# Classical Piece Evoking Sincerity, Honesty, Purity



## romantique (May 13, 2021)

Would anyone be able to help me with some suggestions for a classical piece that would evoke such states of mind: Honesty, Sincerity, Openness, Purity? Something along these lines. 
I know this is odd but thank you for any suggestions.


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

Parsifal comes to mind.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'd say Schumann's Kinderzenen fits the category.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

I think there are many noble, simple, and pure themes in Dvorak 9 "From the New World," especially in the slow movement.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Tchaikovsky's 5th and 6th symphonies are very confessional.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Chopin, Chopin, and Chopin is what you're looking for, OP.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Bach: Praeludium C major from Well tempered Clavier 1


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Erik Satie's Socrate, based on quotes from Plato's descriptions of the philosopher, ending with the words of Phaedo: "Of all the men of his time whom I have known, he was the wisest and justest and best."

Personally, I think this is the best recording of the piece, where the orchestra is inobtrusive. Here is the first movement, though the last movement is the most moving, because it deals with the death of Socrates.


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## Andrew Kenneth (Feb 17, 2018)

The symphonies of Anton Bruckner are sincere, honest & pure.

Yesterday I came across this on the net=>

"When Wittgenstein - Ludwig Wittgenstein, I mean - contrasted Bruckner with Mahler, he is supposed to have found in the former a sincerity he could not discern in the latter. Now there remains some doubt as to whether Wittgenstein really did say this, and I cannot find a definitive source for it, but it is worth pondering. He allegedly said: "I can never really believe Gustav Mahler. I believe every note of Anton Bruckner." "

full article : https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/08/02/anton-bruckner-and-god/
Worth a read.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> I'd say Schumann's Kinderzenen fits the category.


Even better is the 1st movement of Mozart's piano concerto no. 17.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

The last few minutes of Copland's Appalachian Spring come to mind. The section starting with the "'Tis A Gift to Be Simple" quote to the end of the piece.


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)




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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Bulldog said:


> I'd say Schumann's Kinderzenen fits the category.


I'd second this recommendation.

Also these:






This is one of those topics where you will get almost every answer imaginable, but I would also say that a lot of Mozart is defined by these qualities, and it comes through clearest to me in his piano sonatas.

In my opinion, the qualities you listed are usually (I suppose not always) expressed best through technical and emotional simplicity.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Mozart is king in this department I feel.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

mossyembankment said:


> a lot of Mozart is defined by these qualities





Phil loves classical said:


> Mozart is king in this department I feel.


But if you're thinking along the lines of "innocent piety":












 (written in 1792; I find this as good as Mozart's K.482/iii. The harmonies at 2:27  and 5:57 )


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

^ I can agree with that. I don't think the harmony in the 3rd movement of Mozart is that amazing. But what I'm noticing the more I listen from M. Haydn is that he doesn't really seem to juggle between both harmony and melody together like Mozart (and his older bro) does. He seems to focus on one or the other at a given time. That's what makes a lot of his music sterile to me.

Show me where he can juggle both a melody line and harmony together (or I should say interweaving the 2 together) like say 29:10 and onwards here. To me, all the great Masters were able to interweave the 2 together in interesting ways.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

SuperTonic said:


> The last few minutes of Copland's Appalachian Spring come to mind. The section starting with the "'Tis A Gift to Be Simple" quote to the end of the piece.


Copland definitely. The Tender Land suite is beautiful, especially the final movement.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

romantique said:


> Would anyone be able to help me with some suggestions for a classical piece that would evoke such states of mind: Honesty, Sincerity, Openness, Purity? Something along these lines.
> I know this is odd but thank you for any suggestions.


Perhaps it handy to say where you need it for.


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## romantique (May 13, 2021)

Thank you all so much for your recommendations!


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

SuperTonic said:


> The last few minutes of Copland's Appalachian Spring come to mind.





MatthewWeflen said:


> Copland definitely. The Tender Land suite is beautiful, especially the final movement.


Great!


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

"Classical Piece Evoking Sincerity, Honesty, Purity"

The first name that comes to my mind is Mozart whose craftsmanship implies a wonderful seamless quality as if the music practically composes itself. No doubt, Mozart worked hard to achieve this effect, as what usually appears to be "effortless" requires the most effort.

When I'm listening to Beethoven, I hear a sense of struggle and heroism, an inner dialogue (not that Beethoven didn't have his more mellow instances as with the wonderful _Symphony #6 "Pastorale"_). With Bach, I'm carried away by the master's sense of a musical vision and a faith that is intense. With Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich it's the sad, Russian, soulfulness, that gets me. With Brahms it's the fine and sturdy German craftsmanship. With Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Richard Strauss, it's the orchestral color. With Debussy it's the sense of mystery. For Haydn, it's the sense of fun and joyfulness. For Wagner, it's the passion.

But Mozart to me, is the one that is the most "pure"; simple, and beautiful. Mozart's _Clarinet Concerto_, for example, seems to have a wonderful sense of "flow" and peacefulness that just seems to unfold in a very natural way where one feels centered and in the moment, sort of in the spirit of "mindfulness", a term that seems to be all the rage these days.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Strauss' _Vier letzte Lieder_ certainly comes to mind here:


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Bach
WTC I
Prelude in C major


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Evening Prayer
Hansel and Gretel
Englebert Humperdinck


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

When I read your original post, the only composition that came to mind was this;






Enjoy


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

romantique said:


> Would anyone be able to help me with some suggestions for a classical piece that would evoke such states of mind: Honesty, Sincerity, Openness, Purity? Something along these lines.
> I know this is odd but thank you for any suggestions.


My choice: the Aria from Bach's _Goldberg Variations_, maybe especially (however ironical) when played by Glenn Gould


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

fbjim said:


> Chopin, Chopin, and Chopin is what you're looking for, OP.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)




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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I take a different meaning to this thread, as it asks for honesty, openness, and maybe a lot of suggestions sound more like 'innocence' or 'lightness,' not something 'proactively reached for.' People say Mozart, or Bach and his Prelude in C, or Copland, I don't hear it as much. That ability to seem uncomposed, like Mozart's music just composes itself effortlessly, or that 'cleverness' in them which seems antithetical to the subject, is why he _doesn't_ sound as sincere. It lacks the rawness or imperfection of the stronger forms of sincerity, the reason I love Mozart, but why my favor would go towards like the Puccini above, or Sibelius's 3rd or the _Choral Symphony_, as very open, more meaningful expressions of purifying struggles.


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Ethereality said:


> I take a different meaning to this thread, as it asks for honesty, openness, and maybe a lot of suggestions sound more like 'innocence' or 'lightness,' not something 'proactively reached for.' People say Mozart, Bach, or Copland, I don't hear it as much. That ability to seem uncomposed, like Mozart's music just composes itself effortlessly, is why he _doesn't_ sound as sincere. It lacks the rawness or imperfection of the stronger forms of sincerity. It's a reason I love Mozart, but my favor would go towards examples like the Puccini above, or Sibelius's 3rd or Brahms' 2nd piano concerto, as very open, honest, sincere works of expression.


I think there's a difference between "sincerity" on the part of the composer and "sincerity" as a feeling evoked by the music (though to be fair OP didn't really give context to his/her question).


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Ethereality said:


> I take a different meaning to this thread, as it asks for honesty, openness, and maybe a lot of suggestions sound more like 'innocence' or 'lightness,' not something 'proactively reached for.' People say Mozart, or Bach and his Prelude in C, or Copland, I don't hear it as much. That ability to seem uncomposed, like Mozart's music just composes itself effortlessly, or that 'cleverness' in them which seems antithetical to the subject, is why he _doesn't_ sound as sincere. It lacks the rawness or imperfection of the stronger forms of sincerity, the reason I love Mozart, but why my favor would go towards like the Puccini above, or Sibelius's 3rd or the _Choral Symphony_, as very open, more meaningful expressions of purifying struggles.


The way I take it is music that is most devoid of cynicism or sarcasm, and for me that's Bach. Just about any Bach, really.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

MatthewWeflen said:


> Copland definitely. The Tender Land suite is beautiful, especially the final movement.


Yes, beautifully done. It's a setting of the hymn "Zion's Walls" which Copland arranged also in his old American songs collection.

I think it's effective in this old YT video I remember that's a compilation of old home movies etc:


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)




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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Sibelius with his glorious Symphony No. 7. There are moments of absolute purity and majesty that never fail to move me to tears.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Bruckner's Mass in E minor begins in the essence of purity ...






the opening for that mass was clearly Ligeti's inspiration for Lux Aeterna


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## romantique (May 13, 2021)

Coach G said:


> "Classical Piece Evoking Sincerity, Honesty, Purity"
> 
> The first name that comes to my mind is Mozart whose craftsmanship implies a wonderful seamless quality as if the music practically composes itself. No doubt, Mozart worked hard to achieve this effect, as what usually appears to be "effortless" requires the most effort.
> 
> ...


This is a wonderful summary, thank you. I am trying to connect some classical music with psychology.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Mozart’s clarinet quintet.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

I see Mozart popped up some times, so I don't have to say Mozart. Oh, there I said Mozart, and there again  
I think the Adagio K540 for piano fits nicely.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

dissident said:


> The way I take it is music that is most devoid of cynicism or sarcasm, and for me that's Bach. Just about any Bach, really.


I kind of agree, though not certain Bach is the best answer either. It's easy to view his reliance on patterns as sometimes a form of intellectual mimicry or manipulation. It's exactly why I love Bach, Mozart, Handel, not giving into their emotions for sacrificing maximum creativity and cleverness. Some of the more sincere, open, honest composers to me are Beethoven, Dvorak, Sibelius, Puccini, my vote would be the first two. I think people are confusing extreme talent for sincerity  not that you can't have both (Brahms.) Even Haydn in his humor and transparency is more sincere and raw than Mozart or Handel.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

I happened to stream an episode of _Morse_ last night, which featured _The Magic Flute_. Do operas count?


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)

The Hammerklavier adagio:


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Ethereality said:


> I kind of agree, though not certain Bach is the best answer either.


I feel great sublimity and depth through the religious fervor of Bach, but I feel one thing missing from his religious expressions is "innocent piety". They often come across as someone who knows everything about the Bible, attends every church service, and can be very persuasively evangelical, and also a bit religiously "snobbish" (_"I'm closer to God, so listen to what I say"_. <- my mother is like this actually), but at the same time all too aware and conscious of the idea that he's a sinner.


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