# Greatest music from each period



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

From Renaissance to Baroque, Classical, Romantic*, and 20th Century/Modern (post WW2) what do you consider to be each period's finest music?

I can't offer anything for renaissance as I haven't heard enough to make an informed choice. 

Baroque. JS Bach Brandenburg Concertos.

Classical. Mozart 'Jupiter' Symphony.

Romantic. Beethoven 14th String Quartet.

20th Century/Modern. Elgar Enigma Variations. 

*I will arbitrarily place the start of the romantic period at 1820.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

Sorry perhaps some other arbitrarily set dates need to be added. Baroque started 1600. Classical started 1750.


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

Ah, objective quality. SO much easier to talk about than personal preference.

Baroque. Bach, Art of Fugue

Classical. Beethoven, 9th symphony 

Romantic. Wagner, Götterdämmerung

20th Century/Modern. Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring

That WAS easy!


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Just one work per period? Hmm, this is going to be difficult. As usual, I'm doing favorites rather than greatest. Here goes...

Baroque--Bach, Mass in B Minor

Classical--I agree with your choice: Mozart, Jupiter Symphony

Late Classical/Early Romantic--I agree with you again: Beethoven, String Quartet No. 14

Romantic--Liszt, Sonata in B Minor

20th Century--Debussy, La Mer


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

Postmodern. Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians??


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Baroque: Bach WTC (complete).

Classical: Haydn Six Paris Symphonies.

Romantic: Berlioz Les Troyens.

Twentieth Century: Britten: Peter Grimes.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Magnum Miserium said:


> Ah, objective quality. SO much easier to talk about than personal preference.
> 
> Baroque. Bach, Art of Fugue
> 
> ...


Ditto, that's even easier :lol:


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Baroque: Bach WTC

Classical: Beethoven 3rd symphony (since the division year is 1820)

Romantic: Brahms 4th symphony

Twentieth Century: Sibelius 5th symphony 


I could easily create a dozen such lists


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Baroque: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.
Classical: Mozart's Great Mass in C minor.
Romantic: Mahler's Symphony no. 4.
20th Century/Modern: Shostakovich's Preludes & Fugues Op. 87.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Mine would be:
Renaissance: something from von Bingen (didn't hear of much else)
Baroque: Monteverdi's Vespers
Classical: Mozart's PIano Concerto 27
Romantic: Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique
Post Romantic: Ravel's String Quartet
20th Century/Modern: Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta


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## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

Baroque: Handel Concerti Grossi op. 3, 6

Classical: Beethoven Symphony no. 5

Romantic: Wagner Ring Cycle

Twentieth Century: Shostakovich Symphony no. 5

(To be honest, really a poll of personal favorites from each period vs historically most significant.)


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

Phil loves classical said:


> Renaissance: something from von Bingen (didn't hear of much else)


Bingen (1098-1179) is medieval, not Renaissance


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

Baroque: Bach Mass in B Minor

Classical: Mozart Requiem

Romantic: Mahler Symphony 3

20th Century pre-WW2: Mahler Symphony 9

20th Century post-WW2: Shostakovich Symphony 10


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## lextune (Nov 25, 2016)

Baroque. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier

Classical. Beethoven, 9th Symphony 

Romantic. Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen

Impressionistic. Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune 

20th Century. Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Personal Favorites:

Medieval: "Stella Splendens" (Anonymous) from the "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat"
Renaissance: "The Danserye" - Tylman Susato
Baroque: "Brandenburg Concertos" - Bach
Classical: "Le Nozze Di Figaro" - Mozart
Romantic: "Symphony 9" - Beethoven (post 1820)
Modern: "Rite of Spring" Stravinsky

Honorable Mentions:
Clarinet Concerto - Mozart
Violin Concerto - Mendelssohn
Cello Concerto - Dvorak
La Mer - Debussy
Appalachian Spring - Copland
Symphony 5 - Shostakovich

.....harder than I thought to narrow down apparently


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

Olias said:


> Personal Favorites:
> 
> Medieval: "Stella Splendens" (Anonymous) from the "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat"
> Renaissance: "The Danserye" - Tylman Susato
> ...


Those are curious choices. Both the Brandenburg Concertos and most of Mozart's operas were "light" works the composers didn't think very important, they wrote them quickly for the money.


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

Norma Skock said:


> Those are curious choices. Both the Brandenburg Concertos and most of Mozart's operas were "light" works the composers didn't think very important, they wrote them quickly for the money.


Yeah, that's not a description of "Le Nozze di Figaro"


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Norma Skock said:


> Those are curious choices. Both the Brandenburg Concertos and most of Mozart's operas were "light" works the composers didn't think very important, they wrote them quickly for the money.


You took the more serious sacred choral path; Olias took a different road. However, you both selected famous works that many fans of the two composers would consider among their favorites. It's all good.


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

Bulldog said:


> You took the more serious sacred choral path; Olias took a different road. However, you both selected famous works that many fans of the two composers would consider among their favorites. It's all good.


Never said it was bad, just curious. But I think the composers themselves would have disagreed.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Norma Skock said:


> Never said it was bad, just curious. But I think the composers themselves would have disagreed.


It doesn't make much difference whether they would agree or not. Both works need to stand on their own.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Medieval - Perotin, Viderunt omnes
Renaissance - Tallis and Byrd, Cantiones sacrae of 1575
Baroque - Bach, St. Matthew Passion
Classical - Mozart, clarinet quintet
Beethoven - string quartet Op. 131
early Romantic - Chopin, Ballade no. 4
late Romantic - Mahler, symphony no. 9
prewar modern - Berg, Lulu
postwar modern - Ligeti, Etudes for piano, book 2


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Favorites:

Renaissance: Tallis - Spem in alium 
Baroque: Bach - The Cello Suites
Classical: Beethoven - Symphony No. 9
Romantic: Wagner - The Ring (or Die Valkure if I can't have all 4)
Post Romantic: Berg - Violin Concerto
20th Century/Modern: Messiaen - Turangalîla-Symphonie


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Baroque. Bach, English suites


Classical. Beethoven, Piano concerto 5,

Romantic. Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen

Impressionistic. Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

20th Century. Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Renaissance: Josquin des Prez - Missa Pange Lingua
Baroque: J. S. Bach - Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Classical: F. J. Haydn - Die Schöpfung
Romantic: J. Brahms: String Quintet No. 1 in F major, op. 88
20th Century/Modern: Benjamin Britten - Symphony for cello and orchestra op. 68


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

Renaissance: Gesualdo 6th Book of Madrigals
Baroque: Bach Mass in B Minor
Classical: Mozart Symphony 41
Romantic: Wagner Tristan und Isolde
Modern: Stravinsky The Rite of Spring


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Baroque: Bach St Matthew Passion
Classical: Mozart Clarinet concerto
Romantic: Mahler Das Lied von der Erde
Modern: Gorecki Symphony 3


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## Schumanniac (Dec 11, 2016)

Baroque: Bach - Concerto for double violins in D minor(!!!)

Classical: Beethoven - Eroica symphony

Romantic: Beethoven - String quartet no 14/Tchaikovsky - 6th symphony/Chopin - Piano concerto no 1 (Sorry, cant choose, Romantic is what i am, my heart is screaming for another +20 pieces)

Modern: Gorecki - 3rd symphony.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Renaissance : Antoine Brumel "Earthquake" mass
Baroque: Jan Dismas Zelenka Miserere 
Classical: Mozart Ave verum or Clarinet concerto or any of horn concertos 
Romantic: Schubert The Great symphony or Sonata D960
Late romantic: Bruckner any symphony or Strauss 4 last songs, I think of them as still representing aesthetic of late Romanticism, not as something modern
20th century/ modern: Poulenc Stabat mater

I'd suggest to do the same but to divide works : chamber, vocal ( subdivisions : solo, opera, choir), orchestral and solo - one instrument.


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