# Happiest-sounding pieces of music?



## Tristan

What are the pieces of music (or portions of pieces) that evoke pure happiness for you? What music sounds like frolicking through a field of flowers (or another image if you prefer)?

This is just for fun  I was sort of compiling a list in my mind, thinking specifically of:

Saint-Saens - Piano Concerto No. 2 (second movement) - you know the part I'm talking about 
Dvorak - Symphony No. 5 (Third movement)
Jarnefelt - Praeludium
Respighi - Pines of Rome: Pines of the Villa Borghese

Any suggestions?


----------



## KenOC

For a good time call Brahms, Academic Festival Overture.


----------



## petter

Mozart symphony No.39.


----------



## Tristan

KenOC said:


> For a good time call Brahms, Academic Festival Overture.


I still don't have that on CD... 



petter said:


> Mozart symphony No.39.


I love the 4th movement; definitely one of the happiest-sounding Mozart pieces.


----------



## BurningDesire

Jupiter from The Planets by Holst, and The Alcotts (movement III) from Charles Ives' Concord Sonata are both amazingly joyous. I also find The 6th Symphony of Beethoven to be full of incredible, genuine happiness.


----------



## KenOC

BurningDesire said:


> Jupiter from The Planets by Holst, and The Alcotts (movement III) from Charles Ives' Concord Sonata are both amazingly joyous. I also find The 6th Symphony of Beethoven to be full of incredible, genuine happiness.


Hey, we're talking about FUN here! Mozart, Marriage of Figaro Overture. Beethoven, finale of Symphony #4. That sort of thing.


----------



## presto

Jumping Bean, this always makes me smile!


----------



## GreenMamba

Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony.


----------



## Novelette

The third movement of Dittersdorf's Harp Concerto in A Major.

It is more than usually cheerful, almost annoyingly so.


----------



## Tristan

BurningDesire said:


> Jupiter from The Planets by Holst, and The Alcotts (movement III) from Charles Ives' Concord Sonata are both amazingly joyous. I also find The 6th Symphony of Beethoven to be full of incredible, genuine happiness.


The 5th movement of Beethoven's 6th stands out to me as being particularly joyous 



GreenMamba said:


> Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony.


Also I'd have to nominate the 2nd movement of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5.


----------



## Feathers

The 1st movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 29.

Also, another happy movement from Mendelssohn is the 2nd movement of his 3rd symphony.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Happiest soundings pieces? Sure I've got a suggestion: Pettersson's _Symphony No. 7_.  But seriously, listen to Delius' _ Winter Night 'Sleigh Ride'_ from _Three Small Tone Poems_.


----------



## Conor71

That first movement from Schumanns 3rd always makes me feel really happy. In general though Im not all that fond of jolly music. Im not really sure why as im far from being a miserable person


----------



## Perotin

Overture Leonore no. 3 by Beethoven.
Last movement of 5th symphony by Sibelius.
Kindersymphonie by Leopold Mozart (or is it Haydn?)


----------



## Andolink

Delius: "In a Summer Garden", a fantasy for orchestra


----------



## PetrB

I use _ebullient_ to describe the quality.

...at least a half a dozen final movement Rondos from Mozart's piano concerti




Ditto the final movement of many of the string quartets.

Bernd Alois Zimmermann ~ Un petit Rien





Joseph Fennimore ~ Concerto Piccolo for Piano and Chamber Orchestra 





Joaquin Rodrigo ~ Concierto Serenata Para Arpa Y Orquesta 1st & 3rd Movements









LUKAS FOSS: Capriccio for 'Cello and Piano





Olivier Messiaen ~ Turangalila Symphony: V; Joie du Sang des Étoiles





Stravinsky: 
Concerto in Eb, Dumbarton Oaks




Violin Concerto, 1st Mvmt.




Pulcinella ~ completel ballet; as varied as it is, so much of it is in high good humor.

Milhaud ~ Chamber Symphony No. 1





Claudio Monteverdi ~ Zefiro torna





Francis Poulenc ~ Bourrée au Pavillon d'Auvergne 




(Among dozens of pieces, movements of works, a good deal of this ballet suite, Les Biches, etc.)


----------



## Xaltotun

Schubert's piano quintet, "The Trout"! And I also second Mendelssohn's 4th symphony.


----------



## schuberkovich

4th movement of Dvorak's american quartet


----------



## DrKilroy

PetrB said:


> LUKAS FOSS: Capriccio for 'Cello and Piano
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Olivier Messiaen ~ Turangalila Symphony: V; Joie du Sang des Étoiles
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stravinsky:
> Concerto in Eb, Dumbarton Oaks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Violin Concerto, 1st Mvmt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pulcinella ~ completel ballet; as varied as it is, so much of it is in high good humor.


My choices, too! :tiphat:

Best regards, Dr


----------



## PetrB

DrKilroy said:


> My choices, too! :tiphat:
> 
> Best regards, Dr


Well, that's at least two smiling at the same stuff.:tiphat:


----------



## DeepR

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 2 - Rondo (starts at 24:20)





Just looking at Zimerman playing and conducting also makes me smile.


----------



## Ravndal

I nominate Saint Saens - Le Rouet D'omphale


----------



## norman bates

john foulds - april england





and the vast majority of the alec wilder octets (altough they are a mix of classical, jazz and popular music)





I can think also of non classical music, but I don't know if it's the argument of this topic.


----------



## elgar's ghost

The Turkey Trot section from Bernstein's Divertimento for Orchestra:






Gottschalk's A Night In The Tropics, especially when the more exotic percussion kicks in. This is part II:






And Aaron Copland's I Bought Me a Cat from Old Americal Songs pt I - this is a choral version:


----------



## Arsakes

Dvorak:
Symphony No.6 Finale: Allegro con spirit
Slavonic Dances Op.46 - No.1 in C major

Majority of Johann Strauss and his family works. Some of Tchaikovsky, Paganini and Rossini works I think.
And finally most of Haydn's Menuets and Menuettos!


----------



## dstring

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D "Classical".


----------



## Kleinzeit

Bartok's Hungarian Sketches, especially An Evening in the Village. Bartok always sounds like he's up for a fight, so when this comes out of him it's sweeter than it would be from someone else.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Brahms' Hungarian Dances and many of the Brandenburgs come to my mind.


----------



## techniquest

Shostakovich - Festival Overture






Shchedrin - Concerto for Orchestra No.1






Ginastera - Malambo from Estancia as performed by the Simon Bolivar Orchestra - it doesn't get much happier than this!


----------



## Weston

Hands down, the 5th movement from Handel's Organ Concerto No. 14 in A. This has never failed to make me feel lighter no matter how grouchy I am.


----------



## grocklin

For me there's really no question - the happiest movement in any music I know is the 1st movement of Haydn's Op 71 No. 2. Here's the Tatrai quartet performing, but believe me that the Auryn (expensive) recording is four times as happy.


----------



## Neo Romanza

Kleinzeit said:


> Bartok's Hungarian Sketches, especially An Evening in the Village. Bartok always sounds like he's up for a fight, so when this comes out of him it's sweeter than it would be from someone else.


I've felt sort of this way too about this work for a long time. It shows Bartok in a lighter, not so serious vein, but it still has that folk sound to it that has made his music so timeless.


----------



## DavidA

Hayden's Creation. What about 'Awake the harp'


----------



## EricABQ

I think the second movement of Mozart's first piano concerto is full of positive energy and joy.


----------



## Tristan

Nice nominations, everybody 

Something I forgot about. Any piece called "Bergamasca" is bound to be joyous:


----------



## Cheyenne

Why, the finale's of Haydn's symphonies no. 88 and 104 of course! Especially when on takes something as over the top as Bernstein's sony interpretations.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Anyone who knows me any, also knows that whatever the request is, whether for happy or dark or energetic or heavy-sounding music, I will find a way to stick Wagner in there somewhere. Hereby I nominate the prelude to _Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg _as the happiest piece of all times. More details here: http://www.talkclassical.com/25068-your-favourite-wagner-overture.html#post447379 .


----------



## Cheyenne

SiegendesLicht said:


> Anyone who knows me any, also knows that whatever the request is, whether for happy or dark or energetic or heavy-sounding music, I will find a way to stick Wagner in there somewhere. Hereby I nominate the prelude to _Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg _as the happiest piece of all times. More details here: http://www.talkclassical.com/25068-your-favourite-wagner-overture.html#post447379 .


The guy at 3:33 here seems to disagree with you:


----------



## DrKilroy

Also the guy around 6:13... 

Best regards, Dr


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Oh, those two are simply too deep in their concentrated enjoyment


----------



## presto

Well, I don't think you'll find anything as happy as this,
Me on my recorder-


----------



## Ingélou

.... and for those of us who know what Watkin's Ale is ...


----------



## Taggart

presto said:


> Well, I don't think you'll find anything as happy as this,


Next thing it'll be Roll out the (red) Barrel!


----------



## LordBlackudder




----------



## Huilunsoittaja

If you're looking for the more ecstatic type of happiness, Tchaikovsky is the man. The finale's main theme of the 4th symphony just about tops everything to my knowledge.

Glazunov's scherzos (Symphony 3 and 4) are supremely happy in the more good-natured way, not the hysterical way of Tchaikovsky. Also, ballet segments never fail to be happy with him, except for tense moments of action.

This here is hysterically happy:





Love love love!


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

presto said:


> Well, I don't think you'll find anything as happy as this,
> Me on my recorder-


For one moment I imagined it was Prokofiev prancing into the room... :lol:


----------



## Crudblud

Not my preferred version; for that, see Antoni Wit conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra on Naxos. Chung's performance is admirable, but for me never really reaches the same heights of "pure joy."


----------



## bassClef

The Ballet music in Rossini's William Tell


----------



## IBMchicago

Haydn Piano Concerto in D - all three movements, particularly when played by Emanuel Ax.


----------



## PetrB

Crudblud said:


> Not my preferred version; for that, see Antoni Wit conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra on Naxos. Chung's performance is admirable, but for me never really reaches the same heights of "pure joy."


_*It's a Party!*_for sure.


----------



## Dustin

There are so many but I'll agree with the person who mentioned the finale of Mozart's Symphony 39. This movement fills me with sheer joy and is also extremely energizing. Another that jumped to my mind is the finale of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra. This entire work is definitely in consideration for my favorite piece ever and its stratospheric levels of pure bliss and heavenly melodies blow me away every time.


----------



## superhorn

I can't think of anything happier that the overture to Nielsen's wonderful comic opera "Maskarade ". 
It's pure joy, exuberance and fun . The entire opera is a joy .


----------



## StevenOBrien

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is the definition of contentedness.


----------



## Cavaradossi

Just reading through this list makes me smile. A few more: 

Beethoven 6th has already been mentioned, how about the finale of the 7th?
“Happy Endings” from Aaron Copland’s film score for “The Red Pony”
Bernstein’s Candide Overture
The "Ging heut' Morgen übers Feld" bit from Mahler's 1st.
Bacchanale from Saint Saens “Samson et Dalila”
This space reserved for a Dvorak scherzo to be named later.


----------



## Cheyenne

So little Baroque in this thread! Baroque dance movements are full of life.


----------



## Dustin

Here's a little baroque for you. The gigue of Bach's 5th French Suite is has an unreal melody that is impossible not to smile at.


----------



## trazom

Of course, it's a bittersweet happiness in some parts; but that's what makes it so moving!


----------



## Plum

Rustic Wedding Symphony by Karl Goldmark.


----------



## Blue

For fun pieces, I like Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals- it's just so lighthearted! Bartok's Hungarian Dances for violin have a very fun movement 5 and 6, too.


----------



## tdc

The first pieces that come to mind for me are Baroque things like Bach's Brandenburg no. 3 and Vivaldi Spring.


----------



## peeyaj

The first movement of Schubert's Symphony no. 5.

The final movement of Schubert's Great C major symphony.

The first movement of Schubert's Trout Quintet.

Schubert's Marche Militaire.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde




----------



## drpraetorus

Beethovens 7th Symphony (too long for a video, you know it anyway)
Bach Gigue fugue




Bach Third Brandenburg concerto, you already know it.
Weinberger Polka and fugue from Schwanda. It really is amazing what that man gets from his duddelsak. The recording in this excerpt is the first one I heard. It was in my parents recording collection. Really, though, it is missing a great deal without the chorus.




Gottschalk Pasquinade, a precursor to ragtime.


----------



## drpraetorus

Gottschalk The Banjo. A real knuckle-buster. Gottschalk quotes Fosters Campdown Races. He and foster were in New York at the same time but apparently never met. 



Gottschalk Grand Tarantelle



I had a class at BYU from the pianist in this, Reid Nibbly. He was a good teacher, I was a lousy student.
Alfven Swedish Rhapsody. Get the Ormandy version if you can. It is old but still the best. Unfortunately, this is not it.


----------



## drpraetorus

Michael Praetorius Bouree from Terpsichore



Pretty much anything by G&S
Joplin, Pineapple Rag



and Maple Leaf Rag. Technically not the best performance but he makes up for it with the wonderful spirit he gives the music.


----------



## KenOC

Can anything be happier than Boyce?


----------



## Tristan

^Agreed about Boyce 

My personal favorite is the Gavotte from the Symphony No. 4 (at 4:02):


----------



## Tristan

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


>


I totally already posted that haha  Great minds think alike...


----------



## Picander

Bach - Crhistmas oratorio BWV 248 - last choral (7:04):


----------



## Avey

I've been particularly intrigued by all the different views on what constitutes a "happy" piece. I envisioned "happy" as distinct from energetic, or explosive, or simply lively. This is not me correcting anyone; this is me stating my intrigue in how to interpret that classification.

So, what first comes to mind is anything by *Mendelssohn*, _sans_ the later years.

The Octet, Midsummer Night's Dream Overture (and the rest), Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage (highly underrated!)...Etc, etc.

Other "Happy" labels, in my mind:

*Beethoven* Violin Concerto, particularly the final movement - a joyous release without any prior frustration (how can it be? It must be!)

*Mozart* String Quartet 19 "Dissonance," the Allegretto

*Tchaikovsky* Souvenir of Florence, the Allegro (IV) - Pytor supposedly adored this piece, and I can imagine his delight in finishing this up, recollecting on his little _Florencian_ (Florezian? Florencia?) trip.

*Brahms* Symphony No. 2 - underrated, cheerful, unlike the others

*Grieg* Peer Gynt "Morning mood" - Alright, ridicule me.


----------



## PetrB

Benjamin Britten ~ Young Apollo, for piano and strings





Prokofiev:
From Lieutenant Kijé suite ~ Troika




From Romeo and Juliet ~
Morning Serenade




Dance with Mandolins 





Harold Shapero ~ Four-Hand Sonata for Piano; III - Fast - Slightly Faster





Fulvio Caldini:
for recorder quartet...
CLockwork Toccata, (Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet)




for piano...
Toccata I




Toccata III





John Adams ~ John's book of Alleged Dances.
A number of these, for string quartet and prepared tape, are treatments of a vernacular and popular genre, so have that feel of someone walking down the street, either whistilng or clearly moving as if they have a a happy tune in their head


----------



## Jovian

Back in Black by AC/DC is a song which gives me happiness..
i also like to listen to Bollywood Playback Singers they also play some very good music


----------



## Marisol

Tristan said:


> What music sounds like frolicking through a field of flowers (or another image if you prefer)?


It definitely starts happily.......


----------

