Top 20 famous Pieces of Classical Music

WieWaldi

Recently a friend (non-musician) showed me a video of a nice classical piece. And he told me its name. I recognized this piece in a heartbeat and told him, I know that one. It is one of the top 10 or maybe top 20 famous pieces of classical music.
After a while, I thought by myself, what if I was wrong and it is only top 100?
I think everyone in this forum can instantly name 5 pieces that belong to the best known 20 classical pieces. Not the best pieces, but the ones you think most people know.

Please spoiler your answer, so everyone can answer without being influenced.
(Don't ask google, just shoot from the hip, 5 pieces are enough)

Canon in D (this was the piece my friend showed me)
Für Elise
Moonlight Sonata
Rondo alla Turca
Ode to Joy
Spring (Four Seasons)

Sophia

Five pieces? For piano or everything? Ok these five popped into my head instantly:

Fifth Symphony (ta ta ta daaaaa)
Moonlight Sonata
Fur Elise
Air on a G String
Figaro

BartK

Sophia Air on a G Ring

You probably meant Air on the G string from Bach's orchestral suite no. 3 in D.

BartK

Level Expert: Only pieces I actually played myself. 😉

Clair de lune
Für Elise
Fantaisie-Impromptu
La fille aux cheveux de lin
Rondo alla Turca

Sophia

BartK 🤣 Thanks! Corrected 🤪

twocats

BartK G string

That's the only part that's drawing my attention 🤣

twocats

Pachelbel's Canon
Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Für Elise
Clair de Lune
Theme from Carmen

twocats

This is the big one that everyone knows!

Wedding March - from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream

BartK

There is plenty of classical music that everyone knows but can't necessarily name exactly by source.

Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Ride of the Walkyries from Wagner's Ring of the Niebelungen cycle.
In the Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg's 1st Peer Gynt suite
Sunrise from Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra
and my favourite... Eric Carmen's All By Myself from Rachmaninov's 2nd concerto 🙃

Ornstein

Piano is so dominant. For all of classical music, it has at least 10 of the 20 spots I'd say.
Beethoven Fur Elise
Beethoven Moonlight sonata
Chopin Raindrop prelude
Chopin Fantasie impromptu
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Liszt-Mendelssohn Wedding March
Mozart Rondo Alla Turca
Rachmanionff-Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee
Debussy Claire de Lune
Liszt-Paganini La Campanella

For Violin, I think it's only Vivaldi Four Seasons. Possibly Tchaikovsy concerto? I wonder if the violin concerto is more recognizable than the 1st piano concerto.
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker (especially Sugar Plum Fairy)
Bach Air on a G String
Beethoven 5th and 9th symphonies
Overture from Bizet Carmen
Overture from Rossini William Tell
Wagner Ride of the Valkyries
Puccini Nessun Dorma
Grieg In the Hall of the Mountain King and Morning Mood

I wanted to put in Brahms 3rd and Dvorak New World symphonies but there are a few opera overtures or arias that probably are more recognizable.

BartK

Ornstein Rachmanionff-Korsakov Flight of the Bumblebee

ITYM Rimsky-Korsakov

Jane

Top 5, top of head:

Fur Elise
First movement of Beethoven's 5th symphony
First movement of Beethoven's "moonlight" sonata
Pachelbel's Canon in D
If you're born before 1960:
Theme from Lone Ranger (i.e., William Tell Overture)
Otherwise
Liszt's 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody

WieWaldi

BartK You are right. Still, Rachmaninov is sometimes associated to this piece -

I guess, if someone plays it today, it is often Rachmaninov's arrangement.

If you would ask me on the street in two months, chances are high I would tell it is Rachmaninov, because his name is more present. Or I simply mix em up. Similar like Helsinki-syndrome vs Stockholm-syndrome. 😅

Ornstein

BartK I do mean Rachmaninoff-Korsakov, I'd argue it and La Campanella (Liszt-Paganini) have usurped the original compositions in the public consciousness.

thepianoplayer416

I'd say Maurice Ravel "Bolero". The first performance the audience walked out and booed.
Johann Strauss "Radetzky March"... the piece we hear out of Vienna on New Year. Gets the audience hand clapping every time.
Bach "Chaconne" from Partita #2 in Dm for solo violin. (He wrote the piece when still in mourning over his first wife Maria Barbara's sudden passing). May not be Classical music's best but at least the greatest violin solo ever written.
Bach "Toccata & Fugue" in Dm.
Vivaldi "4 Seasons".
Tchaikovsky "1812 Overture".
Tchaikovsky "Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasia".

Simonb

Hi, how do you spoiler your answer??

Cheers

WieWaldi

Simonb

Write a few lines
of text you want to spoiler
like this, mark and press the
exclamation mark

Simonb

Thanks WieWaldi

Josephine

One I didn't read in this topic yet is

The blue Danube

Oh, and when I was a child Andre Rieu was on the radio all the time with Shostakovich’s second waltz . I have to admit I was completely in awe because I never heard classical music, except Le Carnaval des Animaux, which I also loved. My parents didn't listen to classical music, but Andre Rieu had a hit record so it was on a cd or lp with hit songs my parents bought, and I listened to it a million times, sitting on the floor with my head between the speakers.

Another one that comes to mind is Nessun dorma.

MRC

OK, shooting from the hip:

Beethoven FürElise
Vivaldi 4 Seasons
Mozart Kleine Nachmusik
Strauss Blue Danube Waltz
Beethoven Moonlight sonata!<

Those were the first that popped to mind; with more thought I might make some other choices.