It’s long; it’s repetitive; it all sounds the same. I’ve felt this way for a very long time, and it wasn’t until recent years that I’ve gained a greater appreciation for classical music. Today, I wanted to share a few strange, fun, and exciting classical pieces that you might find interesting.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Overture from The Marriage of Figaro
Perhaps the most famous composer of all, Mozart was a musical genius and a master of melody. This is evident in his overture to The Marriage of Figaro, which is one of Mozart’s most renowned operas. The piece starts out with quiet murmurs from the violin but soon rises into a jubilant melody. It’s quite representative of the type of music that dominates the Classical period, which occurred roughly between the years of 1775 and 1825. In contrast with its predecessor, the Baroque period, and its successor, the Romantic, the Classical era is characterized by delicate, clear melodies. The Marriage of Figaro is light, fun and energetic – it’s Mozart at his finest.
Hector Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique, Movement 4: “Marche au supplice” (March to the Scaffold)
Written in 1830, Symphonie Fantastique is one of the most unique pieces in classical history, and it’s a significant landmark in the early evolution of the Romantic period. Berlioz wrote the piece as a present for actress Harriet Smithson, who he became infatuated with after watching a performance of Hamlet – perhaps you can see some of the parallels between his life and the music as you read on.
Symphonie Fantastique, which translates to “Fantastic Symphony”, tells the story of an artist who falls into the depths of despair due to his unrequited love for a woman. The fourth movement(a.k.a. the fourth section of this piece) depicts a dream in which the artist is being marched to his execution for murdering his beloved. Berlioz starts the movement with timpani sextuplets accompanied by an ominous low brass line, which then evolves into a militaristic march propelled by the horns. Then, near the very end, the clarinet emerges with a sweet melody that represents the artist’s love before he is executed and the brass erupt into celebration.
Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 9 “New World Symphony”, Movement 4
You might remember that Andy also featured this piece in his woodwinds blog, except he was talking about the second movement, where he spotlighted the english horn solo. The fourth movement of the New World Symphony is also very iconic – you might see the similarities with the main theme of Jaws (which was inspired by this piece!). Dvorak wrote this symphony during his time in America, influenced by Native American and African-American music and the natural landscape of the United States. This symphony is one of the most popular classical pieces of all time, and for good reason.
Movement 4 starts off with a huge burst of energy in the low voices, and the trumpet fanfare introduces the lively main theme in contrast with the buoyant melodies in the violins and woodwinds. In some places, the winds call back to the melodies in the second movement, intertwined with new material. The entire movement is filled with vitality, and it’s a joy to listen to.
Igor Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring
This is possibly one of the strangest pieces ever to grace the Earth, in all of music history. When the work premiered in 1913, it was said to have nearly caused a riot. This is another piece that Andy featured, this time for the bassoon solo at the beginning, which sounds like something completely alien. The piece goes on to all sorts of weird dissonances and it’s honestly very bizarre, but that’s what makes it so special. The novelties that Stravinsky introduced have since formed the basis for modern contemporary music. For this reason, it’s been lauded as THE most significant piece of the 20th century.
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture
I bet cannons are the last thing that you’d expect in classical music. But it’s true – Tchaikovsky used a cannon as an instrument! The 1812 Overture commemorates Russia’s defense of the French invasion during 1812, and the cannons fit perfectly into the blazing celebration that is this piece.
(Start around 11:00 or so)
That’s pretty much it. Hopefully at least one of these pieces caught your attention, and thanks for reading!
I think a lot of people share the opinion that classical music is boring and repetitive. I really like music and listening to new stuff is a favorite hobby of mine. I always try to be open minded, especially about genres I haven’t heard or don’t think I like. I do actually really enjoy classical music so it isn’t hard to be open minded about. I prefer classical piano pieces over orchestral ones and I find classical music to be great study music because I have a hard time listening to songs that I know all the lyrics to when I’m doing reading/writing work or when I just really need to focus. Recently though, I’ve been listening to jazz trumpet covers of Christmas music to do homework but that’s not important. Antonin Dorvak’s “New World Symphony” looked really familiar and when I checked my playlist I saw a movement of it is actually already on my playlist. The Rite of Spring also sounds familiar so I’ll need to listen to it to see if I’ve heard it before. The way you describe each piece and the story behind it made them all really intriguing so I’ll have to listen to them at some point. The way classical music tells a story is really beautiful and it’s a very underappreciated genre so I enjoyed your blog shining a light on some unique pieces.
Hi Dinjia, I really loved your blog. I loved how you opened it with such an attention-grabbing opinion about what can be boring about classical music. That made a nice and humorous touch. I appreciate that you added Spotify links to listen to the pieces that you chose, and I also was a fan of the compositions that you included in your piece. From the way that you write about classical music, anyone could tell that you have a deep appreciation for it and a complex understanding. I’m not very musically inclined, so it’s interesting to read about someone’s musical opinions if they’re much more knowledgeable than I am. I found it interesting that you wrote about a variety of different pieces, including a work that was influenced by Native Americans and African Americans. I was really shocked to learn about how Tchaikovsky used cannons as a musical instrument. This just shows how creative music as a medium is and anything can be called music if there’s talent behind it. Usually, when I listen to classical music, I’m studying. I really like to listen to movie soundtracks. Some of my favorites are the “Little Women,’ “Call Me By Your Name,” and “La La Land” musical soundtracks.
Excellent post, Dingjia! Love the links to Spotify!