# Masterpieces that were composed at a very young age



## micro (Jun 18, 2016)

Hi all, this thread is dedicated to list some of the masterpieces or the very well known compositions that were written by composers at a very young age. I suggest the max age is to be 25. Here is what I can remember at this time:

1 - Grieg's Piano Concerto, age 24.
2 - Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, age 24.
3 - Mozart's (I think there are many masterpieces written by him before age 25) Symphony No. 25, age 17.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Die Tote Stadt - Korngold, age 22.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Mendelssohn's Octet, age 16


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Fauré's _Cantique de Jean Racine_, written when in his late teens.

Britten was quite a prodigy, composing (amongst others) his _Sinfonietta_, the cantata _A Boy Was Born_, the _Simple Symphony_ and the _Frank Bridge Variations_ before his 25th birthday.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Hans Rott's symphony (25).


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

Alberto Ginastera's "Panambí" (21)


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Art Rock said:


> Hans Rott's symphony (25).


He was actually 22 (born 1858, symphony completed 1880).


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

TwoPhotons said:


> Alberto Ginastera's "Panambí" (21)


Yes!! I love that score


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Shostakovich's first symphony (19) - not the very best in his oeuvre, but still very good.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Alban Berg's Piano Sonata, op. 1 (24).


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #1. 20 years old.
Brahms: Piano Sonata #1. 20 years old.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Barber String Quartet op 11, age 25


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Art Rock said:


> Shostakovich's first symphony (19) - not the very best in his oeuvre, but still very good.


I have seen people claim that it's the best first symphony ever written. A minority opinion, most likely, but...


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream Overture (17) 

The most astonishing piece by a young man.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Mahler's Das Klagende Lied was finished when he was 20.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Rossini - L'italiana in Algeri (21)


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

I can't think of anything else at the moment but John Zorn composed his phenomenonal wind quintet "Christabel" when he was only 20! (to my knowledge)

(this gives me hope as a composer because I've been composing very carefully a ballet score for the past year + 5 months and I'm not too much older!) :tiphat:


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

*Joly Braga Santos (1924-1988)*
Symphony no. IV in E (1950): A mighty impressive work, extremely well-argued, cogent, structurally sound (and its coda is simply magnificent). His Second and Third Symphonies (1948 & 1949 resp.) are worthy candidates.

*Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)*
Symphony no. I in D (1894-1895): A remarkably assured, forward-looking, daring, challenging work for its era.

*Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)*
String Quartet nos. I & III, Stenka Razin, The Sea (1882, 1886, 1885, 1889 resp.): It's safe to say that this composer's career was off to the races after his studies with Rimsky-Korsakov, as these works testify.

*Erno Dohnanyi (1877-1960)*
Symphony no. I (1900): a truly masterful work, great command with the orchestra, and immensely resourceful and innovative (the theme and variations finale is superb).

*Artur Lemba (1885-1963)*
Symphony No. I in C-sharp minor (1908): A mighty strong symphony in its undeniable nationalistic fervor that brings to mind the Russian Five, Kalinnikov, and early Glazunov (the sweet, idyllic beginning of the finale suggest familiarity with Bruckner).


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

KenOC said:


> I have seen people claim that it's the best first symphony ever written. A minority opinion, most likely, but...


...apart from Mahler, Prokofiev and Brahms, I can't think of too many competitors. On balance, Shostakovich's 1st would probably get my vote - it's a vibrant, audacious work, brilliantly executed.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

An absolute masterpiece: Brahms Piano Concerto #1. It was officially said to be composed in late 1858 when it had its premiere and Brahms was 25, but it actually had its first rehearsal in March 1858 when Brahms was still 24. Much of its 'core' had been composed in the 2 years prior.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'll try and trump Schilgoch's excellent choice - I nominate Korngold's Piano Trio op.1 written when he was about 12.


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> ...apart from Mahler, Prokofiev and Brahms, I can't think of too many competitors.


Also Berlioz, Messiaen, Schnittke, Webern, Dutilleux, Schumann, Nielsen all wrote better first symphonies imo. I'll give Shosta this: surely nobody has ever written a better 14th symphony (but I haven't heard Pettersson's yet).


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

William Sterndale Bennett born 1816: I believe that the adagios of his piano concertos #1 (composed at 16-17) and #4 (composed at 22) are masterpieces.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Die Tote Stadt - Korngold, age 22.





GreenMamba said:


> Mendelssohn's Octet, age 16





Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Britten was quite a prodigy, composing (amongst others) his _Sinfonietta_, the cantata _A Boy Was Born_, the _Simple Symphony_ and the _Frank Bridge Variations_ before his 25th birthday.





Strange Magic said:


> Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #1. 20 years old.





Mahlerian said:


> Mahler's Das Klagende Lied was finished when he was 20.


Funny. While I love all these nominations, I can only note how silly the < 25 yo mark is, at least for composing. When I originally opened this thread, I was thinking teens, etc. Like, 20 max. You get to the 25 mark and these people are just way beyond "prodigy" "young" "precocious" etc. Too old at that point. Too much fantastic art.

And I am now older than that. Sad, but not really -- because I get to listen to all this great music!


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Arriaga's three string quartets were composed when he was 18.


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## micro (Jun 18, 2016)

Avey said:


> Funny. While I love all these nominations, I can only note how silly the < 25 yo mark is, at least for composing. When I originally opened this thread, I was thinking teens, etc. Like, 20 max. You get to the 25 mark and these people are just way beyond "prodigy" "young" "precocious" etc. Too old at that point. Too much fantastic art.
> 
> And I am now older than that. Sad, but not really -- because I get to listen to all this great music!


Yes, you're right to some extent, and I thought to write it 20 instead of 25, but that would greatly limit the available works. Don't forget that even if 25 isn't considered generally young in most professions, I think it is still very young for composing great musical works. It is just like writing an exceptional scientific paper in physics, mathematics or engineering at that age. At 25, most scientists are just writing their first to third paper and in their beginning to mid PhD way.

Well, I just remembered another work. Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2, age 20.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Vincenzo Bellini died at only 39, if that's old I am getting worried


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Fauré's _Cantique de Jean Racine_, written when in his late teens.


I discovered Faure recently and what I've heard has really left a strong impression on me, Cantique: being so beautiful it hurts!! :kiss: :tiphat:

It's inspirational that he wrote that at only 19!


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Chronochromie said:


> Also Berlioz, Messiaen, Schnittke, Webern, Dutilleux, Schumann, Nielsen all wrote better first symphonies imo.


I didn't include Berlioz, Webern and Messiaen (not to mention Bizet, Korngold and César Franck) on the basis that theirs were "one-offs", as opposed to the first in a series of symphonies. If we were to count those, then Berlioz would trump the lot, in my view.

PS: Another magnificent first symphony (in the "first-of-many" sense) is that of Rued Langgaard, which he wrote between the ages of 16 and 17.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Rossini! He wrote all his operas before his 10th birthday.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

I am fascinated by some of the pieces listed here as 'masterpieces'.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Becca said:


> I am fascinated by some of the pieces listed here as 'masterpieces'.


That's an interesting point. It's not hard to accept the major works by the major composers as masterpieces; history has accepted them. For instance, no one would question my suggestion of the Brahms Concerto #1, but what about my example of the William Sterndale Bennett piano concerto adagios? I can't argue very strongly to defend it, but I find the orchestration, melodic innovation and downright beauty comparable to that of the works of some of Bennett's well-known contemporaries and he was only 16-18 at the time of composition!

My sense is that there are a fair number of masterpiece-level works, particularly in the 19th century, that didn't end up getting the attention they deserved for several reasons not having to do with the quality of the music. Of course, there is the fact that people have different views as to what comprises a masterpiece.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Probably the greatest work composed by Mozart at a young age was Idomeneo. (I think he was 25)


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

How about Schubert's Piano Fantasy in C major, the Wanderer Fantasy, composed at age 25.


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## micro (Jun 18, 2016)

Also Mozart's Violin Concerto 3, age 19.
He also composed his Violin concerto No .4 in the same year but many may argue whether it is a masterpiece.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Has Schubert been mentioned? He was an early starter – given his life span, he had to be! He wrote the songs "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and "Der Erlkönig" at 17-18 years old.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

DavidA said:


> Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream Overture (17)
> 
> The most astonishing piece by a young man.


Except for his Octet, written the previous year!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Except for his Octet, written the previous year!


Good on you :tiphat:


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, known for his Stabat Mater and La serve padrona, died at age 26.

Juan Crisostomo Arriaga, "The Spanish Mozart," died at age 19. Don't know about "masterpieces," but his reputation is positive.

Lili Boulanger, who had a substantial reputation, died at age 24. Won Prix de Rome at age 19.

Bizet's Symphony in C composed when he was 17. Well, I think it's a masterpiece.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

geralmar said:


> Juan Crisostomo Arriaga, "The Spanish Mozart," died at age 19. Don't know about "masterpieces," but his reputation is positive.
> 
> Lili Boulanger, who had a substantial reputation, died at age 24. Won Prix de Rome at age 19.
> 
> Bizet's Symphony in C composed when he was 17. Well, I think it's a masterpiece.


Arriaga's three string quartets were mentioned earlier. If they're not masterpieces, they're close to it.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Has Schubert been mentioned? He was an early starter - given his life span, he had to be! He wrote the songs "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and "Der Erlkönig" at 17-18 years old.


"Gretchen am Spinnrade" is a miracle for a teenager who was just coming from the (useful but cold) Salieri's lessons of Italian belcanto.


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

J.S. Bach's Passacaglia & Fugue was allegedly composed in his early 20s!


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Handel - Dixit Dominus (age 22)


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Scriabin's Etude Op. 2 No. 1 may not be a "masterpiece", but for a 15 year old it's pretty damn good. And it is an enduring piece popularized by Horowitz and well liked by pianists. What was I doing again when I was 15?


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## micro (Jun 18, 2016)

Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major (Trout Quintet), age 22.


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## Five and Dime (Jul 8, 2016)

Enescu's Romanian Poem, written at age 16.


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