# Mozart's 10 "greatest" works



## poconoron

Realizing of course that this will be a subjective exercise (no different from many other threads on here), I would like to propose my list of Mozart's 10 greatest works. I will try and cover all genres of his musical compositions. In the case of Mozart, it is almost absurd to try and whittle down to the number 10 out of his hundreds of works, but here goes in no particular order:

Don Giovanni
Marriage of Figaro
Symphony 40
Symphony 41
Sinfonia concertante K364
Piano concerto 20
Piano concerto 17
Piano & wind quintet K452
Clarinet concerto
Mass in C minor

Honorable mention:

Requiem
Divertimento for string trio K563
Magic Flute
Cosi fan tutte
Clarinet quintet
String quintet C minor K515
Piano concerto 25
Symphony 39
Serenade Grand Partita K361
Piano concerto 23

P.S. I found that I just had to include 10 "honorable mentions".

I'd be interested in finding out what others' lists would look like.


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## hpowders

It is a pretty good list but some glaring omissions are the magnificent String Quintet in G minor and the world weary Keyboard Concerto No. 27 as well as the brilliantly martial Keyboard Concerto No. 21 and the Symphony No. 38.

In other words, it is impossible to name the ten greatest Mozart works. He wrote too many incomparable compositions to distill them down to only ten greatest.


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## Albert7

Sadly enough I can't answer since I think that Mozart never wrote something that wasn't a masterpiece.


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## Art Rock

Clarinet concerto
Requiem
Piano concerto 20
Piano concerto 21
Piano concerto 23
Piano concerto 27
Clarinet quintet
String Quintet in G minor

These 8 stand out for me. Including two others would not be fair to so many other compositions.


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## bharbeke

These are all of the pieces I love by Mozart (so far), broken into 10 rough categories. I'll star my top 10 recommendations after their K number.

1. Clarinet Concerto K622*

2. Piano Concerto 4 K41
Piano Concerto 16 K451
Piano Concerto 17 K453
Piano Concerto 20 K467
Piano Concerto 22 K482
Piano Concerto 23 K488*
Piano Concerto 25 K503

3. Serenade No. 9 "Posthorn" K320*

4. Symphony No. 31 "Paris" K300a
Symphony No. 40 K550*
Symphony in D "No. 47" K73m
Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds K297b*

5. Horn Concerto No. 1 K386b
Horn Concerto No. 4 K495*

6. Violin Concerto No. 1 K207
Violin Concerto No. 5 "Turkish" K219*

7. Bassoon Concerto K186e*

8. Piano Sonata No. 9 K284c
Piano Sonata No. 10 K300h
Piano Sonata No. 12 K300k*
Piano Sonata No. 14 K457
Piano Sonata No. 16 "Facile" K545
London Sketchbook K15a-15ss
Rondo in A minor K511
Prelude in C K394

9. Flute Concerto No. 2 K285d*

10. 6 German Dances K509
6 German Dances K567

If you are looking to explore Mozart piece by piece, ComposersByNumbers on YouTube has a great group of playlists broken down by K numbers (hence the channel's name). Even if you opt not to use those recordings, you are guaranteed to have at least one version available to you on some of the more rarely recorded works.

Those who like piano concertos owe it to themselves to check out all 27 of them by Mozart. Nobody has a more robust group of them in their catalogue.


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## trazom

I don't think I could narrow it down to just 10, the operas he wrote in his maturity would already take up 7 spots on the list for me, then there are the piano concertos, the quintets(not just the viola quintets), his last 10 quartets, his last 6 symphonies, the trios, the the concertos outside those for piano, solo piano works, the serenades--the three for woodwinds and the Haffner and Posthorn serenades, the concert arias, etc..


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## Albert7

The question is what does the term greatest mean? There isn't any scientific way to measure whether one Mozart piece is better than another.

There are pieces that people prefer more than others but greatest isn't a term that I understand how to apply to music.


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## isorhythm

I could fill this list with piano concertos, but I'll resist. Unsurprisingly lots of overlap with the above lists.

Piano Concerto No. 20
Piano Concerto No. 23
Piano Concerto No. 27
Clarinet Quintet
String Quintet No. 4
Great Mass
The Magic Flute
Don Giovanni

Last two are works that many people probably wouldn't call "great," but are among my personal favorites:

Violin Sonata No. 21
Rondo in A minor


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## bharbeke

isorhythm (or anyone who has an opinion): Who does a great Violin Sonata No 21? The version I heard by Chung and Kenner was just so-so.

Greatest in conversations like these would be a combination of what appeals to you personally and what you would recommend for the mass of the classical listenership. I put the London Sketchbook on my list of favorites, but as a juvenilia collection, it's not as widely accepted and harder to find being recorded/performed. Another approach would be to try to measure a piece's impact among others of its type. You'd be hard pressed to find a more beloved clarinet concerto than Mozart's, so that could qualify it for greatness above some of his other works.


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## Cosmos

As OP said, subjunctive:
[no real order]

1. Requiem
2. Sinfonia Concertante
3. Clarinet Concerto
4. The Magic Flute
5. Symphony 41
6. Flute&Harp Concerto
7. String Trio k.563
8. String Quintet in g minor
9. Piano Concerto no. 23
10. Piano Quartet in Eb (what? I have a soft spot for this one)

Probably not a fair evaluation, because I am not familiar with most of Mozart's oeuvre - that's why there's only one opera. Also, I would have loved to take up all these slots with his piano concertos, but I refrained to make it more varied


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## Haydn man

Got me beaten this one
I can't even limit myself to 10 Piano Concertos


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## Albert7

Surprised me that no one has mentioned:






In other news, no Mozart, no John Cage.

Aleatory music at its finest. In fact, Mozart should have been used in the Hangover soundtrack with all that dice throwing.


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## MoonlightSonata

IMO, Mozart's best are:

Requiem
Symphony 40
Symphony 41
Clarinet Concerto
Magic Flute
Don Giovanni
Marriage of Figaro
Sinfonia Concertante
Flute and Harp Concerto

There are lots that could be No.10 so I'll leave that blank.


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## poconoron

hpowders said:


> It is a pretty good list but some glaring omissions are the magnificent String Quintet in G minor


Actually it made my honorable mention list but I typoed "String quintet C minor K515" instead of "G minor".


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## StlukesguildOhio

Limited to ten my choices would include:

The Magic Flute
Le Nozze di Figaro
Cosi fan tutte
Don Giovanni
Clarinet Quintet
Piano Concerto no. 20
The Requiem
The Great Mass in C
Symphony no. 40
Quintet for Piano and Winds

Of course given another time or place... there might be quite a few different choices.


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## ArtMusic

Mozart will forever be one of the *very greatest and popular* composer to walk the earth. An 18th century composer, of course.

Don Giovanni
Figaro
Magic Flute
Cosi
Idomeneo
Tito
Piano concerto 21
Piano concerto 20
Clarinet concerto
Symphony 40


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## hpowders

ArtMusic said:


> Mozart will forever be one of the *very greatest and popular* composer to walk the earth. An 18th century composer, of course.
> 
> Don Giovanni
> Figaro
> Magic Flute
> Cosi
> Idomeneo
> Tito
> Piano concerto 21
> Piano concerto 20
> Clarinet concerto
> Symphony 40


Glad to see you chose La Clemenza di Tito. I love the two arias with clarinet obligato.


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## ArtMusic

hpowders said:


> Glad to see you chose La Clemenza di Tito. I love the two arias with clarinet obligato.


Tito is often underrated I think just because it's an opera seria about kings. But the music in it is just as good as any of Mozart's oeperas.


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## hpowders

ArtMusic said:


> Tito is often underrated I think just because it's an opera seria about kings. But the music in it is just as good as any of Mozart's oeperas.


The music is terrific as expected from one of the Master's last major compositions.

I have "Parto....parto" one of the mezzo arias with clarinet obligato sung by Janet Baker. One of my favorite pieces of music!

I taped the Metropolitan Opera performance of the entire opera last year.


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## Mandryka

bharbeke said:


> isorhythm (or anyone who has an opinion): Who does a great Violin Sonata No 21? The version I heard by Chung and Kenner was just so-so.
> 
> Greatest in conversations like these would be a combination of what appeals to you personally and what you would recommend for the mass of the classical listenership. I put the London Sketchbook on my list of favorites, but as a juvenilia collection, it's not as widely accepted and harder to find being recorded/performed. Another approach would be to try to measure a piece's impact among others of its type. You'd be hard pressed to find a more beloved clarinet concerto than Mozart's, so that could qualify it for greatness above some of his other works.


Try Gyorgy Pauk and Peter Fankl for the sonata. And Wolfgang Schneiderhan with Carl Seemann.

I wonder what the Mozart people here think of Kagan/Richter.


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## MagneticGhost

My favourites are

Don Giovanni
Marriage of Figaro
Cosi Fan Tutti
Symphony No.38,39,40,41
Clarinet Quintet
Piano Concerti 20,21,23


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## Skilmarilion

There's so much of Mozart I have yet to listen to.

Here are '10 favourites' for now.

Vesperae solennes de confessore
_Gran Partita Serenade_
Flute and Harp Concerto
Piano Concerto 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27


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## Guest

10 is way too short but here goes:

Sinfonia Concertante, K364
Piano Concerto No.20, K466
Piano Concerto No. 21, K467
Piano Concerto No. 27, K595
Clarinet Concerto, K622
Flute and Harp Concerto, K299
Gran Partita Serenade, K361
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
Symphony No. 40, K550
Symphony No. 41, K551


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## poconoron

ArtMusic said:


> Mozart will forever be one of the *very greatest and popular* composer to walk the earth. An 18th century composer, of course.
> 
> Don Giovanni
> Figaro
> Magic Flute
> Cosi
> Idomeneo
> Tito
> Piano concerto 21
> Piano concerto 20
> Clarinet concerto
> Symphony 40


I'm also glad to see Tito mentioned. One of my favorites and didn't make my list only because there are so many OTHER favorites.


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## isorhythm

bharbeke said:


> isorhythm (or anyone who has an opinion): Who does a great Violin Sonata No 21? The version I heard by Chung and Kenner was just so-so.


Well, I first got into it by learning to play the piano part (very poorly). I have Mutter/Orkis, and also like Zukerman/Neikrug which is on Spotify. Both are solid. But I haven't done extensive comparisons.


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## Dim7

Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola
Clarinet Concerto
Piano Concertos 9, 19, 25
String Quartet no. 16 in e flat
String Quintet in G minor
Symphonies 36 'Linz', 40, 41 'Jupiter'


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## Pyotr

Violin Concerto 5
Violin Concerto 4
Piano concerto 20
Clarinet concerto
Flute and Harp Concerto
Symphony 25
Figaro Overture
Magic Flute Overture
Piano Sonata 14 K457
Violin Sonata 21 K304


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## Wilhelm Theophilus

*Mozart's 10 "greatest" works*

Its impossible to do.

You could do it for Bach or Beethoven.


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## bharbeke

I have discovered a lot more great works by Mozart since almost seven years ago. I will not attempt to make a list again, but I can clear up a dangling loose end from above. I found out that I love the Lupu/Goldberg recording of Violin Sonata No. 21.


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## Brahmsianhorn

Symphony No. 38
Symphony No. 39
Symphony No. 40
Symphony No. 41
Piano concerto No. 20
Piano concerto No. 23
G minor string quintet, k. 515
Requiem
Don Giovanni
Die Zauberflote


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## szabomd

Clarinet concerto
Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola
Symphony 29
Symphony 41
Piano concerto 20
Piano concerto 21
Piano concerto 23
Piano concerto 27
Serenade gran partita
Requiem


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## ORigel

1. Don Giovanni
2. The Magic Flute
3. Clarinet Quintet
4. Clarinet Concerto
5. Piano Concerto no. 20
6. Piano Concerto no. 24
7. Piano Concerto no. 27
8. Symphony no. 41
9. Symphony no. 40
10. Gran Partita


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## Bulldog

My Top Ten in no particular order:

Magic Flute
Mass in C minor
Requiem in D minor
Clarinet Concerto 
Clarinet Quintet
Oboe Quartet
Piano Concerto no. 17
Piano Concerto no. 24
Violin Concerto no. 5
Piano Sonata no. 11, K 331


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## Xisten267

Let me try (in reverse chronological order):

Requiem
Clarinet Concerto
Die Zauberflöte
Symphony no. 41 "Jupiter"
Don Giovanni
Le nozze di Figaro
Piano Concerto no. 20
Mass in C minor
Idomeneo


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## Rogerx

Let's give it a try:

Grand Partita , on top 
Masonic ( just a bit behind)

Le Nozze 
Zauberflote 
Piano concerto 17 
Clarinet concerto 
Symphony 40 
La Clemeza de Tito 
Requiem


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## juliante

There's this too:

Your single favourite Mozart masterpiece


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## SanAntone

None. I don't care enough about Mozart to have any favorites.


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## PlaySalieri

Yes it is tough - as the 6 big operas are so monumental - like if Beethoven wrote 6 symphonies as good as the 9th. Or verdi composed 6 Otellos - or stravinsky composed 6 rite of springs. With wagner he only did opera - so thats not too hard. I will think and have a go later. Kudos to those who have produced a top 10 and left it at that.


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## Wolfgangus the Great

Don Giovanni
Figaro
Idomeneo
Late Quartets
Late Quintets
Great Mass In C Minor


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## hammeredklavier

PlaySalieri said:


> Yes it is tough - as the 6 big operas are so monumental - like if Beethoven wrote 6 symphonies as good as the 9th. Or verdi composed 6 Otellos - or stravinsky composed 6 rite of springs. With wagner he only did opera - so thats not too hard. I will think and have a go later. Kudos to those who have produced a top 10 and left it at that.


That's not a fair way to compare though. Think about https://www.talkclassical.com/72821-your-list-five-greatest-12.html#post2153893 "generally, (with some exceptions) the most highly-regarded composers of the Romantic period wrote in few genres: Berlioz, Wagner, Chopin, Bruckner, Mahler. But in certain cases, they did so due to their "philosophical ideas" in "bringing out their own individuality". I don't think it's insightful to judge them by the same standard as you would the 18th century composers. (eg. An 18th century composer who only wrote symphonies is NOT "equivalent" to Mahler.) The 18th century way to think of certain genres is not comparable with that of the later era."


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## Brahmsian Colors

Ten Mozart favorites, in no special order:

Clarinet Quintet
Clarinet Concerto
Sinfonia Concertante K 364
String Quartet No. 20, "Hoffmeister"
Quartet for Piano and Winds K 452
Divertimento No. 17 K 334
Piano Concerto No. 13
Piano Concerto No. 17
Piano Concerto No. 21
Piano Concert No. 23


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

SanAntone said:


> None. I don't care enough about Mozart to have any favorites.


Keep it to yourself LOL


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## PlaySalieri

1. Nozze Di Figaro
2. Die Zauberflote
3 Don Giovanni
4 Cosi Fan Tutte
5 Die Enfurhung
6 Clemenza 
7 Mass in C minor k427
8 Requiem
9 K551
10 K466


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## KevinW

Why very few people mentioned his violin concertos? In my opinion, Mozart's violin concertos are good as well.

1. Violin Concerto No. 3
2. _*Violin Concerto No. 7 _
3. Sinfonia Concertante
4. Violin Concerto No.5
5. Magic Flute
6. Piano Concerto No.21
7. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
8. Symphony No. 41
9. Symphony No. 40
10. The Marriage of Figaro

(I am quite a violin person)


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## Wilhelm Theophilus

KevinW said:


> Why very few people mentioned his violin concertos? In my opinion, Mozart's violin concertos are good as well.
> 
> 1. Violin Concerto No. 3
> 2. _*Violin Concerto No. 7 _
> 3. Sinfonia Concertante
> 4. Violin Concerto No.5
> 5. Magic Flute
> 6. Piano Concerto No.21
> 7. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
> 8. Symphony No. 41
> 9. Symphony No. 40
> 10. The Marriage of Figaro
> 
> (I am quite a violin person)


They are _good_ yes. Beethoven's is better than them.


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## SanAntone

Mozart's violin concerti are generally not considered major works, at least not compared to his piano concerti, or something like the Clarinet Concerto.

Fo me, casually ranked:

1. Don Giovanni
2. Der Zauberflöte
3. Cosi
4. Le Nozze
5-10. Six string quartets dedicated to Haydn.


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## Art Rock

KevinW said:


> Why very few people mentioned his violin concertos? In my opinion, Mozart's violin concertos are good as well.
> (I am quite a violin person)


I love violin concertos, but there are dozens I would prefer over Mozart 5 (and even more over any of the other Mozarts).


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## Wilhelm Theophilus

SanAntone said:


> Mozart's violin concerti are generally not considered major works, at least not compared to his piano concerti, or something like the Clarinet Concerto.
> 
> Fo me, casually ranked:
> 
> 1. Don Giovanni
> 2. Der Zauberflöte
> 3. Cosi
> 4. Le Nozze
> 5-10. Six string quartets dedicated to Haydn.


What happened to "None. I don't care enough about Mozart to have any favorites."

:lol:


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## Kreisler jr

Mozart's 3rd and 5th violin concerti might be among my top 15 violin concerti, but not in my top 20 Mozart works... I think there are far more great works by Mozart than great violin concerti.


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## SanAntone

Wilhelm Theophilus said:


> What happened to "None. I don't care enough about Mozart to have any favorites."
> 
> :lol:


I forgot about that post.  I must have been in a bad mood when I posted that comment.

While I don't listen to WAM much, the operas still are of interest; and string quartets are an enduring preoccupation for me. So, in order to join in this thread I came up with a list.


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## PlaySalieri

SanAntone said:


> I forgot about that post.  I must have been in a bad mood when I posted that comment.
> 
> While I don't listen to WAM much, the operas still are of interest; and string quartets are an enduring preoccupation for me. So, in order to join in this thread I came up with a list.


I listen more than you - in fact these days I more or less only listen to Mozart - genres across the board. But like you selected the operas at the top positions.


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## Wilhelm Theophilus

PlaySalieri said:


> I listen more than you - in fact these days I more or less only listen to Mozart - genres across the board. But like you selected the operas at the top positions.


.........no Bach?

if no, why not?


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## justekaia

My list includes my favourite genres in Mozart's oeuvre and my favourite piece in that genre.

Don Giovanni
String Quintet K 466
Piano Concerto K 467
Symphony no 38
Mass K 427
Symphonia Concertante K 364
Divertimento K 334
Clarinet Concerto K 622
String Quartet K 465
Fantasia K 397

I also consider most of my choices to be works that have influenced future composers from the operatic symphony 38 to the string quintet with the added viola, the dissonant string quartet and the proto-Beethovenian Fantasia.


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## Captainnumber36

Albert7 said:


> Sadly enough I can't answer since I think that Mozart never wrote something that wasn't a masterpiece.


I don't want to fall trap to hero warship, but it's fun! . To believe in something/one is a great feeling!


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## Coach G

I can't say which are the greatest pieces but here are my favorites:

1. Clarinet Concerto
2. Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra
3. Divertimento for Violin, Viola & Cello
4. Violin Concerto #3
5. Violin Concerto #4
6. Violin Concerto #5
6. Symphony #35 "Haffner"
7. Symphony #41 "Jupiter"
8. Piano Sonata #11 
9. "O Isis Und Osirus" from "The Magic Flute" 
10. "Non Piu Andrai" from "The Marriage of Figaro"


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## Wigmar

poconoron said:


> Realizing of course that this will be a subjective exercise (no different from many other threads on here), I would like to propose my list of Mozart's 10 greatest works. I will try and cover all genres of his musical compositions. In the case of Mozart, it is almost absurd to try and whittle down to the number 10 out of his hundreds of works, but here goes in no particular order:
> 
> Don Giovanni
> Marriage of Figaro
> Symphony 40
> Symphony 41
> Sinfonia concertante K364
> Piano concerto 20
> Piano concerto 17
> Piano & wind quintet K452
> Clarinet concerto
> Mass in C minor
> 
> Honorable mention:
> 
> Requiem
> Divertimento for string trio K563
> Magic Flute
> Cosi fan tutte
> Clarinet quintet
> String quintet C minor K515
> Piano concerto 25
> Symphony 39
> Serenade Grand Partita K361
> Piano concerto 23
> 
> P.S. I found that I just had to include 10 "honorable mentions".
> 
> I'd be interested in finding out what others' lists would look like.


1 concerto for clarinet & orch K 622
2 quintet for clarinet & strings K 581
3 divertimento for strings K 563
4 concerto for piano & orch no 23 K 488
5 concerto for violin & orch no 5 K 219
6 sonata for violin & piano K 378
7 symphony no 41
8 serenade 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' K 525
9 divertimento for wind instr & orch K 334
10 concerto for piano & orch no 17 K 453

This is only a suggestion, these works came rapidly to mind as I was reading your post. 

Best regards 
wigmar


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## SearsPoncho

In no particular order:

1) The Marriage of Figaro
2) Cosi Fan Tutte
3) Don Giovanni
4) Symphony #40
5) Piano Concerto #20
6) Piano Concerto #27
7) Sinfonia Concertante K364
8) Clarinet Concerto
9) Quintet for Winds and Piano
10) "Gran Partita" Serenade

Honorable Mention - (could be the remainder of his entire oeuvre) Any of these could crack the top 10 on any given day. I'll stick with the above for now, but these were close to making the cut:
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Clarinet Quintet
String Quintet K516
Piano Quartet #1
Piano Quartet #2
Piano Concerto #23


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## Terrapin

1. Sym 41
2. Sym 40
3. Piano Con 20, 21; String Quar K 387, K 465; Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
4. Sym 25, 35, 39


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## larold

I think it is only possible to list the 10 Mozart works you love the most or perhaps think the greatest. For me those would be:

1. *Don Giovanni*
2. Laudate Dominum from *Solemn Vespers of the Confessor* K. 339
3. Ballet music from *Idomeneo* especially Part 12 Largo-Allegretto-Piu Allegro
4.* Piano Concerto No. 21*
5. *"Great" Mass in C minor*
6. *Violin Concerto No. 4*
7.* Serenade No. 11 in E flat major *K. 475
8. *"Haffner" Serenade in D* KV 250
9. *Serenade No. 10 in B flat minor "Gran Partita"*
10. All the rest led by *Symphony No. 25 */ *Sinfonia Concertante* K. 297b / *Coronation Mass in C* / *Divertimenti* K. 205 & 247 / *Horn Quintet* K. 407


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## Agamenon

Albert7 said:


> The question is what does the term greatest mean? There isn't any scientific way to measure whether one Mozart piece is better than another.
> 
> There are pieces that people prefer more than others but greatest isn't a term that I understand how to apply to music.


"scientific way..". maybe not. Agree.

But in terms of music development (Mozart evolved as musician, artists, etc), there are supreme masterpieces and minor works. Mozart himself wrote letters about his maturity; in some letters was critical, etc. 

Music is melody, harmony, rythm, plus voices and instruments. As Brahms said,* "not all composers are geniuses in all the elements of music".

If I compose a Symphony, automatically is a masterpiece, alongside Beethoven´s and Mahler´s works? *


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## RobertJTh

Orchestral:

G minor Symphony K550
Jupiter Symphony
Concerto:

Piano concerto in C minor
Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola
Chamber:

String Quintet in G minor
Gran Partita
Divertimento for String Trio K563
Vocal:

Don Giovanni
Cosi Fan Tutte
C minor Mass

I think that makes a really nice top 10.


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