# Best classical music "songs" (vocal pieces) of all genres?



## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

Which are the best classical music songs of any genre?

Loosely defined, a song is any piece or a part of larger piece of music, which has clearly defined boundaries, and is predominately vocal in its content...

So it can include really anything... like art songs, arias from opera, sung parts of symphonies, parts of oratorios, cantatas, anything... ("Ode to Joy" counts, just like "Ave Maria", just like "Hallelujah Chorus" or "For Unto Us a Child Is Born", or "Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici " etc)

Your top 5 or top 10 choices would be interesting...


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Just a couple come to mind:
Rachmaninoff's setting of 'Oh, cease thy singing'
Britten's setting of 'Oh Waly waly'
Sibelius' setting of 'Om kvallen'


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

Solveigs Song by Grieg is a stand out for me.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

From a possibly endless list, I'd go for Maria Callas singing *L'Amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle*


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

Opera arias (Classical & Romantic):

Wagner: Tannhauser "Heil ! Heil! Der Gnade Wunder Heil!"
Mozart - Die Zauberflöte "Der Hölle Rache"
Puccini - Suor Angelica "Senza Mamma" (+ the finale)
Dvorák - Rusalka "Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém"
R.Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier "Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren" (Presentation of the Rose)
Verdi - Aida "Nume, custode e vindice" (Consecration scene)
Puccini - Tosca ""E lucevan le stelle"
Wagner - Walküre "Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire"
Rossini - Otello "Assisa a pie d'un salice"
Mascagni - L'Amico Fritz 'Son pochi fiori'

+1
Bellini - La Sonnambula "Ah, non credea mirarti... Ah! non giunge"

Opera arias (Baroque):

Monteverdi - L'incoronazione di Poppea "Or che Seneca è morto" (2nd aria with this tittle): 



Vivaldi - Bajazed "Quel ciglio vezzosetto"
Cavalli - La Calisto "Mio foco fatale"
Handel - Rinaldo "Lascia ch'io pianga"
Vivaldi - La Silvia "Terribile è lo scempio"
Cavalli - Eliogabalo - "Porgati al suo morir Strada opportuna" (Finale of Act Tree Scene Second)
Vivaldi - Teuzzone "Base al regno e guida al trono"
Vivaldi - La fida ninfa "Il mio core a chi la diede"
Telemann - Germanicus "Rimembranza crudel"
Vivaldi - La fida ninfa "Dolce fiamma, del mio petto"


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## Alinde (Feb 8, 2020)

The aria "Schlummert ein" from "Ich habe genug" Bach's cantata no. 82

The song "Auf eine Christblume 1 " from the Mörike-Lieder of Hugo Wolf

"In der Fremde" ....Aus der Heimat hinter den Blitzen rot... from Liederkreis Op 39 of Robert Schumann

Monteverdi "Pur ti miro, Pur ti godo" from "L'incoronazione di Poppea"

Mozart "Dove sono i bei momenti" from The Marriage of Figaro

Handel "Every Valley Shall be Exalted" from "Messiah"

"El ist vollbracht" from Bach's "St John Passion".

"Nach und Traüme" Schubert

"The Lads in their Hundreds to Ludlow come in for the Fair" Butterworth

"Greensleeves" 

"The Heavens are Telling" from The Creation by Haydn 

Sigh. That's eleven...Let's make it twelve with:

"Draw on Sweet Night" by John Wilbye


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Among the crossovers ... Chopin's *Etude Op. 10 No. 3* becoming the hit song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"











Elsewhere in crossover ... Mozart's *Ave Verum Corpus* became the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 subtitled "Mozartiana."

Strictly among the classical songs ... Haydn's *The Spirit's Song* is highly underrated. It's from a poem by his friend Mrs. Hunter about a spirit that comes back to earth to visit someone. Quite haunting and beautiful. Here's Wolfgang Holzmair singing it (written in English.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Y...n air.
Hark! Hark, what I tell to thee, etc.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Mahler *- Orchestral Lieder
*Berg* - Orchestral Lieder
*Schoeck* - Elegie, Nocturno, and the lieder with piano/voice
*Wagner* - Wesendonck Lieder


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Schubert, Der hirt auf dem felsen, Die Schone Mullerin; Schumann, Dicterliebe; Berlioz, Les nuits d'ete; Strauss, Four last songs; Debussy, Chansons de Bilitis; Ravel, Chansons Madecasses, Scheherazade; Barber, Dover Beach, Knoxville, Summer of 1915; Ned Rorem, various.

Also, the great American song book: Foster, Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers, Loesser, Arlen, Willson, Bernstein, Sondheim, and, more recently, Miranda.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Monteverdi "Zefiro, torna" (Ciacona)
Dowland: "In darkness let me dwell"
Purcell: "When I am laid in earth" (Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas)
Bach: "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" from St. Matthew Passion
Handel: "Ah, wretched Israel" from Judas Maccabaeus
Mozart: "Madamina, il catalogo è questo" (Leporello's famous aria from Don Giovanni)
Beethoven: "Mir ist so wunderbar" (quartet/canon from Fidelio)
Weber: "Wie nahte mir der Schlummer... Leise, leise" (Agathe's first aria from Freischütz)
Schubert: "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern" (I must be contrarian to suggest a choral piece from Schubert...)
Schumann: "Mondnacht" from op.39
Brahms: "Von ewiger Liebe" op. 43
Mahler: "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" (from Rückert-Lieder)
Zemlinsky: first movement of "Lyric symphony"


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Sibelius - Luonnotar (it could be my favorite piece of music ever)
Peter Warlock - The Curlew
Bach - Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott
Delius - La lune blanche
Purcell - Dido's lament
Barbara Pentland - Two sung songs
Gustave Charpentier - Depuis le jour (and I didn't even remember its title, so embarassing)
Rachmaninov - Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in Peace
Lili Boulanger - Pie Jesu
Cy Walter - Time and tide (Cy Walter wasn't technically a classical composer, but I feel this is an absolutely gorgeous classical song)
Maurice Delage - Quatre poemes hindous
Schubert - Gute nacht
Reynaldo Hahn - A Chloris
John Dowland - In darkness let me dwell
Messiaen - Harawi (I know, it's not a single song but I love the work from start to finish and it's hard for me to choose here)
Ned Rorem - Sonnet


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

ZJovicic said:


> Which are the best classical music songs of any genre?
> 
> sung parts of symphonies, parts of oratorios, cantatas, anything...
> 
> Your top 5 or top 10 choices would be interesting...


Symphony Vocal parts
Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Movement 5 Choral section"
Mahler - Symphony No. 8 "Blicket auf zum Retterblick"
Mahler - Symphony No. 8 "Höchste Herrscherin der Welt!"
Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde "Der Abschied"
Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde "Das Trinklied von Jammer der Erde"
Mahler - Symphony No. 8 "Alles Vergängliche"
Liszt - Dante Symphony "Magnificat"
Mahler - Symphony No. 8 "Dir, der Unberührbaren"
Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Urllicht"
Mahler - Symphony No. 3 "O Mensch! Gib Acht!"

Oratorios
Caldara - Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo "Da quel strale che stilla veleno"
Bach - St John Passion "Herr, unser Herrscher"
Handel - Messiah "The trumpet shall sound"
Handel - Messiah "For unto us a Child is born"
Vivaldi - Juditha Triumphans "Umbrae carae, aurae adoratae"
Bach - Christmas Oratorio "Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen"
Liszt - Christus "O filii et filiae"
Caldara - Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo "La mia virtude"
Telemann - Donnerode "Wer ist dein name so gross"
Caldara - Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo ""Chi drizzar di pianta adulta"

Cantatas
Bach - Cantata BWV 140 "Chorale: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"
Bach - Cantata BWV 80 "Chorale: Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär"
Bach - Cantata BWV 66 "Chorale: Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen"
Bach - Cantate BWV 26 "Chorale 1: Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig"
Bach - Cantata BWV 56 "Aria: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen"

Other Sacred Vocal
Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610 "Magnificat I a 7"
Vivaldi - Dixit Dominus RV 594 "Sicut erat in principio"
Bach - Mass in B minor "Benedictus"
Zelenka - Requiem in c-moll ZWV 45 "Mors stupebit"
Buxtehude - Membra Jesu nostri "Ad ubera portabimini"
Vivaldi - Gloria "Domine fili unigenite"
Mozart - Great Mass in C minor "Benedictus"
Vivaldi - Domine ad adjuvandum me RV 593 "Gloria Patri et Filio"
Machaut - Motet M21 "Veni creator spiritus"
Cherubini - Missa Solemnis in D minor "Qui Tollis"


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm not really a fan of voice in classical music, except the odd choir section from time to time. 

But, I do enjoy Gyorgy Ligeti's "Nonsense Madrigals" from time to time.


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## Livly_Station (Jan 8, 2014)

I like anything that Barbara Hannigan sings... especially _Let Me Tell You_, by Hans Abrahamsen.

I can't remember right now all vocal works that I like, but I'd include most famous _lieder_ from famous composer (Mahler, Schumann, Schubert, Grieg and even Beethoven). JS Bach's cantatas too, of course. And then Hugo Wolf, Alma Mahler, Luciano Berio, and many of the vocal works of the 2nd viennese school. Villa-Lobos has some lovely tunes for soloists or choir too. Who else? There's probably more, but I can't remember.

I haven't looked into Opera yet, so I'm not familiar with most arias, but there are some famous tunes that I like.


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## Doublestring (Sep 3, 2014)

Maximum one per composer. Of course it's hard to compare different genres and eras, but these are some vocal highlights.


Mahler - Ich hab' ein glühend Messer (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen)
Schubert - Erlkönig
Puccini - O Mio Babbino Caro (Gianni Schicchi)
Bach - Zion hört die Wächter singen (Cantata BWV 140)
Josquin des Prés - El Grillo
Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Purcell - Dido's Lament (Dido and Aeneas)
Ligeti - Lux Aeterna
Bellini - Casta Diva (Norma)
Mozart - Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute)
Händel - Ombra Mai Fù (Serse)
Tchaikovsky - Iolanta's Arioso "Atchevo..." (Iolanta)
Monteverdi - Lasciatemi Morire
Dowland - Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite
Lassus - O Crux Splendidor
Dvorak - Song to the Moon (Rusalka)
Schönberg - Mondestrunken (Pierrot Lunaire)
Gesualdo - Moro, Lasso, al Mio Duolo
Lili Boulanger - Les Sirènes
Wagner - Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde)
Kurt Weill - Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Die Dreigroschenoper)
Palestrina - Sicut Cervus
Bizet - Habanera (Carmen)
Verdi - La Donna È Mobile (Rigoletto)
Alma Mahler - Die stille Stadt


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Pat Fairlea said:


> Just a couple come to mind:
> Rachmaninoff's setting of 'Oh, cease thy singing'
> Britten's setting of 'Oh Waly waly'
> Sibelius' setting of 'Om kvallen'


Oh yes, and Elgar 'Where corals lie"


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