# Which joyful pieces would you recommend?



## Luca (Sep 17, 2011)

Hi everybody,
what's your favourite joyful (and choral) piece (or pieces)?
Mine is probably Bach's BWV 51.
Hope this is not the wrong section. I'd really like to hear you out.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Yeah, 51 is great. I bet that one woke up the congregation the first time they heard it. 

When I think of joy, I think of the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Of course, that's more of a freedom-joy than a giddy joy, but it still fits the definition.


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Three words: George Frederick Handel.


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## Luca (Sep 17, 2011)

Manxfeeder said:


> Yeah, 51 is great. I bet that one woke up the congregation the first time they heard it.
> 
> When I think of joy, I think of the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Of course, that's more of a freedom-joy than a giddy joy, but it still fits the definition.


I agree, even though I prefer the first part of the choral movement.



jalex said:


> Three words: George Frederick Handel.


Not a piece, that's unfair.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Manxfeeder said:


> Yeah, 51 is great. I bet that one woke up the congregation the first time they heard it.
> 
> When I think of joy, I think of the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony. Of course, that's more of a freedom-joy than a giddy joy, but it still fits the definition.


I think last movement of Brahms's 2nd.


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## HerlockSholmes (Sep 4, 2011)

Luca said:


> Hi everybody,
> what's your favourite joyful (and choral) piece (or pieces)?
> Mine is probably Bach's BWV 51.
> Hope this is not the wrong section. I'd really like to hear you out.


Joe "the jolly" Haydn has many of these types of pieces:




It's as if he had a hard-on for major keys.

Freddie Chopin had quite a few as well:









So did Wolfie:





Also Mr. Jean Sebastien Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are pretty jolly as well.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Do we have to necessarily be talking entire pieces? An incredibly amount of music obviously goes through more than one emotion, so, if I can recommend extracts, I would also suggest the Hostias and Offertorium from Dvorak's Requiem.

EDIT: The jolly bit starts at 7:45!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Stravinsky-Les Noces
Borodin-Polovtsian Dances


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## Luca (Sep 17, 2011)

Joe "the jolly" Haydn :lol:



Polednice said:


> Do we have to necessarily be talking entire pieces? An incredibly amount of music obviously goes through more than one emotion, so, if I can recommend extracts, I would also suggest the Hostias and Offertorium from Dvorak's Requiem.


Extracts are perfectly fine! Also, +1 to Dvorak's Hostias, for me.


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## HerlockSholmes (Sep 4, 2011)

And of course, there's this immortal little Mozart gem:


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)




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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Luca said:


> Not a piece, that's unfair.


Orright, here's the ending to Messiah:


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Why do people come here asking for happy music? Don't they know that the ultimate goal of all classical music is to depress everyone?


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

It isn't choral, but in my latest Elgar blog I recommend some pretty happy music - the Six Promenades for Wind Quintet.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Okay, so not _jolly,_ but the finale of Mahler's 2nd symphony expresses a very profound sort of joy and is very satisfying and cathartic.

Other very joyful (and very famous) symphony finales that are among my favorites: Beethoven #6, Sibelius #5, Brahms #1.

And miscellaneous other things: Mozart's K. 364 violin-viola concertante, mvt. 1; Beethoven's piano sonata #15 ("Pastoral"), mvt. 1; "Variations on a Shaker Hymn" from Appalachian Spring; "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" from the Saint Matthew Passion; "Scaramouche" from Milhaud's Braziliera; the first two movements of Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve Suite; most of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.

Most of these aren't choral, but the Bach, Bernstein, and Mahler are. I actually have an itunes playlist called "happy" (silly, I know), which I referenced in making this list.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I've been listening to the operetta _Jabuka (The Apple Harvest_) by *J. Strauss Jnr* & the choral writing in it is what makes it quite distinct. It is excellent in terms of esp. how he treats the choral parts, very unique and also optimistic in mood. The only recording is on the Naxos label. A more famous piece by him, of which there is a version including choir, is the _Beautiful Blue Danube _waltz. The choral version was the original version, but it soon gave way to the purely instrumental version most known since, as the text was said to be politically sensitive or something (it was too satirical for the powers that were calling the shots at the time)...


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Ravellian said:


> Why do people come here asking for happy music? Don't they know that the ultimate goal of all classical music is to depress everyone?


Polednice! He's onto us!


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## HerlockSholmes (Sep 4, 2011)

Here's the all time most jolliest piece in the history of ever:





Here's another one:





And another:





Enjoy!


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Polednice said:


> I think last movement of Brahms's 2nd.


Just after the last movement of Brahms' 2nd.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Bach Cantata No. 80 _Ein Feste Burg_, the version that one of his sons (W.F. I think) added trumpets and timpani to make it totally euphoric. I seem to have lost the YouTube link I once used to promote this version. Maybe it was taken down. 

Also, Handel's Organ Concerto No. 14 (?) Finale is real blissfest.


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## Luca (Sep 17, 2011)

Fantastic. I feel I should thank you all, since I did never listened deeply to some of the posted pieces.
And I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet... Maestro Vivaldi! I'm in love with RV 558.


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

Grieg - Holberg suite
Beethoven - Symphony 6
Bizet - Symphony in C
Schubert - Symphony 5


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Tchaikowsky's string sextet.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Klavierspieler said:


> Polednice! He's onto us!


You know what to do. And give Couchie a smack while you're at it, for that snide Brahms remark. I think it's time to get the Gestapo uniforms ready.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)




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## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

Percy Grainger could be jolly


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

This one is pretty.. um.. happy.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

I would suggest this!!!!! This is G-R-E-A=T! It rocks!






Do you like it? I'm pretty sure you will!!!!!!!!! Put it loud...LOUDER!!!!!!!!! I love this.

Martin


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

Grainger's "Molly on the Shore", arrangement by Kreisler (and played by Kreisler!)


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Boyce symphonies, particularly 2 in A major, 3 in C major(love this one), and 5 in D major(extremely joyful and festive).

For Romantic, the embodiment of joy or triumph maybe, is Dvorak's 8th. Also see finale to Tchaikovsky's 1st.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

clavichorder said:


> For Romantic, the embodiment of joy or triumph maybe, is Dvorak's 8th.


I've played Dvorak 8! I always came out of rehearsals happy when we were working on it.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

Some old-school jolliness


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Almost every Glazunov work in existence. Symphonies, Concertos, Tone Poems, Piano works, all of it.

Cue the joy at 1:47... 





If you listen to this, and don't smile even once, something is wrong with you.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

A very popular mise en scene of Jota Aragonesa by the genius, Михаи́л Ива́нович Гли́нка...Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

Martin, Glinkomane


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## ElQ (Sep 12, 2011)

The scherzo from Dvorak's Symphony no. 5


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

To return to the question, which was for joyful _choral _pieces, I nominate for the prize of most inappropriately joyful piece, the_ Eia mater_ from Poulenc's _Stabat mater_, complete with its trombone raspberry at the end.

(the text being, "let me feel the force of grief, that I may weep with thee".)


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

For a joyful instrumental piece, _Synchronising _from Michael Nyman's _Water dances._


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Jeremy Marchant said:


> For a joyful instrumental piece, _Synchronising _from Michael Nyman's _Water dances._


mmm...

Martin


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

myaskovsky2002 said:


> mmm... Martin


Is that mmm as in 'I like it' or mmm as in 'I'm not sure'?


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Jeremy Marchant said:


> Is that mmm as in 'I like it' or mmm as in 'I'm not sure'?


I'm always sure. IMHO I don't like it. It sounds like a not very nice soundtrack to me.

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Ravellian said:


> Why do people come here asking for happy music? Don't they know that the ultimate goal of all classical music is to depress everyone?


Do you really think so? Then...do you listen to classical music because you are masochist? LOL

Not serious (I can't find a smiley)

Martin


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## moosmann (Sep 29, 2011)

Joy??? I can't go past Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances No 2 - especially the last movement. As a bassoonist, an absolute joy to play - it just grabbed me the first time I played it. Wonderful, clear orchestration, and probably the best thing I have ever listened to!!!


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## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

myaskovsky2002 said:


> ... It [Nyman's _Synchronising_] sounds like a not very nice soundtrack to me.


It _is _a soundtrack. How nice you think it is is a matter of taste, I suppose.


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