# Your favorite "musical beginnings" of pieces



## timothyjuddviolin (Nov 1, 2011)

Here are three of mine. Let a comment and share yours:

Musical Beginnings


----------



## TitanisWalleri (Dec 30, 2012)

I love the very beginning of Mahler 9. It is undeniably one of the most beautiful sections of music ever composed. Period. 

I also like the beginning of Mahler 5. When the trumpet solo is played correctly, it can send a shiver down one's spine

The opening of The Planets with the triplet, 2 quarter notes, the two eigth notes is one of the most perfect rythms ever composed. From the beginning of the piece to the end, the rythm never fails to fill me with rage.


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms is definitely among my favorites.


----------



## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

Brahms first symphony and Sacre du printemps


----------



## mikey (Nov 26, 2013)

Hary Janos suite's musical sneeze.
Beethoven 4 PC.


----------



## Perotin (May 29, 2012)

Gloria by Poulenc, 1. suite for military band by Holst.


----------



## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms is definitely among my favorites.


His symphonies of wind instruments also has a really electrifying opening.

I like Iannis Xenakis' Keqrops, it has an excellent opening.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Mendelssohn's 4th symphony (Italian) deserves mentioning.


----------



## Andreas (Apr 27, 2012)

Beethoven 4th symphony. Always makes me think of Mahler 1st.


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

My favourite...for today
Wonderful prelude. Schoenberg gets all _Wagner_ on us.


----------



## aberooski (Jan 2, 2014)

The Witches' Sabbath


----------



## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Roy Harris' wonderful "Gettysburg Symphony" (# 6). One of the most beautiful "dawn" openings.


----------



## GiulioCesare (Apr 9, 2013)

L'Orfeo, the little drum'n'brass overture.

I always feel like it's the original unveiling of the magical world of opera.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Also Sprach Zarathustra by R Strauss.


----------



## Rachmanijohn (Jan 2, 2014)

I love the beginning to The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. Also, the opening to the Introit of Mozart's Requiem in D minor.


----------



## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

Although William Tell Overture is better known for its finale, the bass/cello introduction is probably one of my favorite "beginnings" to a piece.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

You have to ask a bassoon this question?


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The opening to Bruckner's 7th is memorable.


----------



## mikey (Nov 26, 2013)

I nominate this as one of the grandest, most (ironically visually) impressive openings ever!


----------



## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Scriabin's 3rd symphony.

The entire first 6 minutes or so.


----------



## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Couac Addict said:


> My favourite...for today
> Wonderful prelude. Schoenberg gets all _Wagner_ on us.


Beautiful, thanks for sharing!


----------



## CyrilWashbrook (Feb 6, 2013)

Daphnis et Chloé has a wonderfully crafted opening.


----------



## nbharakey (Oct 5, 2010)

This is my recently heard favorite.


----------



## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Artur Kapp's First Symphony. 
Glazunov's First Piano Sonata.
Atterberg's Second Symphony.
Alfven's 3rd and 4th Symphonies.
Myaskovsky's 27th Symphony, 9th & 13th String Quartets.
Diamond's First Symphony


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

GreenMamba said:


> Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms is definitely among my favorites.


Talk about signature DNA from the chord, its voicing, orchestration and articulation, rhythmic placement -- top to bottom, 
"no one but Stravinsky, none other than this piece."


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

That great bassoon solo that opens Le Sacre gets me every time and yes, it is a melody that one can hum, whistle, etc;


----------



## guy (Jan 4, 2014)

First theme of the Waldstein sonata, or the entire 1st piano sonata, all by Beethoven.


----------



## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

Sorry but I will have to go with the cheesy but amazing: Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1


----------



## adrem (Jun 19, 2013)

Totally agree. For me also Shostakovich 4th symphony and Scriabin 9 piano sonata. Oh, and Prokofiev 6th symphony - that's a real beginning  These are obviously few from a thousands of memorable beginnigs.


Manxfeeder said:


> The opening to Bruckner's 7th is memorable.


----------



## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

I agree with you on the cheesy part...



julianoq said:


> Sorry but I will have to go with the cheesy but amazing: Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1


----------



## stevederekson (Jan 5, 2014)

Mozart Requiem - Introitus. Played ultra-slow, like on the Bernstein recording.

There is no better beginning to a piece than the first few seconds, before the chorus comes in.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

The first chords of the piano: "TELL ME THE TRUTH!" yells the pianist!  :


----------



## CypressWillow (Apr 2, 2013)

Must agree about the beginning of the Introitus of the Mozart Requiem. Sublime.

And those first notes of the Chopin Nocturne Op. 32 Number 2! A short prelude, which lifts the curtain on this extraordinary piece, and then returns as the coda! The passionate agitation of the stormy middle section leaves me breathless. Oh, Chopin, Chopin, Chopin.


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Marriage of Figaro Overture - flurry of orchestral chuckles, then pretty horns, and then BAM!
Mendelssohn VC - "we don't need no stinkin' orchestral exposition"
Beethoven's 3rd - Two Eb Major "bitch slaps" is all the introduction I need, sincerely, Ludwig.
Fanfare for the Common Man - says so much with so little
Dvoark Slavonic Dance #7 - oboe and bassoon duet in canon, groovy.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Even though I don't care for the work in totality, I do have a fondness for the mood created by the beginning of Mahler's First Symphony.


----------



## stevederekson (Jan 5, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Even though I don't care for the work in totality, I do have a fondness for the mood created by the beginning of Mahler's First Symphony.


If Mahler is to be spoken of, I'd say the short buildup at the beginning of the 2nd deserves mention. Despite popularity, I don't really care for the first movement of the fifth.


----------



## lupinix (Jan 9, 2014)

rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto and also third 3rd 
prokofiev 2nd piano concerto and also third 3rd 
prokofiev 4th and 6th symphonies
shostakovich 4th symphony 
sibelius symphony 5 *third movement* (does that count?)
messiaen quatuor pour la fin du temps
guillaume dufay missa lhomme arme
many more that I can't think of now


----------



## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Haydn - Symphonies no. 101 & 102, always found those introductions brilliant. And the Representation of Chaos which starts off the Creation is awesome as well. For Beethoven, my favourites are the introductions to symphonies 2 and 4.


----------



## Donata (Dec 28, 2013)

The beginnings of Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Mahler's Fifth Symphony.


----------



## nbharakey (Oct 5, 2010)

Beginning of second movement of Beethoven's Symphony 9 is ultimate favorite, if it counts.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Johann Strauss, An der schönen blauen Donau. The beginning... Pure magic. So beautiful!


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Carl Nielsen's 5th symphony - almost a chaotic nothingness

Also the start of Das Rheingold - The Rhine flows ceaselessly on. Pity the poor horn players


----------



## LancsMan (Oct 28, 2013)

I'd just come on this thread to say Das Rheingold to discover Becca has just beaten me to it!!


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Jean-Féry Rebel, Chaos & the Elements -


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

nbharakey said:


> Beginning of second movement of Beethoven's Symphony 9 is ultimate favorite, if it counts.


I prefer the beginning of the third movement.


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Mahler, Symphony No.5
Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps
Beethoven, Symphony No.5
Penderecki, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima
Mozart, Requiem

Those are the top five, subject to change.


----------



## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

Beethoven's 9th, by far my favorite, the most memorable, unique, and strange. "Played pianissimo over string tremolos, so much resembles the sound of an orchestra tuning, many commentators have suggested that was Beethoven's inspiration-but from within that musical limbo emerges a theme of power and clarity that later drives the entire movement." Not even counting the majestic and stormy theme that emerges from the "cosmic nothingness", the thirty or so seconds of pianissimo string tremolos _alone_ blow me away every time.

Pretty much _any_ Wagner prelude
Beethoven's 5th, self-explanatory.
Beethoven's 3rd, him saying, "Attention, everyone, the real Beethoven has arrived."
Mahler's 5th
Mahler's 9th, not everything has to have an epic opening
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, ditto
Schubert's 8th
Brahms' 4th
Brahms' 1st


----------



## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

There are so many... where to begin with beginnings?

This beginning to the whole of the Ring:






Or this:






The work begins almost inauspiciously... not unlike the Wagner... so that one almost has no inkling of where one is headed.

Or this...


----------



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony. Brass fanfares, then the chorus comes in with "BEHOLD...THE SEA ITSELF!", with a huge crash from full orchestra (+ organ) on "sea". One of the most attention-grabbing starts to a First Symphony ever.

Other favourites are the eight unison horns that begin Mahler 3, and the huge chords that alternate between orchestra and organ at the start of Berlioz' Te Deum.


----------



## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

The magical opening to Tippett's Ritual Dances from the Midsummer Marriage.


----------



## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

The really creepy opening measures of the finale of Mahler's Sixth.


----------



## Rhombic (Oct 28, 2013)

The beginning of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony SECOND MOVEMENT is surely memorable.
Borodin's symphony #2 also begins in quite an interesting way.
The first six chords of Mayskovsky's 6th Symphony are incredibly poignant (*especially if you read the history behind them, going beyond the mere musical impression*).
Ummm... err.. let's see... Shostakovich's 7th symphony (Leningrad)
Gershwin's _Rhapsody in Blue_ ahhh that clarinet solo 
Please don't kill me, but... Beethoven's 5th symphony!!!!
Rachmaninov's 2nd symphony (even though it's quite slow and not as majestic).


----------



## Gaspard de la Nuit (Oct 20, 2014)

Lemme think... R. Strauss really comes to mind when thinking of striking or dynamic beginnings....ein heldenleben, Don Juan, also sprach Zarathustra are among the most astonishing....

I actually don't understand why the opening of rite of spring is considered by so many to be the best part of the whole work (I feel like I heard that Stravinsky thought it was the best as well, though his opinions seemed to change every minute or so.) it's complex and quite evocative but indon't think it's got anything over the rest of the work, maybe academics decided it was the best because it's the most cacophonous, poly-tonal part of the work.


----------



## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm always so preoccupied with endings and finales, I often forget about good beginnings.

Many of my favorites (like "Zarathustra") have already been mentioned, but I thought of a few others:

-I love the beginning of *Pines of Rome* by Ottorino Respighi. Even though it's the one about pines and not about fountains, I see a fountain shooting water high into the air with that jubilant exciting opening.
-One of my favorites is the opening pentatonic theme of Rimsky-Korsakov's *Russian Easter Overture*. 
-There is also the opening of *Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11*. Somber brooding beginning to a very dark work.
-And then there's the downright menacing opening to the *Coronation Scene* in Mussorgsky's *Boris Godunov*.


----------



## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Bruckner 8 - Adagio, if we consider it as a 'piece' - of course, it's only the 3rd part of the whole work. But this is definilety one of my favorites!

(starts at 38:15)






For the 'true' beginning I would nominate Rautavaara 7 - from the very first notes you know there will be some magic involved...


----------



## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Ligeti - Violin Concerto
Brahms - Horn Trio
Palestrina - Stabat Mater


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

isorhythm said:


> Ligeti - Violin Concerto


Funny--I was just thinking about that. Good call!

...

Sibelius - Symphony 4


----------



## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

Beethoven's 7th symphony - the Poco Sostenuto introduction is one of my favourite 3-4 minutes in all music. It's the perfect 'classical music' for me.


----------



## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

A lot of my favorites have been mentioned, haha. Here are some over favorite openings:

Brahms' Piano Concerto 1 = Promises the epic it will soon deliver
Franck's Violin Sonata = Kinda cliche I suppose, but it creates an introspective mood
Mahler 1 = Very spacious, great recreation of a "nature" sound
Mahler 5 = Hold on to your butts!
Mahler 9 = Absolutely gorgeous
Bah's Mass in b minor = The first two chords give me the chills every time
Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 = Especially when it's on an organ with a growling bass like this
Liszt's Dante Symphony = Welcome to HELL
Mendelssohn's Symphony 2 = The call and response between the horns and the full orchestra is nothing short of majestic
Strauss' Elektra = Punches you right in the gut
Scriabin's Piano Sonata 5 = Rising from the deepest depths 
Schostakovich's Piano Concerto 2 = Really silly, like quacking ducks


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I too love the opening of Mahler's First Symphony-uniquely mysterious!


----------



## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I love the very beginning of Appalachian Spring -- it's magical.

The beginning of Daphnis et Chloe, building that complete A Lydian scale in fifths, and the aura of mystery it conveys.

O Fortuna from Carmina Burana -- like someone is being chased by the devil himself.

The opening bars of Afternoon of a Faun.


----------



## Guest (Apr 7, 2015)

I love the spooky, murky intro of "La Valse" by Ravel.


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

"The Montagues and the Capulets" from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet has a wonderful opening.


----------

