Top 10 most beautiful pieces you've heard

[Mirror Image]

I'll try to make a list here of my Top 10 Most Beautiful Pieces, but it's going to be difficult. (In no particular order and limited it to one composer per work)

1. Elgar: Symphony No. 2
2. RVW: Flos Campi
3. Delius: Songs of Sunset
4. Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe
5. Sibelius: The Oceanides
6. Harrison: Seven Pastorales
7. R. Strauss: Four Last Songs
8. Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3
9. Lydaov: Eight Russian Folksongs
10. Barber: Violin Concerto

...And I'm still not happy with only 10 choices!

Like I said, I'm still not happy!

1. Nielsen: Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia espansiva"
2. Sibelius: The Tempest
3. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
4. Elgar: Sospiri
5. Delius: In a Summer Garden
6. Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola, & Harp
7. Szymanowski: Litany for the Virgin Mary
8. Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
9. Vasks: Vox Amoris
10. Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orchestra

...and I'm still not happy!

[some guy]

Man, you are so full of yourself.

Who else would you suggest I be full of?

Beauty is something we find very attractive .. it entails more than surface.[/size][/font]

OK, so apparently you and I are in the same group on this one.

[James]

Who else would you suggest I be full of?  OK, so apparently you and I are in the same group on this one.

[Karl Henning]

I'm not sure I determine things by "prettiness" in music, since I think of that as a visual quality.

I see your point (you see what I did there).  But of course, there is an honored history of appropriating terms from other, more tangible media, for use in describing music 

[Karl Henning]

Man, you are so full of yourself.

I believe the term for this is projection.

[some guy]

 

[Jo498]

"pretty" has for me a connotation of neatness, neither sublime nor heart-wrenching. I'd call the romance from Eine kleine Nachtmusik pretty but not the Tristan prelude. Neither the adagio from the Schubert quintet or the Brahms violin sonata movement mentioned above.

The other aesthetic attribute that has been with us since the 18th century, "sublime" is often used to describe non-pretty aesthetic experiences. Kant claims that sublimity is always connected to an impression of infinity or at least immeasurability as this is probably the only way we finite beings can to some extent experience (as opposed to conceptualize it mathematically) infinity. The standard examples for the "sublime" are huge icy mountain peaks, sea storms, that is things that would easily crush us but are aesthetically impressive as long as we watch them from safety.
And especially the immensity of the starry heavens.

But even with sublime as a contrast, beautiful does not have to be exhausted by "pretty".

[Karl Henning]

But even with sublime as a contrast, beautiful does not have to be exhausted by "pretty".

No argument there.

[James]

I believe the term for this is projection.

Jeezis, what a bunch of gobbledygook.

[some guy]

No. Plain, simple language. One syllable words except for "believe," with is certainly comprehensible enough and the one technical term (one--hardly "excessive use of," which is a defining characteristic of gobbledygook).

And the statement itself is true enough, too. The action that Karl referred to is indeed called projection. You may not like that. You may not agree with the idea of projection. But that is what the action in question is called. And that is, simply and plainly, what Karl said.

No gobbledygook there, sorry.

[James]

No. Plain, simple language. ..

The action that Karl referred to is indeed called projection. You may not like that. You may not agree with the idea of projection. But that is what the action in question is called.

Yea, a lot of language - you dig that though. You can buy into whatever you want.

[some guy]

Yes. Yes I can.

How right you are about that.

[Karl Henning]

No. Plain, simple language. One syllable words except for "believe," with is certainly comprehensible enough and the one technical term (one--hardly "excessive use of," which is a defining characteristic of gobbledygook).

I'll explain, and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand . . . .

[kyjo]

Since most of the better-known pieces I would list have already been mentioned, I'll give 10 lesser-known pieces/movements/parts of movements that come to mind when I heard the word "beautiful":

Bax: Symphony no. 3 - Epilogue (ending of third movement)
Merikanto: Piano Concerto no. 3 - second movement (Pièta)
Hanson: Symphony no. 3 - second movement
von Sauer: Piano Concerto no. 1 - third movement
Atterberg: Symphony no. 1 - opening of fourth movement (or any of his slow movements really)
Herbert: Cello Concerto no. 2 - second movement
Braga Santos: Symphony no. 2 - second movement
Chausson: Piano Quartet in A major - second movement
Zemlinsky: Der Seejungfrau
Piston: Symphony no. 2 - second movement

[SymphonicAddict]

Beautiful to me means these pieces:

Alwyn Lyra Angelica
Bantock A Celtic Symphony
Pizzetti Canti della stagione alta
Beethoven String quartet 15 (III mov.)
Bach Concerto for two violins, BWV 1043 (II mov.)
Mahler Symphony 6 (Andante moderato)
Bruckner Symphony 7
Strauss Death and Transfiguration (above all the heavenly ending)
Brahms Clarinet quintet
Finzi Cello concerto (II mov.)

[vandermolen]

Since most of the better-known pieces I would list have already been mentioned, I'll give 10 lesser-known pieces/movements/parts of movements that come to mind when I heard the word "beautiful":

Bax: Symphony no. 3 - Epilogue (ending of third movement)
Merikanto: Piano Concerto no. 3 - second movement (Pièta)
Hanson: Symphony no. 3 - second movement
von Sauer: Piano Concerto no. 1 - third movement
Atterberg: Symphony no. 1 - opening of fourth movement (or any of his slow movements really)
Herbert: Cello Concerto no. 2 - second movement
Braga Santos: Symphony no. 2 - second movement
Chausson: Piano Quartet in A major - second movement
Zemlinsky: Der Seejungfrau
Piston: Symphony no. 2 - second movement

Great list. Don't know Von Sauer or PC by Merikanto or Herbert. Totally agree with Bax and Piston suggestions and Hanson's Third Symphony which I rate very highly. I didn't make much of Atterberg's First Symphony but must listen again.

[vandermolen]

Beautiful to me means these pieces:

Alwyn Lyra Angelica
Bantock A Celtic Symphony
Pizzetti Canti della stagione alta
Beethoven String quartet 15 (III mov.)
Bach Concerto for two violins, BWV 1043 (II mov.)
Mahler Symphony 6 (Andante moderato)
Bruckner Symphony 7
Strauss Death and Transfiguration (above all the heavenly ending)
Brahms Clarinet quintet
Finzi Cello concerto (II mov.)

Certainly agree with the top two and the Finzi.

[SymphonicAddict]

I think one list is not enough 

Duruflé Requiem
Vaughan Williams Serenade to music
Rachmaninov The Bells
Cras Quintet for flute, string trio and harp
Rheinberger Piano quartet
Atterberg Symphony 4 (II mov.)
Miaskovsky Symphony 17 (II mov.)
Langgaard Music of spheres
Sibelius Karelia Suite
Nielsen Hymnus Amoris

[kyjo]

Great list. Don't know Von Sauer or PC by Merikanto or Herbert. Totally agree with Bax and Piston suggestions and Hanson's Third Symphony which I rate very highly. I didn't make much of Atterberg's First Symphony but must listen again.

Atterberg's First isn't overall one of his best pieces (though it is still very good IMO), but I find the opening of the finale ethereally beautiful. I could've equally chosen any of the slow movements from his symphonies 4-8, however. Or the Siciliana from his Suite Barocco...

[vandermolen]

I thing one list is not enough 

Duruflé Requiem
Vaughan Williams Serenade to music
Rachmaninov The Bells
Cras Quintet for flute, string trio and harp
Rheinberger Piano quartet
Atterberg Symphony 4 (II mov.)
Miaskovsky Symphony 17 (II mov.)
Langgaard Music of spheres
Sibelius Karelia Suite
Nielsen Hymnus Amoris

Great stuff - love the Durufle. Not a fan of 'Serenade to Music'. Cras was a great recent discovery thanks to this forum.