# What are your top five favourite melodies?



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I am not looking for a definite objective result as I know that is impossible. Yet what do you consider to be your five favourite melodies?

Mine at present:

1. Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Valse main theme. 
2. Beethoven 1st subject from Emperor Piano Concerto 1st mov.
3. Schumann Widmung 2nd theme.
4. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Theme just after start that never returns.
5. Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture main theme. 

(Honorary 6th place Saint Saens Carnival of the Animals, finale)

That was harder than I thought it would be.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Mahler: theme from slow movement of Fourth Symphony
Brahms: First movement fo Symphony No. 2
Beethoven: First novement G major Piano Concerto
Waltz of the Flowers
Beethoven: Benedictuus from Missa Solemnis


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Tchaikovsky - Pas de deux from _The Nutcracker_
Dvorák - Symphony 8 - Theme from the 4th movement
Smetana - Main theme from _The Moldau_
Elgar - Main theme from the Symphony No. 1
Kaljo Raid - There is a melody in the 3rd movement from his Symphony No. 1 that is unforgettable and so inspired!


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

1. The big tune in Vaughan Williams overture to The Wasps.
2. The flute tune from the Allegretto in Malcolm Arnold's Four Scottish Dances
3. Balakirev - 1st symphony 3rd movement
4. Tchaikovsky - Manfred, middle section of the 2nd movement
5.Kalinnikov - Symphony no. 1, first movement, second theme


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## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

1. Ravel - Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin
2. Tchaikovsky - 2nd movement from Piano Concerto no. 1 
3. Rimsky Korsakov - 3rd movement from Sheherazade
4. Debussy - 1st movement from Suite Bergamasque
5. Schmidt - 3rd movement from Piano Quintet no. 1


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## Swosh (Feb 25, 2018)

Brahms Sextet No. 1 first movement theme.
Chopin Scherzo No. 2
Mendelssohn string quartet op. 80 finale
Beethoven string quartet no. 12 adagio
Joachim Raff string quartet no. 7

I'd say that's a good 5 I will always enjoy


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

1. Brahms, Symphony no. 3, 3rd mov
2. Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 6, 1st mov
3. Bach, St Matthew Passion: Er barme dich
4. Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2, 3rd mov
5. Mozart, Clarinet concerto, 2nd mov


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Debussy-Gymnopedie No.1
Stravinsky-Dance Infernal
Ravel- Prelude to Le Tombeau de Couperin
Bartok-2nd movt from Concerto For Orchestra
Zappa-Uncle Meat


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

- Theme in the middle of Jupiter from Holst's Planets
- Any one in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Scene
- Ravel's Pavane for Dead Princess
- Dvorak's American Quartet 2nd Movement
- Saint-Saens' the Swan from Carnival of Animals

I just noticed they're all Romantic/Post-Romantic


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## Swosh (Feb 25, 2018)

Well yea, melody died in the 1900s haha!


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

Not a conclusive list.

1. Atterberg - Piano Concerto, 3rd mvt., 2nd theme
2. Saint-Saens - Symphony no. 3, "Organ", 1b mvt.
3. Sibelius - Violin Concerto, 1st mvt., main theme
4. Bach - Violin Partita no. 2, Chaconne
5. Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 5, "Emperor", 2nd mvt.


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## BiscuityBoyle (Feb 5, 2018)

It will change tomorrow. 

Stravinsky - Adagio from Apollon Musagete 
Ligeti - Keserédes from Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel
Bjork -Vökuró from Medula 
Prokofiev - Légende (from Op.12) 
Schumann - the first Albumblätter (Ziemlich langsam) from Bunte Blätter


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

starthrower said:


> *Debussy*-Gymnopedie No.1


What?! 
Pah! I don't know, he makes one shoddy orchestration and gets the composer's credit!


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Mozart Clarinet Concerto - 2nd movement main theme
Holst Planets - Jupiter chorale melody
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto - 1st movement main theme
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2 - 3rd movement theme
Dvorak Cello Concerto - 2nd movement theme

Honorable mentions:
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto - 1st movement theme
Beethoven Violin Concerto - 3rd movement theme
Beethoven Symphony 7 - 2nd movement theme
Dvorak Symphony 8 - 3rd movement trio theme


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

eugeneonagain said:


> What?!
> Pah! I don't know, he makes one shoddy orchestration and gets the composer's credit!


My bad. I meant his Arabesque, not the Satie piece.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

Off the top of my head, probably missing some...

Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 8 1st and 2nd mvt opening themes
Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess
Mahler 5 Adagietto
Stravinsky Orpheus Air De Danse
Bach Goldberg Variations Aria

At the last minute remembered Chopin Op. 48/1 main melody: put that up there too.


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## Gallus (Feb 8, 2018)

Bach (or the person who composed the chorale melody I suppose), Jesus bleibet meine Freude
Bellini, Ite sul colle, o Druidi (also especially in the Liszt adaption "Reminisces de Norma", where it appears prominently)
Mozart, Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben 
Beethoven, Pathetique adagio theme 
Pange lingua gloriosi


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

This just a top 5 for today. I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to melody.

Liszt - Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude
Rachmaninoff - Elegie Op. 3 No. 1
Scriabin - Valse Op. 38
Wagner - Mild und Leise/Liebestod
Massenet - Meditation from Thaïs


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Some that come to mind:

Ravel - First movement of Piano Trio
Ravel - Piece en forme d'habanera
Prokofiev - Coda from last movement of 2nd Symphony
Monteverdi - L'Orfeo Introduction
J.S. Bach - Adagio from BWV 564


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## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Even though I'm a huge fan of orchestral music and concerti, for melodies (rather than pieces) mine seem all to be opera aria...

Bizet - Je crois entendre encore (from the Pearl Fishers)
Leoncavallo - Vesti la giubba (from Pagliacci)
Puccini - Nessun dorma (from Turandot)
Bizet - La fleur que tu m'avais jetee (from Carmen)
Bizet - Au fond du temple saint (Duet from the Pearl Fishers)

I can hear you all going... oh crap, yeah that stuff


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