Sonate militaire. piano. 
Kelly, Frederic - Elegy for Strings. 
Khachaturian, Aram - Symphony no. 2 (depicts the "superhuman sufferings caused to the Soviet people by the Nazi monsters,"composer). 
Khachaturian, A. - Suite from Battle of Stalingrad. film music. 
Khrennikov, T. - Symphony no. 2. 
Kloffler, J.F. - Bataille. Symphony for two orchestras. 
Koczwara, Frantisek - The Battle of Prague. piano, violin and cello. 
Kodaly, Zoltan - Hary Janos 
Kodaly, Zoltan - Budavari Te Deum. chorus, organ, and orchestra. 
Kodaly, Zoltan - Castadal (Battle Song). double chorus. 
Kox, Hans - Shoah Oratorium. 
Kox, Hans - Anne Frank Cantata: A Child of Light. 
Kox, Hans - Requiem for Europe. 4 choruses, two organs, instr. groups. 
Krasa, Hans - Brundihar, children's opera (evil character personifies Hitler) 
Krenek, Ernst - Cantata for Wartime, op. 95. 
Kubik, Gail - A Litany and Prayer. Cantata male chorus, brass, percussion. 
Kubik, Gail - A Record of our Time. chorus, narrator and orchestra. 
Kurka, Robert - The good soldier Schweik 

Lees, Benjamin - Symphony no. 4 “Memorial Candles” (to commemorate the Holocaust) 
Lemeland, Aubert - Omaha, for choir. 
Lemeland, Aubert - Memorial - Dieppe 19 August 1942 
Lemeland, Aubert - American War Requiem - Normandy 1944 
Lemeland, Aubert - Songs of dead soldiers, op. 156 
Lemeland, Aubert - Airmen, op. 159. 
Lemeland, Aubert - Ballades du soldat, op. 171. 
Lemeland, Aubert - Symphony no. 10 “Letzte briefe aus Stalingrad” 
Liszt, Franz - Battle of the Huns, symphonic poem no. 11 
Liszt, Franz - Funerailles. piano (Hungarian Revolution of 1848) 
Liszt, Franz - Hungaria 1848. Cantata. (Hungarian revolt of 1848) 
Loeffler, Charles M. - For One Who Fell in Battle. Chorus. 
Lutoslawski, Witold - Le Grand Combat (Three poems of Henry Michaux) 

Madetoja, Levi - Symphony no. 2. 
Mahler, Gustav - Revelge, Der Tamboursg’sell, Der Schildwache Nachtlied and Wo die schonen Trompeten blasen, in Des Knaben Wunderhorn (folk songs with military imagery) 
Maliepiero, G. F. - Symphony no. 3 “delle campane” (Germans in Italy, 1943-45) 
Maliepiero, G. F. - Symphony no. 4 in memoriam (dedicated to the memory of Natalie Koussevitzky) ??? 
Martin, Frank - In Terra Pax, oratorio for five soloists and double chorus 
Martinon, Jean - Musique d'exil ou Stalag IX. orchestra. 
Martinon, Jean - Psaume 136 (chant du captif), op. 33. 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Symphony no. 1 (early reaction to Lidice) 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Symphony no. 2 (in support of his compatriots) 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Memorial to Lidice. Orchestra 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Field Mass. male chorus, baritone, orchetra. 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Symphony no. 3. 
Martinu, Bohuslav - Double Concerto. Two string orch., piano, timpani. 
McDonald, Harl - Bataan. Symphonic Poem. 
McDonald, Harl - Dirge for Two Veterans. women's chorus and piano. 
McDonald, Harl - Elegy and Battle Hymn. baritone and orchestra. 
Messiaen, Olivier - Quatuor pour la fin du temps. 
Meyerbeer, Giacomo - Les Huguenots. Acts 4-5 depict Huguenot massacre. 
Milhaud, Darius - Le Chateau du feu, cantata for chorus and orchestra (dedicated to his nephew and two friends assassinated by the Nazis) 
Milhaud, Darius - In Memoriam for Pearl Harbor Day 
Milhaud, Darius. - La libération des Antilles, op. 246 
Milhaud, Darius - Chorale 
Milhaud, Darius - Cantate de la guerre. chorus. 
Milhaud, Darius - Symphony no. 3 "Hymnus Ambrosianus" 
Milhaud, Darius- Symphony no. 4 ("1848") 
Monteverdi, Claudio- Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi 
Monteverdi, Claudio - Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda 
Monteverdi, Claudio- Sinfonia di guerra in Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria. 
Moore, Douglas S. - In Memoriam. orchestra. 
Mozart, W.A. - Contretanz (La bataille), K. 535. Orchestra. 
Mozart, W.A. - Contretanz "Der Sieg vom Helden Koburg", K.587. Orch. 
Myaskovsky, Nikolai - Symphony no. 6 
Myaskovsky, Nikolai - Symphony no. 4 (his personal military experience) 
Myaskovsky, Nikolai - Symphony no. 22, Symphonic Ballad. 

Nielsen, Carl - Symphony no. 4. 
Nono, Luigi -Il Canto Sospeso 
Nono, Luigi - Intolleranza 1960, "azione scenica" 
Nono, Luigi - Sul ponte di Hiroshima, soprano, tenor, orchestra. 
Nono, Luigi- La victoire de Guernica. chorus and orchestra. 
Novak, Viteslav - De profundis, op. 67. symph. poem for organ and orch. 
Novak, Viteslav - Majova Symphonie. op. 73. soloists, chorus, orchestra. 

Ornstein, Leo - Poems of 1917. piano 

Paganini, Niccolo - Capriccio for solo violin no. 14. 
Panufnik, Andrzej - Uwetura tragiczna. orchestra. 
Panufnik, Andrzej- Heroic Overture. orchestra. 
Panufnik, Andrzej - Katyn Epitaph. orchestra. 
Panufnik, Andrzej - Sinfonia elegiaca. symphony. 
Parry, CHH - The Chivalry of the Sea, naval ode (patriotic work) 
Parry, CHH - War and Peace. Symphonic Ode. 
Parry, CHH - From Death to Life. symphonic poem. 
Part, Arvo - Nekrolog, op. 5. orchestra. 
Partch, Harry - Eleven Intrusions, no. 9: soldiers, war, another war. 
Penderecki, Krzysztof - Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima. 
Penderecki, Krzysztof - Dies irae : oratorio for the victims of Auschwitz 
Penderecki, K. - Polish Requiem. soloists, chorus, orchestra. 
Pentland, Barbara - Rhapsody 1939: The Woprld on the March to War Again. piano. 
Piston, Walter - Fanfare for the Fighting French 
Piston, Walter - Symphony no. 2 (according to biographer Pollack)??? 
Probst, Dominique - Maximilien Kolbe, opera. 
Poulenc, Francis - Figure humaine : cantata 
Poulenc, Francis - Dialogues des Carmelites, opera (French Revolution) 
Prokofiev, Sergei - Alexandre Nevski, cantata, op. 78 
Prokofiev, Sergei. - War and Peace, op. 91 
Prokofiev, Sergei - Lieutenant Kijé 
Prokofiev, Sergei. - Ode to the end of the war, op. 105 
Prokofiev, Sergei - Symphony no. 6 (???) 
Prokofiev, Sergei - Soldiers' Marching Song, for choir. 
Prokofiev, Sergei - On Guard for Peace, oratorio. 
Prokofiev, Sergei - The Year 1941, suite. 
Prokofiev, Sergei - Semyon Kotko, opera (demobilized soldier) 
Prokofiev, Sergei - The Story of a Real Man, opera. 
Prokofiev, Sergei- Seven, They are Seven, op. 30. Cantata. 

Ravel, Maurice - La Valse (decline of Austrian culture before WWI) 
Ravel, Maurice - Le tombeau de Couperin (friends lost in WWI) 
Reich, Steve - Different trains 
von Reznicek, E.N. - In Memoriam. alto, bar., chorus and string orchestra. 
Rheinberger, Joseph - Wallerstein, op. 10. symphonic poem. 
Riegger, Wallingford - Symphony no. 4 (Spanish Civil War) 
Rimsky-Korsakov, N. - Le coq d'or. opera. (satire of war) 
Rimsky-Korsakov, N. - Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh. opera ("The Battle of Kerzhenets") 
Rochberg, George - Symphony no. 2 
Rodgers, Richard and Robert Russell Bennett - Victory at Sea (score for a 26-part television series, 1952) 
Rorem, Ned - War Scenes (dedicated to those who died in Vietnam) 
Rorem, Ned - Swords and Plowshares. four solo voices and orchestra. 
Roussel, Albert - Padmavati, opera. 

Saeverud, Harald - Symphony no. 5, Quasi una fantasia 
Saeverud, Harald - Symphony no. 6, Sinfonia Dolorosa 
Saeverud, Harald - Symphony no. 7, Psalm 
Saint-Saens, C. - Vers la victoire, op. 152. 
Saint-Saens, C. - Cypres et lauriers. organ and orchestra. 
Santos, Joly Braga - Symphony no. 1 (1946) "to the memory of the Heroes and Martyrs of the last World War." 
Sauguet, Henri - Symphonie expiatoire. orchestra. 
Schmitt, Florent - Chant de guerre, op. 63. tenor, male chorus and orch. 
Schnittke, Alfred - Nagasaki: oratorio for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir and orchestra. 
Schoenberg, Arnold - A Survivor From Warsaw, op.46 
Schoenberg, Arnold - Ode to Napoleon, op. 41 (1942) 
Schulhoff, Erwin - Symphony no. 4 (inspired by Spanish Civil War) 
Schulhoff, Erwin - Symphony no. 6 "De la liberte," with chorus. 
Schuman, William - Prayer in Time of War. 
Schuman, William - Symphony no 9 La fosse ardeatine (in memory of victims of 1944 atrocity) 
Schuman, William - A Free Song. Cantata for mixed chorus and orchestra. 
Schuman, William - The Young Dead Soldiers. sopr and 17 instruments. 
Searle, Humphrey - Vigil (France 1940-44). piano. 
Sessions, Roger - When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloom'd. Cantata. 
Shafer, R. Murray - Threnody. five young narrators, youth chorus, voices, orchestra and tape. 
Shaporin, Yuri - "The Battle of Russia", oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra opus 17 
Shaporin, Yuri - On the Field of Kulikovo, op. 14. symphonic cantata. 
Shortall, Harrington - Fanfare for those who will not return. 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphony no. 2 “October” (???) 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphony no. 7, op. 60, « Leningrad » 
Shostakovich, Dmitri. - Symphony no. 8, op.65 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphony no. 12, “The Year of 1917.” 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - Symphony no. 13, "Babi Yar", op. 113 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - String quartet no. 8, op. 110. 
Shostakovich, Dmitri - Piano Trio in E minor, op. 67. 
Shostakovich, D. -The execution of Stepan Razin (Cossack leader) 
(+ film music such as for The Fall of Berlin) 
Siegmeister, Elie - The Face of War. songs for voice and orchestra. 
Smetana, Bedrich - Wallenstein's Camp 
Smetana, B. - tone poems Sarka, Tabor and Blanik in Ma Vlast. 
Smit, Leo - "Channel firing" for baritone and piano. 
Spohr, Louis - Fall of Babylon. Oratorio. 
Still, William Grant, In Memoriam, to the colored soldiers who died for democracy. 
Stanford, C. V. - A Song of Agincourt (to honor students who died in WWI) 
Stanford, C. V. - Via Victrix 1914-1918, op. 173. 
Stanford, C.V.- At the Abbey Gate, op. 179 (memorial to unknown soldier) 
Stanford, C.V.- Verdun: solemn march and heroic epilogue, orchestra 
Steibelt, Daniel - Numerous war-related works (little known today). 
Sternefeld, Daniel - Symphony no. 1 (1943) 
Strauss, Richard - Metamorphosen, for 23 string instruments. 
Strauss, Richard - Ein Heldenleben ("The Hero's deeds of war") 
Strauss, Richard - Kampf und Sieg from Lebende Bilder. Orchestra. 
Stravinski, Igor - Histoire du Soldat 
Stravinski, Igor. - Symphony in three movements 
Stevens, Bernard - A symphony of liberation 
Subotnik, Morton - Jacob's Room. for performers/digital sound synthesis. 
Suk, Joseph - Legend of the Dead Victors, op. 35b. 
Susato, Tylman - La bataille, pavane. 

Tansman, Alexander- Symphony no.6 In Memoriam (for fallen soldiers) 
Taylor, Deems - Fanfare for Russia. 
Tchaikovsky, Boris - Symphony no. 3 "Sevastopol" 
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyitch - Ouverture 1812 
Tchaikovsky, P.I. - Mazeppa ("La bataille de Poltawa") 
Tchaikovsky, P.I. - Slavonic March, op. 31 (Serbo-Turkish War) 
Tchaikovsky, P.I. - The Maid of Orleans, opera. 
Thomson, Virgil - Fanfare for France. 
Tippett, Michael - A Child of our Time, oratorio 
Tippett, Michael - King Priam. Opera, Act 2. 
Tomasi, Henri - Noces de cendres, ballet. 
Tomasi, Henri - Chant pour le Vietnam. Wind ensemble and percussion. 
Tournemire, Charles - Symphony no. 7, fourth movement, “Danses sanglantes.” 
Tubin, Eduard - Requiem for Fallen Soldiers. 

Ullmann, Viktor - Der Kaiser von Atlantis or the denial of death 

de Vate, Nancy Van - Katyn 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Symphony no. 3 “Pastoral” 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Symphony no. 4 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Dona Nobis Pacem, cantata 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Symphony no. 6 (post-war nuclear anxiety)?? 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Valiant for Truth 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Five Wartime Hymns. voice and piano. 
Vaughan-Williams, R. - 6 Choral Songs to be Sung in Time of War. 
Vaughan-Williams, Ralph - Thanksgiving for Victory. 
Verdi, Giuseppe - La battaglia di Legnano. opera. 
Verdi, Giuseppe - La forza del destino, Act 3 ("Scene e battaglia") 
Verdi, Giuseppe - Giovanna d'Arco, Act 3. opera. 
Verdi, Giuseppe - I Lombardi alla prima Crociata, Act 4. 
Verdi, Giuseppe - Macbeth, Act 4 (Scene e battaglia) 
Vermeulen, Matthijs - Symphony no. 4 (les victoires). orchestra. 
Vermeulen, Matthijs - Symphony no. 5 (les lendemains chantants). orch. 
Villa-Lobos, Heitor, Symphony no. 3, A Guerra (1919) 
Villa-Lobos, Heitor, Symphony no. 4, A Vitoria (1919) 

Wagenaar, Bernard - Fanfare for Airmen. 
Wagner, Richard - Rienzi, Act 3, scene 3. opera. 
Wang, Y. - Symphony no. 2 “The War of Resistance against Japan” 
von Weber, C.M. - Kampf und Sieg: Kantate zur Feyer der Vernichtung des Feindes in Juny 1815 bei Bell-Alliance und Waterloo, op. 44.Cantata. 
Weill, Kurt - Divertimento 
Weill, Kurt - Walt Whitman Songs 
Weill, Kurt - Und was bekam des Soldaten, song. 
Weill, Kurt - Workers’ Choruses 
(+ several propaganda songs) 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 6. 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 8, “The Flowers of Poland.” 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 9. 
Weinberg, M. - The Madonna and the Soldier, opera. 
Weinberg, M. - The Woman Passenger, opera. 
Weinberg, M. - Requiem. 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 17, “Memory.” 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 18, “War. There is no word more cruel.” 
Weinberg, M. - Symphony no. 19, “The Bright May.” 
Williams, James - Symphony for the Sons of Nam. 
Wolpe, Stefan - Battle Piece (from Encouragements). piano. 

Xenakis, Yannis - Night, for 12 mixed voices (political prisoners).). 

Zimmerman, Alois - Die Soldaten, opera.


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## Sid James

The battle music in Walton's _Henry V_ film music (as arranged by Christopher Palmer) is very effective. It includes a part for narrator, who speaks the famous Crispin's day speech which was meant to inspire the English soldiers. Stirring stuff.


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## periodinstrumentfan

Here's a video of the Biber Battaglia mentioned in post # 33 - 



 

Jean-Christophe Spinosi & l'Ensemble Mathéus are playing.

The violins imitate drunken soldiers before the war, musketeers marching whilst the bass plays the "drum part," the actual battle with the violins playing "col legno battuto" as gun shots etc etc...


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## Sid James

I'd like to add Nino Rota's film music to _Waterloo_ (1970).


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## shsherm

Ouled Nails sure put a lot of work into that extensive almost encyclopedic post. Thank you for your effort.


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

"Glorification of the Chosen One" from Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" definitely rings a bell.


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## Tapkaara

Metalheadwholovesclasical said:


> "Glorification of the Chosen One" from Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" definitely rings a bell.


It may sound war-like but the music has nothing to do with war, given the context for which it was written.


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## Mirror Image

Metalheadwholovesclasical said:


> "Glorification of the Chosen One" from Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" definitely rings a bell.


"The Rite of Spring" has nothing to do with war. Everybody knows that.


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## Dim7

Tapkaara said:


> It may sound war-like but the music has nothing to do with war, given the context for which it was written.


Yes, but what is sounds like is probably more important.


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## Mirror Image

Cmaj7 said:


> Yes, but what is sounds like is probably more important.


This poster asked for "battle or war pieces." What this means to me is he/she wants to know what classical compositions deal with these themes.


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Mirror Image said:


> "The Rite of Spring" has nothing to do with war. Everybody knows that.


I thought the thread was suggesting pieces that sound war-like. I know what the piece is about.


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## Tapkaara

Well, I guess anything that sounds like war to the listener is a bona-fide war piece. To my ears, the Canon (Cannon?) in D of Pachelbel is a vicious hymn to Mars, the God of War, so I enthusiastically add it to this discussion.


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## Dim7

When I hear Rick Astley's "Never gonna give you up" i get very violent thoughts and a strong urge to blow stuff up, so I guess it's pretty warlike.


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## Tapkaara

Long story short, "all's fair in love and war." Even if your war unfolds to the delicate strains of The Flight of the Bumble Bee.

_Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons!_


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## Pchai

Although Tchaikovsky has been mentioned already, there is something I would like to add. Certainly he wrote a lot of music that has conflict like Romeo and Juliet and Francesca Da Rimini, even music from the ballet Sleeping Beauty suggests conflict so convincingly that the Disney movie actually uses the music to accompany the battle between the prince and the wicked Queen/Dragon, there is true Battle music in the Nutcracker Ballet where the Mice fight with the animated toy soldiers and and the Nutcracker Prince himself. Granted the music is not as menacing, say as Battle On The Ice from Alexander Nevsky, but it is a toy battle after all.

As a thirteen year old boy who had recently lost the Beatles, cerca 1971, and was learning to play the flute, this battle scene, with plenty of flute and piccolo, was irresistible and along with other parts of the Nutcracker Ballet, hooked me on classical music.


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## ORigel

It's been mentioned before, but Dvorak's Hussite Overture is worth a listen. As is Byrd's The Battel.


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## jkl

Haydn's symphony no.100 "military" says it all.


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## Nereffid

Tapkaara said:


> Well, I guess anything that sounds like war to the listener is a bona-fide war piece. To my ears, the Canon (Cannon?) in D of Pachelbel is a vicious hymn to Mars, the God of War, so I enthusiastically add it to this discussion.


Reminds me of this album cover...


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## Kreisler jr

ORigel said:


> It's been mentioned before, but Dvorak's Hussite Overture is worth a listen. As is Byrd's The Battel.


In Smetana's Ma vlast "Tabor"and "Blanik" have also a Hussite sujet (and I think they all use similar chorales from Hussite tradition)

Renaissance and Baroque loved battle references, Monteverdi's 8th madrigal book, especially the Combattimento. 
Biber: Battaglia, 
Schmelzer: Fencing school (Fechtschule) and he has another one about the Siege of Vienna 1683
Many arias etc., but it is mainly trumpet motives, e.g."The trumpet's loud clangor" in Handel's St. Cecilia ode, inspired probably from the battle Britons vs. Saxons in Purcell's King Arthur.


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## larold

The two final sections from Smetana's _Ma Vlast_, *Tabor *and *Blanik*, both depict Czech legends in battle. That composer's *Wallenstein's Camp* has a battle sequence.

Franz Liszt's symphonic poems *Mazeppa*, *Hungaria* and more than any other *Battle of the Huns* (Hunnerschlacht) fit the bill.

Shostakovich's film score to the *Fall of Berlin* is another as is the film score to *The Battle of Britain*.

He probably didn't intend it this way but Karajan's final recording of Beethoven's *"Pastoral" symphony *made the thunderstorm sound like nuclear detonation.

Vivaldi's group of *concertos Op. 8* are called The Contest Between Harmony and Invention (Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione) but this probably isn't what you had in mind.


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## hammeredklavier

Pavel Wranitzky (1756~1808)
*Grand Symphony for the Peace with French Republic Op.31 (1797)* 
0:00 The Revolution
4:55 English March
8:32 March of the Austrians and Prussians 
11:19 The Fate and Death of Louis XVI 
14:23 Funeral March 
18:21 English March 
19:20 March of the Allies 
20:42 The Tumult of a Battle 
23:29 The Prospects of Peace 
25:28 Rejoicing at the Achievement of Peace


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## hammeredklavier

Hexameron said:


> Supreme models are Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, and many works from Prokofiev. There's also Chopin's Military Polonaise and Liszt's Symphonic Poem No. 11 "Battle of the Huns." I think Monteverdi did a vocal work about a Knight's battle, too, but I only know that from reading it somewhere; I never heard the piece.






"Étude Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor, known as the "Revolutionary Étude" or the "Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw", is a solo piano work by Frédéric Chopin written circa 1831, and the last in his first set, Etudes, Op. 10, dedicated "à son ami Franz Liszt" ("to his friend Franz Liszt").
The 12th Étude appeared around the same time as the November Uprising in 1831. Upon the conclusion of Poland's failed revolution against Russia, he cried, "All this has caused me much pain. Who could have foreseen it?"
Unlike études of prior periods, works designed to emphasize and develop particular aspects of musical technique, the romantic études of composers such as Chopin and Liszt are fully developed musical concert pieces, while still continuing the goal of developing stronger technique."


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## Enthusiast

I didn't see a mention of Shostakovich 12 - which is more or less a musical description of fighting - or the Battle with the Sheep from Don Quixote.


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## haziz

Probably not what you are looking for, but a magnificent work nevertheless.

Elgar's Cello Concerto. An elegiac and somewhat automnal work, that expressed his feelings regarding the destruction and turmoil brought on by WWI, and a longing for a lost world. Or at least that is what most people attribute to the composition, the composer and his motives and thoughts.

I will be conventional and recommend du Pre's immortal recording with the LSO conducted by Barbirolli.


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## premont

Battle pieces for organ weren't that rare in the Spanish Baroque era, using the trompettes en chamade of the Spanish organs which became common in the course of the 17th century. Many CDs with antologies of Spanish organ music include one or two such pieces. Kerll also wrote an organ battle piece, which for some time was ascribed to Cabanilles.


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## Vasks

Without scanning through all 4 pages, I'll bet no one has mentioned a piece by Carl Maria von Weber called "Kampf und Sieg" (Battle & Victory), a cantata written to celebrate victory in the Battle of Waterloo. Many, many years ago I bought a Urania record of that work (and still have it!)


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