A Brief History
On August 20, 1882, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture made its debut in Moscow. Celebrating the defense of Mother Russia, the “Rodina,” as they say in Russia, against Napoleon’s Grand Armee in 1812, the stirring work is instantly recognizable by the cannons going off before the brass fanfare finale. Here we list 10 wonderful pieces of music that are immediately recognizable to most people, even if they do not know the composer or name of the work. (Note: The order of the list does not denote importance.) Good luck trying to narrow down your choices, as there are so many really great compositions that meet our standard as readily recognizable by the maximum amount of people. Other examples could include “The Wedding March,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Four Seasons,” “Amazing Grace,” “Peer Gynt”, “Fanfare for the Common Man,” and at least in the US, “Hail to the Chief,” Just to name a few.
Digging Deeper
1. 1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky, 1880.
Nothing says victory like cannon fire, and real cannons are often used in the performance of this great work. The portion of the music with the cannon blasts is like no other piece of music, instantly recognizable.
2. William Tell Overture, Rossini, 1829.
Rossini must have saved the best for last, as the “William Tell Opera” was his last opera. Familiar to Americans as “The Lone Ranger Theme,” enterprising advertisers for the Honda Civic cut grooves in a California road that played the finale of the Overture when driven over the grooves at any speed for a television commercial. Local residents complained about the noise, the grooves were eliminated, and drivers complained about missing the road music! New grooves were cut into a less residential road, and drivers are once more musicians in their own right. This tune is incredibly common in use as sporting events rallying music and in advertising.
3. Ode to Joy (Ninth Symphony), Beethoven, 1824.
Adapted for music from an ode written in 1785 by Friedrich Schiller, this stirring work was adopted as “The Anthem of Europe” by the Council of Europe in 1792 and today holds the same distinction for the European Union. With or without the singing, this is seriously great music.
4. Symphony Number 5, Beethoven, 1808.
Making the most of the Roman numeral “V” for the number 5, this often played symphony was called the “Victory Symphony” by the Allies during World War II, in conjunction with the “V for Victory” campaign. The influence of this music is also apparent in Morse Code, with the code for the letter “V” being the first 4 notes of the signature beginning.
5. Requiem, Mozart, 1791.
Mozart’s untimely death left this great work unfinished, and it fell upon Franz Sussmayr to finish the music in 1792. Mysteries and myths surrounding the music were exacerbated by the play (1979) and movie (1984), Amadeus, that plays on the mythical contribution of Italian composer Salieri. My favorite part is Tuba Mirum.
6. Messiah (Hallelujah Chorus), Handel, 1741.
Whether one is religious or not, the fact remains that much of the finest music ever composed is religion based, and this is another fine example of just that. The entire work is familiar and stirring, but the Hallelujah Chorus is just plain epic, especially when performed by a choir with the orchestra.
7. The Blue Danube Waltz, Strauss, 1866.
Coming from a composer known as “The Waltz King,” you would expect his signature work to be The King of Waltzes (a title we made up) and it is. The words were written by Joseph Weyl. Incredibly, when introduced, “The Blue Danube” was only a moderate success, though over the years it has become one of the most commonly performed pieces of orchestral music. The Danube River passes through 10 countries, more than any other river in the world and provides drinking water for at least 20 million people.
8. Ride of the Valkyries, Wagner, 1856.
Probably the best known of Wagner’s work, this tune is only a small part of a larger work, and lasts from as little as 3 minutes to a more normal 8 minutes when performed. Its impact goes far beyond its brevity, and soon after its 1870 introduction this piece was often requested to be performed separately, something Wagner himself refused to do. Notable use of this music in film includes Birth of a Nation (1915), What’s Opera, Doc (1957), and of course, the helicopter attack scene in Apocalypse Now (1979). Despite Wagner’s distaste for playing “Ride” separate from the “Die Walkure” opera, orchestras often play the piece on its own, especially as a finale or encore.
9. Pomp and Circumstance (March #1), Elgar, 1901-1930, 2006.
Written as 5 separate marches by Elgar, the 6th March was added by Anthony Payne in the 21st Century. It is “March #1” that stands out as the most recognizable, and is often played at graduation ceremonies, conclusions of events or other festive occasions.
10. La Marseillaise, de Lisle, 1792.
Written for the onset of war with Austria, the tune was originally called “War Song for the Rhine Army,” but became the National Anthem of France, and remains so today. This most recognizable of national anthems celebrates revolutionary principles, freedom, the end of tyranny, and patriotism for fighting foreign enemies. Elements of the music are incorporated into many other songs and advertising campaigns, with a stirring and regal feel to the music. The music was adopted as the national anthem of France in 1795.
Question for students (and subscribers): What musical compositions would you add to the list? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Goulding, Phil G. Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works. Ballantine Books, 1995.
The featured image in this article, a scene depicting the French retreat from Russia in 1812, painting by Illarion Pryanishnikov (1874), is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer.
