A number of studies have suggested that listening to music can not only calm you, but also boost your immune system. The most important element in terms of what type of music works best seems to be it should be music you like.
Having said that, it is clear some types of music are more inherently “beautiful” and relaxing than others. Is heavy metal or rap music beautiful and relaxing? We acknowledge that some people like such music forms, but does it relax them or just zombify them?
To help you get the best benefit from this concept, we are offering up selected pieces of classical music that are hopefully both approachable and enjoyable. We hope you’ll enjoy them at home, in the car, and generally, everywhere, as appropriate.
If you’re new to classical music, welcome! It has been one of the most rewarding joys in our life, and to help introduce you to the topic, we have an article on how to best enjoy and appreciate classical music.
We also point out and explain how the term “classical music” contains a massive number of different types and styles of music, just like the term “passenger vehicle” can range from a tiny car to a huge bus.
If you have suggestions for additional pieces to add to this list, or for different YouTube versions of the pieces I’ve mentioned, please add a comment, below or send me an email.
- You will probably need to scroll the table to see it all; and consider sorting by date if you want to see what has recently been added you might not know about already
- Please see below the table for notes on the information shared and an explanation of the four button options.
| Composer | Piece | Approx Length | Style | Level | Comments | Links | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827 | Egmont Overture | 10 mins | Orchestral Exciting energetic music | Easy | Beethoven wrote a series of short pieces of incidental music for a play, this is the overture | With score Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Mazur | 5/14/20 |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827 | Piano Sonata No.21 in C, op 53, "Waldstein" | 25 mins | Instrumental - piano | Moderate - Advanced | There's something rather compelling about this sonata that makes it one of my favorites. Not sure what! A boisterous first movement, a very gentle ruminating second movement, then a third movement that starts of sad and becomes triumphant, but allows sadness to seep in. Like most of Beethoven's piano pieces, it gives more each time you listen to it. | Claudio Arrau | 5/19/20 |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827 | Piano Sonata No.32 in c, op 111 | 25 - 40 mins | Instrumental - piano | Ultimate | Beethoven's last piano sonata is at a different level to any piece of music written before or since. It isn't even in classic three or four movement sonata form. Its mysteries are impossibly deep, but hint of things unknown and unknowable. This is a piece of music that will demand the ultimate in study and focus on your part, and is not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. But if you ever get to sense its profound content, it will change you forever. | Good discussion Daniel Barenboim | 5/14/20 |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827 | Piano Concerto No.5, "Emperor" | 42 mins | Concerto Typically fierce emphatic and overwhelming Beethoven, triumphant and positive | Moderate | The last of his five piano concerti. In three movements. You'll end up loving all three, but to start, you might find the 3rd movement easiest and the 2nd movement the slowest (in both senses of the word) | Bernstein & the VPO, Krystian Zimerman | 5/14/20 |
| Binge, Ronald 1910-1979 | Elizabethan Serenade | 3 mins | Orchestral - lyrical, tuneful, beautiful | Very easy | Originally simply called "Andante Cantabile" was renamed as an inspiration for the new reign of Queen Elizabeth II (not, as is often thought, in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth I). | YouTube | 5/14/20 |
| Elgar, Sir Edward 1857-1934 | Enigma Variations | 32 mins | Orchestral - rich varied tuneful | Moderate | A fascinating and mysterious piece of music - variations on a secret theme. Well worth reading the notes (see first link) on each variation. The Nimrod variation is very famous - try that first, but warning, it may bring tears to your eyes. Well worth repeated listening and becoming familiar with the different variations, all short and fairly easy. | Good commentary and analysis St Petersburg Phil, Temirkanov Philharmonia, Barbirolli | 5/14/20 |
| Elgar, Sir Edward 1857-1934 | Pomp and Circumstance Marches | 26 mins | Orchestral - rhythmic, inspiring, rich | Easy to moderate | A set of five marches, the first four written between 1901-7, the last in 1930. They are in "A-B-A" form, starting off blustery, brassy, and bold, and with a quieter ruminative middle section. The middle section of the first is known as "Land of Hope and Glory". Try the first march, then the fourth, then perhaps the fifth. The other two are not so memorable. Britain was at its absolute grandest - Edward VII had just ascended the throne, the "sun never set" on its Empire, and the country was brimming with positivism, confidence, and certainty. All of this is proudly conveyed in these pieces. There were also sketches for a sixth march that have been "imagined" into a complete piece. | Notes about the piece Royal Phil, Previn | 5/14/20 |
| Handel, George Frideric 1685-1759 | The Messiah | 2 hrs 30 mins | Choral - oratorio, baroque style Uplifting, joyous, inspirational | Moderate | Possibly the most popular choral work. There's a lot in this, and you'll probably find you like some parts more than others to start with. But stay with it, and keep listening to it, and you'll find it gloriously profound and inspiring. Some of the easier parts O thou that tellest good tidings For unto us a child is born His yoke is easy All we like sheep Hallelujah chorus I know that my redeemer liveth Amen | YouTube | 5/14/20 |
| Handel, George Frideric 1685-1759 | Music for the Royal Fireworks | 18 mins | Orchestral, baroque style Rhythmic | Easy - moderate | Often paired with his earlier and longer piece, the Water Music. | YouTube with score and great notes | 5/14/20 |
| Handel, George Frideric 1685-1759 | Water Music | 60 mins | Orchestral, baroque style Rhythmic | Easy - moderate | A collection of three suites, sometimes not all suites are included, or not all pieces in all suites | A complete version (I think!) | 5/14/20 |
| Holst, Gustav 1874-1934 | The Planets | 48 mins | Orchestral, wide range of styles and moods for a large orchestra | Easy to moderate | Seven pieces depicting the classical meanings of the planets. Jupiter and Mars are best know, then perhaps Mercury then Venus. | BBC SO, Boult A 1945 recording; Boult premiered the work in 1918 under the composer's guidance. | 5/25/20 |
| Holst, Gustav 1874-1934 | St Paul's Suite | 13 mins | Small string orchestra, | Easy to moderate | Written for his students when Holst was teaching at St Paul's School in London. Four easy movements. Note the appearance of Greensleeves in the final movement. Try the last movement first, then maybe the first movement, then the second, then the third. | New York Classical Players | 5/25/20 |
| Mendelssohn, Felix 1809-47 | Concert Overture - The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) | 11 mins | Orchestral Rhythmic, melodic | Easy | Written after he visited Scotland and took a boat tour to Staffa, the site of Fingal's Cave. He said he was immediately inspired to think of the opening theme of this lovely light piece. | Wikipedia information London SO, Gardiner | 5/14/20 |
| Mendelssohn, Felix 1809-47 | Incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream | 55 mins | Orchestral Rhythmic, melodic | Easy | In total, 14 pieces of music for orchestra including a couple with women's voices. Amazingly, he wrote the overture when he was 17, then 16 yrs later wrote the rest of it. The Wedding March is very well known. All the pieces are lovely and light. Often presented in an incomplete set of pieces rather than the full 14 pieces. | Wikipedia entry Berlin PO, Ozawa | 5/14/20 |
| Mozart, Wolfgang A 1756-1791 | Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K.525 | 19 mins | String orchestra Very rhythmic | Easy | A popular (perhaps Mozart's most popular of all pieces) and easily enjoyed brief four movement work, similar to a miniature symphony, perhaps. Originally written for 2 violins, viola, cello, and optionally double bass, now usually performed by larger string groups. | Vienna PO strings, Karl Bohm | 5/21/20 |
| Mozart, Wolfgang A 1756-1791 | Overture to The Marriage of Figaro | 4 1/2 mins | Orchestral, light, mercurial | Easy | The entire opera is probably Mozart's most approachable and easily enjoyed opera, and his overture sets the scene. It is an easy bubbly piece that rushes along. | Vienna PO, Mariss Jansons | 5/21/20 |
| Mozart, Wolfgang A 1756-1791 | Symphony No.40 in g, K.550 | 28 mins | Orchestral, symphony | Easy | The second to last of his symphonies, this was made into a piece of popular music in the 1970s. Chances are you'll recognize the first movement main theme as soon as you here it. A traditional four movement symphony. | Boston SO, Bernstein | 5/21/20 |
| Mozart, Wolfgang A 1756-1791 | Symphony No.41 in C, K.551, "Jupiter" | 33 mins | Orchestral, symphony | Easy - moderate | Mozart's final symphony pushes the envelope of his classical style, and clearly provides a springboard for later composers. It was his longest symphony, and is generally considered as one of the greatest of the entire classical period. It is astonishing to compare its much richer harmonies (especially in the final movement) and fuller orchestration to that of one of his much earlier symphonies. You might have to build your way to conquering this piece, picking out first your favorite movement, then adding another, another, and then getting all four under your belt. | Vienna PO, Wolfgang Sawallisch - A conductor not often associated with Mozart. What an amazing classical and precise German style "stick technique" though. | 5/21/20 |
| Parry, Sir Hubert 1848-1918 | Jerusalem | 3 mins | Choral Uplifting, triumphant | Easy | Hymn-like tune, one of England's most treasured songs full of bold national pride, almost an alternate national anthem | YouTube | 5/14/20 |
| Prokofiev, Sergei 1891-1953 | Classical Symphony No.1 in D, op 25 | 14 mins | Orchestral - short symphony. Loud, exuberant, boisterous. | Easy to moderate | There's a raw edginess and freshness - almost but not quite dissonance - to Prokofiev's music that makes it stand out. This piece was written "in the style of Haydn" and for a classical sized orchestra, but with very modern harmonies, and almost as a caricature or joke. It is hard not to break out laughing. It rushes along at a breakneck speed (the 4th movement in particular is sometimes taken at max speed), but is "jolly good fun". | London SO, Gergiev - Gergiev in a hurry in the last movement. Munich PO, Celibidache - a fascinatingly slow rendering, interesting in contrast. | 5/28/20 |
| Ravel, Maurice 1875-1937 | Bolero | 15 mins | Orchestral, very rhythmic | Easy | Well known hypnotic piece with a single tune repeated with different instruments, with greater accompaniment and lushness. | Excellent notes London SO, Gerviev (conducting with a toothpick?) Munich Phil, Celibidache - slower but still hypnotic. Celibidache is sadly a much overlooked conductor. | 5/14/20 |
| Ravel, Maurice 1875-1937 | Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet | Chamber music Unusual instrument group, slightly unusual and ethereal sound and harmonies, made so rich by the harp | Moderate | This is an interesting piece of music that you sort of just listen to to hear the tonal qualities; it doesn't have any great tune that you leave humming or whistling to yourself. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you'll find its tonality a bit off-putting. Ravel was asked (paid) to compose this by a harp manufacturer, hence the unusual instrument grouping. | 2014 concert | 5/14/20 | |
| Schubert, Franz 1797-1828 | The Erlking | 4 mins | Lieder - baritone with piano accompaniment Terrifying | Advanced | As a parent, this is the most terrifying piece of music I have ever heard, because of the tale it tells of a desperate father racing with his young child to safety, while being pursued by the Erlking - ie, Death - who is trying to steal his son. The starkness and terror in the music matches the bleakness of the words. This song is similar to a Harry Potter dementor - it will overwhelm you, emotionally, and perhaps not in a good way. | You absolutely should read about Goethe's poem and the music here before listening to it Fischer-Dieskau, Moore The legendary pairing of these two consummate artists can never be equaled | 5/23/20 |
| Schubert, Franz 1797-1828 | Trout Quintet, D 667 | 38 mins | Chamber music classical/romantic style Lyrical | Moderate | Well known, unusually in five rather than four movements. The fourth movement is a set of variations on an earlier piece he wrote "Die Forelle" (The Trout). Maybe try the 3rd or 4th movement first, then the other, then the 1st or 5th movement, then the other, and the 2nd movement last. | Great YouTube version with the score and excellent notes Stunning ensemble of biggest-name performers | 5/14/20 |
| Schubert, Franz 1797-1828 | Rosamunde incidental music | varies | Orchestral Rhythmic, jolly | Easy to moderate | The complete music lasts an hour and is seldom played, the popular pieces are the Entr'actes, two ballet music parts, and overture | YouTube | 5/14/20 |
| Schubert, Franz 1797-1828 | Unfinished Symphony D 759, (number 8) | 30 mins | Orchestral Very lyrical first movement, slow alternately wistful and bold, second movement | Easy to moderate | Two movements completed (usually symphonies have four), hence the name. | YouTube | 5/14/20 |
| Schumann, Robert 1810-1856 | Carnaval, op 9 | Piano - light, brisk and bright | Moderate | A series of 21 short pieces said to represent revelers at a pre-Lent carnival ball. Some thematic connections between each of the pieces. Chances are you might like some of the pieces more than others. But give it time and you might end up liking them all. Requires considerable virtuosity to play well. | Notes about the piece Daniel Barenboim | 5/14/20 | |
| Schumann, Robert 1810-1856 | Piano Concerto in a | 28 - 36 mins | Concerto - piano Melodic | Moderate | Schumann wrote a lot of piano music, and four symphonies, but only one piano concerto. It is one of the most popular in the world, often paired with the Grieg piano concerto. In typical three movement form. All are great. | Barenboim, Munich PO, Celibidache | 5/19/20 |
| Strauss II, Johann 1825-1899 | Die Fledermaus (The Bat) | 1 hr 45 mins | Operetta | Moderate | If you're thinking of trying out opera, this operetta is perhaps a good starting point. It is full of good tunes, and a light-hearted "feel good" plot. You might find some pieces more approachable than others. Maybe try some sort of suite or "highlights" compilation to start with. | Notes Great cast | 5/14/20 |
| Strauss II, Johann 1825-1899 | Emperor Waltz | 11 mins | Orchestral - waltz | Easy | Written to commemorate a meeting of the German and Austria-Hungarian emperors in 1889. Its title tactfully could apply to either or both emperors. This is a consummate classic Viennese/Strauss waltz with a twist. Listen to the introduction - count the beats. ONE two three, like a waltz? No! Four beats! Astonishingly, Strauss starts off a waltz with an in-your-face burst of 4/4 time (technically 2/2 but never mind) then a searing long melody line still in that time signature before a transition and into the main series of waltzes. | Berlin PO, Barenboim | 5/14/20 |
| Strauss II, Johann 1825-1899 | (On the Beautiful) Blue Danube Waltz | 10 mins | Orchestral - waltz | Easy | The best known waltz, ever? Quite possibly, and probably deservedly so. Actually a collection of waltzes all linked together (like most waltzes are). For many of us, it is impossible to hear this without thinking 2001 - see the link to that scene on the right. I also sung it many years ago (words were added subsequently). | The scene from "2001" that featured part of the waltz. As stunning today as it was back in 1968. Vienna Phil, Barenboim | 5/14/20 |
| Strauss, Richard 1864-1949 | Four Last Songs (Vier Letzte Lieder) | 23 mins | Vocal, orchestral accompaniment | Advanced | Richard Strauss wrote much of his best music for the soprano voice. These four last songs, written shortly before his death, took things to an entirely new level however. Each song is very different. They are usually performed in a different order to their composing dates, but the revised order feels best. In the third song, when Schwarzkopf re-enters after the orchestra and solo violin interlude (letter E in the score, "Und die seele unbewacht" and soars up to a high A-flat, I spent a five figure sum, 35 years ago, getting this to play correctly free of distortion. It was money well spent. This is not "quiet background music". It is not even cheerful. It is overwhelmingly emotional and powerful. Do not listen if feeling unhappy. | Schwarzkopf, Berlin Radio SO, Szell - there are many versions of this available, this is unquestioningly the ultimate sine qua non | 5/19/20 |
| Vaughan Williams, Ralph 1872-1958 | The Lark Ascending | 16 mins | Orchestral With solo violin Relaxing, tranquil, gentle music | Easy | Consistently voted the most popular piece of music in Britain | Lovely commentary about the piece YouTube | 5/14/20 |
Table Notes
The Four Buttons above the Table
We’ve added four new table management buttons above the table. Try them to see what they do, and here are some explanatory notes if needed.
Column visibility allows you to hide any of the columns if you wish. When you click the button, a drop down list of the different columns appears. Click to turn off (or on again) any columns you wish to hide or re-reveal. This can make it easier for you to see just the columns you want on the screen all at the same time.
CSV and Excel allow you to export all the table data to either a CSV or an Excel file. The only limitation I’ve noticed is that you lose the links to outside sides (ie the YouTube links), but everything else seems to work well.
Print allows you to print the document out – either electronically as a PDF or to a regular printer. I recommend, if you do this, to change the paper orientation from portrait to landscape, and then it looks very nice.
Information about the Data in the Table
In the Piece column, I show major keys in capitals and minor keys in lower case. So “Eb” is “E flat major” whereas “c#” is “c sharp minor”.
Also in that column, you’ll sometimes see I include opus numbers (usually abbreviated as “op”) when there is a standard numbering system and perhaps to avoid ambiguity or to help identification. In addition to opus numbers, sometimes you’ll see another number preceded by an abbreviation – this is in cases where there has been a separate formal cataloging of a composer’s works. Sometimes, to make things even more complicated, more than one authoritative cataloging exists (the works of Domenico Scarlatti, in particular, come to mind). But no need for the complications unless you wish to become a scholar yourself. Just click the links to enjoy the pieces. 🙂
The Approx(imate) Length of a piece can vary depending on whether the piece of music is played in full, or only in part. For example, maybe instead of a complete collection of several dozen pieces of music for a ballet, there is a suite with half a dozen highlights. Maybe instead of a complete symphony, there is just one movement featured.
In addition, there are often some parts of a piece of music that are repeats of earlier parts of the piece, and sometimes these repeats are featured, and sometimes omitted. Strauss waltzes are filled with repeats, and different conductors include all, some, or none of them. In Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the first 1 minute and 40 seconds (plus or minus a bit) of the opening movement should be repeated, but many conductors don’t. In his last piano sonata, the length can vary from 20 minutes to 40 minutes depending mainly on which of the repeats the pianist plays.
The other big variable is the speed at which the music is played. Surprisingly perhaps, even though some composers were as careful as to specify exactly the speed in beats per minute the music should be played at, some conductors choose to ignore that and go faster or slower, sometimes to an astonishing degree of variation.
That’s not to say it is necessary to exactly follow the composer’s metronome markings on his music. Sometimes composers left them out and a copyist or editor added them, or perhaps the composer made a mistake and just wrote down what he thought might be a good speed but never actually checked it with a metronome, or maybe it was intended as a suggestion rather than a rigid “you must play the music at this speed” imperative.
The point here is not to get too hung up on the length of the piece and never think that there is an exact perfect speed. I cite lengths more so you have a general idea of the duration of the piece – whether it is 2 minutes or 2 hours, for example – and so you can see if perhaps a version you are listening to is the complete work or just excerpted parts of it.
The Level column indicates my suggestion about how easy and approachable the piece of music is. Note also that if this refers to a piece of music in multiple parts (or movements in some cases) there is likely to be wide variation between the parts, with some much more readily enjoyed than others.
The quality of the sound on some of the YouTube links is very disappointing, especially if you’re listening through headphones or high end speakers. Good music is easiest to appreciate when its sound quality is good, too – that has been a painful and costly journey of discovery for me over the years, some time I’ll tell you about the five seconds of Richard Strauss music that cost me the better part of $10,000 to reproduce perfectly through my sound system (and, no, it isn’t the first section of Also Sprach Zarathustra – that is easy).
If you are interested in the music when hearing it through the YouTube links, there’s really nothing better than buying the music on CDs and then ripping it to FLAC format to listen through your preferred digital music player. If you download music files from online sources, be careful what quality level they are. Ideally they should be in FLAC format. Failing that, MP3 either 320 kbps CBR or highest quality VBR. Much less than 256 kbps and the quality starts to become perceptibly degraded.
The Links are generally to performances on YouTube, and sometimes to information about the music. I’ve tried to identify good YouTube performances, but it is difficult – many of them have poor audio or poor video (or both). And the ones that have interruptions randomly occurring for advertisements are terrible!
If you see PO or SO in the descriptions, that refers to Philharmonic Orchestra or Symphony Orchestra. So LPO and LSO would be London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra, for example.
The Added column can help you see what new pieces I’ve added. Click the up/down arrows beside it to sort by date and see what new delights might be awaiting for your enjoyment.
