GREATEST CLASSICAL WORKS

1. Mass in B Minor – Johann Sebastian Bach
2. The Ring of the Nibelungs – Richard Wagner
3. Symphony No. 9 in D minor "Choral" – Ludwig Van Beethoven
4. Symphony No. 5 in C minor – Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. St Matthew's Passion – Johann Sebastian Bach
6. Tristan und Isolde – Richard Wagner
7. Don Giovanni – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor – Ludwig Van Beethoven
9. Messiah – George Frideric Handel
10. Rite of Spring – Igor Stravinsky
11. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major "Eroica" – Ludwig Van Beethoven
12. Symphony No. 6 in B minor "Pathetique" – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
13. Otello – Giuseppe Verdi
14. Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor "Appassionata" - Ludwig Van Beethoven **
15. The Marriage of Figaro – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
16. Symphony No. 41 in C major "Jupiter" – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
17. Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
18. Well-Tempered Clavier – Johann Sebastian Bach **
19. Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World" – Antonin Dvorak
20. Winterreise – Franz Schubert **
21. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major – Johannes Brahms
22. Piano Concerto in A minor – Robert Schumann
23. String Quintet in C major – Franz Schubert **
24. Aida – Giuseppe Verdi
25. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major "Emperor" – Ludwig Van Beethoven
26. The Nutcracker – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky **
27. Symphony No. 6 in F major "Pastorale" – Ludwig Van Beethoven
28. Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor – Johann Sebastian Bach **
29. Symphony No. 40 in G minor – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
30. Symphony No. 4 in E minor – Johannes Brahms
31. The Goldberg Variations – Johann Sebastian Bach
32. A Midsummer Night's Dream – Felix Mendelssohn
33. Violin Concerto in E minor – Felix Mendelssohn
34. Symphony No. 9 in C major "The Great" – Franz Schubert
35. Pictures at an Exhibition – Modest Mussorgsky (orch. by Maurice Ravel)
36. Clarinet Quintet in A major "Stadler" – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
37. Prelude A L'apres Midi D'un Faune – Claude Debussy
38. Symphonie Fantastique – Hector Berlioz
39. Clarinet Quintet in B minor – Johannes Brahms **
40. Petrouchka – Igor Stravinsky
41. Violin Concerto in D major – Ludwig Van Beethoven
42. La Boheme – Giacomo Puccini
43. Piano Sonata in B minor – Franz Liszt
44. Cello Concerto in B minor – Antonin Dvorak
45. The Four Seasons – Antonio Vivaldi
46. Swan Lake – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
47. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
48. Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat – Franz Schubert **
49. Till Eulenspiegel – Richard Strauss **
50. Symphony No. 8 in B minor "Unfinished" – Franz Schubert
51. Missa Solemnis – Ludwig Van Beethoven
52. Messa Da Requiem – Giuseppe Verdi
53. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor "Moonlight" – Ludwig Van Beethoven
54. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor – Gustav Mahler
55. Symphony No. 2 in D minor – Jean Sibelius
56. Requiem – Gabriel Fauré
57. Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini
58. String Quartet No. 14 in D minor "Death & the Maiden" – Franz Schubert **
59. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor – Sergei Rachmaninoff
60. La Mer – Claude Debussy
61. 24 Preludes – Frederic Chopin
62. Water Music – George Frideric Handel
63. Violin Concerto in D major – Johannes Brahms
64. Piano Quintet in A major "The Trout" – Franz Schubert
65. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major and Grosse Fugue - Ludwig van Beethoven **
66. Also Sprach Zarathustra – Richard Strauss
67. Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor – Johann Sebastian Bach **
68. Préludes, Book 1 - Claude Debussy **
69. Piano Concerto in A minor - Edvard Grieg **
70. Symphony No. 7 in A major – Ludwig Van Beethoven
71. Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major “Heroic” – Frederic Chopin **
72. Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection” – Gustav Mahler **
73. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major – Ludwig Van Beethoven
74. Symphony No. 10 in E minor – Dmitri Shostakovich
75. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor - Ludwig van Beethoven **
76. Symphony No. 5 in D minor – Dmitri Shostakovich
77. String Quintet No. 4 in G minor, K516 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
78. Parsifal – Richard Wagner
79. Finlandia – Jean Sibelius **
80. Ein Heldenleben – Richard Strauss **
81. Der Rosenkavalier – Richard Strauss **
82. Appalachian Spring – Aaron Copland
83. Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven **
84. Boris Godunov – Modest Mussorgsky
85. Symphony No. 3 in F major – Johannes Brahms
86. La Traviata – Giuseppe Verdi **
87. Carmen – Georges Bizet
88. Scheherazade – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
89. Die Zauberflote – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
90. Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
91. Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
92. Requiem – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
93. Missa Papae Marcelli – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina **
94. Die Meistersinger – Richard Wagner **
95. Symphony No. 39 in E flat major – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
96. The Creation – Franz Joseph Haydn **
97. Sleeping Beauty – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky **
98. Symphony No. 7 in E major – Anton Bruckner
99. Romeo and Juliet – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
100. Concerto for Orchestra – Béla Bartók

101. German Requiem – Johannes Brahms
102. Symphony No. 4 in F minor – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
103. Symphony No. 1 in C minor – Johannes Brahms **
104. Piano Quintet in F minor – Johannes Brahms **
105. Serenade No. 13 in G major "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
106. String Quartet No. 12 in F major "American" – Antonin Dvorák **
107. String Quartet No. 19 in C major “Dissonance” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
108. Clarinet Concerto in A major – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
109. Violin Concerto in D major – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
110. Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor – Johann Sebastian Bach **
111. Symphony No. 9 in D minor – Gustav Mahler
112. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major – Johann Sebastian Bach **
113. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major – Johann Sebastian Bach
114. Firebird Suite – Igor Stravinsky
115. Toccata and Fugue in D minor – Johann Sebastian Bach
116. Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” – Anton Bruckner **
117. Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
118. Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of 1610) – Claudio Monteverdi **
119. Symphony No. 4 in A major "Italian" – Felix Mendelssohn
120. Piano Trio No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 97 "Archduke” - Ludwig van Beethoven **
121. Requiem Grande Messe des Morts - Hector Berlioz
122. War Requiem – Benjamin Britten
123. Tosca – Giacomo Puccini
124. Falstaff – Giuseppe Verdi
125. Die Schone Mullerin – Franz Schubert **
126. Carmina Burana – Carl Orff
127. String Quartet No. 2 in D major "Nocturne" – Alexander Borodin **
128. Rigoletto – Giuseppe Verdi **
129. Glagolitic Mass – Leos Janácek **
130. The Barber of Seville – Gioacchino Rossini
131. Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin
132. Cello Concerto in E minor - Edward Elgar **
133. Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
134. Symphony No. 38 in D major “Prague” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart **
135. Cantata No. 140, Wachet Auf - Johann Sebastian Bach **
136. Octet for Strings in E flat major – Felix Mendelssohn **
137. String Quartet in C major, Op. 76 No. 3 "Emperor" - Joseph Haydn **
138. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis – Ralph Vaughan Williams
139. Violin Sonata in A major – César Franck **
140. Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Organ" – Camille Saint-Saëns
141. Missa Pange Lingua - Josquin des Prez **
142. Dichterliebe - Robert Schumann **
143. Symphony No. 94 in G major "Surprise" – Franz Joseph Haydn
144. Symphony No. 101 in D major "The Clock" – Franz Joseph Haydn **
145. Les Preludes – Franz Liszt **
146. Symphony No. 5 in B flat major – Serge Prokofiev
147. Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major "Waldstein" - Ludwig Van Beethoven **
148. Cavalleria Rusticana – Pietro Mascagni **
149. Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor – Sergei Rachmaninoff
150. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major - Sergei Prokofiev **
151. Piano Quintet in E flat major - Robert Schumann **
152. Enigma Variations – Edward Elgar
153. Das Leid von der Erde – Gustav Mahler **
154. Fantasy in C major "Wanderer" - Franz Schubert **
155. Symphony No. 104 in D major "London" – Franz Joseph Haydn
156. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major – Franz Liszt
157. Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini – Sergei Rachmaninoff
158. The Art of the Fugue – Johann Sebastian Bach **
159. Symphony No. 5 in E minor – Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky
160. Daphnis et Chloe – Maurice Ravel **
161. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major – Franz Joseph Haydn **
162. Il Trovatore – Giuseppe Verdi
163. Ballade No. 1 in G minor - Frederic Chopin **
164. Night on Bald Mountain – Modest Mussorgsky
165. Carnaval – Robert Schumann
166. Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major "Hammerklavier" - Ludwig Van Beethoven **
167. Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 - Johannes Brahms **
168. Adagio for Strings – Samuel Barber
169. Violin Concerto in D minor - Jean Sibelius **
170. Turandot – Giacomo Puccini **
171. Belshazzar’s Feast – William Walton **
172. Symphony No. 9 in D minor – Anton Bruckner
173. Faust – Charles Gounod
174. Symphony of Psalms – Igor Stravinsky
175. Lohengrin – Richard Wagner
176. Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major – Jean Sibelius
177. Mathis der Maler – Paul Hindemith **
178. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor – Frederic Chopin
179. Sinfonietta – Leos Janácek **
180. Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor – Max Bruch
181. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 – Edvard Grieg
182. Symphony No. 1 in D major – Serge Prokofiev **
183. Symphony No. 8 in C minor – Anton Bruckner
184. The Royal Fireworks Music – George Frideric Handel
185. Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor - Béla Bartók **
186. Rapsodie Espagnole – Maurice Ravel **
187. Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major - Franz Schubert **
188. The Planets – Gustav Holst
189. String Quartet No. 4 in C major - Béla Bartók **
190. Romeo and Juliet – Serge Prokofiev **
191. Canon – Johann Pachelbel
192. The Blue Danube – Johann Strauss II
193. Four Coronation Anthems – George Frideric Handel **
194. String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 - Dmitri Shostakovitch **
195. Verklaerte Nacht – Arnold Schoenberg
196. 24 Caprices – Niccolo Paganini
197. Pelleas et Melisande - Claude Debussy **
198. Trois Gymnopedies – Erik Satie
199. Symphony No. 2 in G major "London" – Ralph Vaughan Williams **
200. Three Places in New England – Charles Ives **

** indicates new entry

Reserved for possible future revision

Incredible job with the list.
Is it possible to expand the list past 200 pieces?

Thanks Trout, and welcome to DDD!

The current list is an expansion of the previous list, which had 150 works, and there are so many great works that it could be expanded further. But if it were expanded, it could then be expanded yet again, and because we have more specific lists for all the major categories of classical works - symphonies, chamber works, operas, etc. - almost all works that would be added are already on one of these other lists. I think the other lists are more useful for most people, at least once you get past the upper part of the list.

Thank you. I always enjoy listening to new pieces and your list suggested many amazing pieces. I was also curious if some other popular favorites would be found in the expanded section (i.e. "The Lark Ascending", "Má Vlast", "1812 Overture", or "Boléro")

You're right, they all fall under other lists found on the site. However, if you have the opportunity, I would appreciate it if you could list some more pieces. Your list has already helped me tremendously, and it's totally fine if you cannot.

The issue I have with extending the list is that to really do a good job with it would take quite a bit of time for what I see as a limited benefit. But I'm willing to do something else that might help you just as much. Suppose I were to post an unnumbered list of works that would likely be what would be listed if I extended the list? That way, I wouldn't have to takwe the time to wory about getting them in the best possible order, when outside the top 200, order doesn't make much difference. I also wouldn't have to worry about whether or not there might be a couple of works that I overlooked that are marginally more deserving that what I listed. If this would interest you, how long of a list of additional works would you like to see?

That would be great.
Thank you! Your work is much appreciated.

I'm just wondering. Can you tell me about the status of this new list? I would just like to know, I am not in any rush.
Again, thank you very much. I'm sorry if I appear to be somewhat impatient.

Trout, here are 46 works that would rank at or near the top of those works not on the list:

Don Juan - Richard Strauss
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor - Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor - Camille Saint-Saëns
String Quartet No. 16 in F major - Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major - Franz Schubert
String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K 515 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 76 No. 4 "Sunrise" - Joseph Haydn
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major "Turkish" - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
Violin Concerto – Alban Berg
Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op. 6, No. 7 – George Frideric Handel
Bolero - Maurice Ravel
The Pines of Rome - Ottorino Respighi
Herbrides Overture – Felix Mendelssohn
Peter Grimes – Benjamin Britten
Norma – Vincenzo Bellini
Tannhauser – Richard Wagner
I Pagliacci – Rugierro Leoncavallo
Porgy & Bess – George Gershwin
Lucia Di Lammermoor – Gaetano Donizetti
Les Troyens – Hector Berlioz
Symphony No. 8 in G major – Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 7 in D minor – Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 2 in D major – Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major "Rhenish" – Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 2 in E minor – Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major – Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony in D minor – Cesar Franck
Symphony No. 100 in G major "Military" – Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 4 in D major – Gustav Mahler
Préludes, Book 2 - Claude Debussy
Gaspard de la Nuit - Maurice Ravel
Symphonic Etudes - Robert Schumann
Piano Sonata No. 20 in A major - Franz Schubert
The Dream of Gerontius – Edward Elgar
Elijah – Felix Mendelssohn
Mass No. 11 in D minor “Nelson” - Franz Joseph Haydn
Mass for 5 Voices – William Byrd
Les Noces – Igor Stravinsky
Carnival of Animals - Camille Saint-Saëns
American in Paris - George Gershwin
El Sombrero de Tres Picos – Manuel de Falla
Rodeo - Aaron Copland
The Sorcerer's Apprentice – Paul Dukas
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major “Kreutzer” – Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor - Johann Sebastian Bach

Great list, but it kind of surprizes me that no work from "Greatest duets" has made it, not
even any of Beethovens sonatas for violin/cello+piano.

Thanks. Franck's Violin Sonata is on the main list, but Kreutzer should probably also at least be among the works listed in my previous post. I'll add it there.

Thank you, Brian!

You're welcome Trout. And one more work just occurred to me - Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in G minor - so I'll add that to the list.

Hello, I've been quite a fan of the top 200 works list on this site, and have been using it as a sort of re-introduction to classical music, though I'm still an amateur. I wonder if you had any more works on this extended list, as it hasn't been updated for a while. I'm not sure how long it ought to be, but it would be nice to have a nice round number.

Hi Paulie, and welcome to the DDD Forum.

Someone asked a similar question in March, so in my March 25th post, I listed 46 additional works that can be considered like an "honorable mention" for this list, or works that would be likely to make the list if it were extended. I don't really see a need to extend the list any further, because we have lists for all the main types of classical works, and you can get additional listening ideas from those. Almost everything that would be added if the list were extended is already on one of these other lists.