Showing posts with label Mozart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mozart. Show all posts

Friday, February 27, 2026

Classical Works: Top 100

Classical Works:

Top 100

This was originally posted as a top 10 on the DMDB Facebook page on 2/21/10 and then expanded to a top 50 on 5/2/2011. This list was determined by an aggregate of more than 30 classical-music-focused, best-of lists combined with the works’ standings in the overall Dave’s Music Database. Here’s the top classical works (which includes operas, symphonies, concertos, etc.) according to the DMDB. Note: most of these are considered “albums” based on their lengths. Those works noted with an asterisk (*) are shorter pieces and not considered album-length works.

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

Composer Name of Work (year composition was finished)
1. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (1808)
2. Richard Wagner The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) (opera, 1848-1874)
3. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 (1812)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (1824)
5. Antonin Dvorák Symphony No. 9 in E minor (From the New World) (1893)
6. Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1725)
7. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875)
8. George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, & Dubose Heyward Porgy and Bess (1935)
9. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B Minor (“Pathétique”) (1893)
10. Georges Bizet Carmen (opera, 1873-74)

11. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
12. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” (1808)
13. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 in E-flat “Sinfonia Eroica” (1804)
14. Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (1830)
15. Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
16. Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 (1885)
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (opera, 1787)
18. Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (opera, 1857-59)
19. Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concertos (1719-21)
20. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor (1788)

21. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791)
22. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” (1811)
23. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (1785)
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 (1785)
25. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” (1788)
26. Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suites (1717-23)
27. Giacomo Puccini La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (opera, 1896)
28. Giacomo Puccini Tosca (opera, 1900)
29. Gioacchino Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (opera, 1816)
30. Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major (1806)

31. George Friedrich Handel Messiah (1741)
32. Franz Schubert Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”) (1822)
33. Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata (The Fallen Woman) (1853)
34. Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor (1904)
35. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A Major (1791)
36. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Requiem Mass in D minor (1791)
37. Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor (1937)
38. Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A Major (“Trout”) (1814)
39. Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection” (1894)
40. Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps) (ballet, 1913)

41. Claudio Monteverdi L’Orfeo (Orpheus) (opera, 1607)
42. Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (1901)
43. Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1876)
44. Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (1944)
45. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 (1826)
46. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor (1786)
47. Giacomo Puccini Turandot (1926)
48. Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto (1851)
49. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 (1826)
50. Giuseppe Verdi Aida (opera, 1871)

51. George & Ira Gershwin An American in Paris (classical soundtrack, 1951)
52. Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Titan”) (1884-88)
53. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in C minor (1786)
54. Franz Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C major (1828)
55. Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas (1689)
56. Claudio Monteverdi Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (1610)
57. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (1826)
58. Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio (1805)
59. Modest Mussorgsky Tableaux d'une Exposition (Pictures at an Exhibition) (1874)
60. Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D major (1879)

61. Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor (1845)
62. Edvard Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor (1868)
63. Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass) (1562)
64. Johann Sebastian Bach Mass in B Minor (1749)
65. Giacomo Puccini Madame Butterfly (Madama Butterfly) (1904)
66. Antonin Dvorák Cello Concerto in B minor (1895)
67. Vincenzo Bellini Norma (1831)
68. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 38 in D major (1787)
69. Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (1911)
70. George Friedrich Handel Water Music (1717)

71. Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1909)
72. Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 5 in D major (Largo) (1797)
73. Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 3 in C major (Emperor) (1797)
74. Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion (1736)
75. Felix Mendelssohn Octet for Strings in E flat major (1825)
76. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonatas (32) (1795-1822)
77. Claudio Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea) (1642)
78. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F major (1812)
79. Franz Josef Haydn Symphony No. 104 in D major (1795)
80. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major (1791)

81. Alban Berg Wozzeck (1922)
82. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major (Stadler) (1789)
83. Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin (1720)
84. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E flat major (1788)
85. George Friedrich Händel Julius Caesar in Egypt (Giulio Cesare in Egitto) (1724)
86. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D major (1782)
87. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 4 in B flat major (1806)
88. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat major (1784)
89. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major (1786)
90. Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 9 in D major “Farewell” (1912)

91. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major (1784)
92. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major (1777)
93. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major (1784)
94. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (1806)
95. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cosí Fan Tutte (Thus Do They All) (1790)
96. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) (1781)
97. Johann Sebastian Bach Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major (1723)
98. Claudio Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and War (Madrigali Guerrieri ed Amorosi) (1638)
99. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor (1800)
100. Luciano Pavarotti/Placido Domingo/Jose Carreras The Three Tenors in Concert/Mehta (1990)

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First posted 2/21/2010; last updated 2/27/2026.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Top 50 Operas of All Time

Opera:

The Top 50

This list was created, as are most DMDB lists, by aggregating multiple best-of lists, both those focused specifically on opera and those on all albums/works regardless of genre, alongside sales, chart data, and album ratings. Here are the results:

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

1. Richard Wagner The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) (1874)
2. George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, & Dubose Heyward Porgy and Bess (1935)
3. Georges Bizet Carmen (1875)
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (1787)
6. Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (1859)
7. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791)
8. Giacomo Puccini La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (1896)
9. Giacomo Puccini Tosca (1900)
10. Gioacchino Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (1816)

11. Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata (The Fallen Woman) (1853)
12. Claudio Monteverdi L’Orfeo (Orpheus) (1607)
13. Giacomo Puccini Turandot (1926)
14. Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto: La Donna È Mobile (1851)
15. Giuseppe Verdi Aida (1871)
16. Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas (1689)
17. Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio (1805)
18. Giacomo Puccini Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) (1904)
19. Vincenzo Bellini Norma (1831)
20. Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (1911)

21. Claudio Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea) (1642)
22. Alban Berg Wozzeck (1922)
23. George Friedrich Händel Julius Caesar in Egypt (Giulio Cesare in Egitto) (1724)
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Cosí Fan Tutte (Thus Do They All) (1790)
25. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) (1781)
26. Luciano Pavarotti with Placido Domingo & Jose Carreras The Three Tenors in Concert/Mehta (live: 1990)
27. Andrea Bocelli Romanza (1997)
28. Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor (1911)
29. Christoph Willibald Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus and Eurydice) (1762)
30. Gaetano Donizetti L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love) (1873)

31. Gioacchino Rossini Guillaume Tell (William Tell) (1829)
32. Giuseppe Verdi Otello (1887)
33. Richard Wagner Lohengrin (1850)
34. Modest Mussorgsky Boris Godunov (1873)
35. Giuseppi Verdi Il Trovatore (The Troubador) (1853)
36. Richard Wagner Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg (The Master-Singers of Nuremburg) (1868)
37. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin (1879)
38. Giuseppe Verdi Don Carlos (1867)
39. Charles Gounod Faust (1859)
40. Richard Wagner Der Fliegende Hollander (aka “The Flying Dutchman”) (1843)

41. Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande (1902)
42. Richard Wagner Tannhauser (1845)
43. Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar) (1842)
44. Giuseppe Verdi Falstaff (1893)
45. Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) (1890)
46. Rugerro Leoncavallo Pagliacci (The Clowns) (1892)
47. Jules Massenet Manon (1884)
48. Richard Strauss Salome (1905)
49. Amilcare Ponchilelli La Gioconda (1876)
50. Richard Strauss Elektra (1909)

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First posted 9/11/2018; last updated 2/25/2026.

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Monday, February 23, 2026

Concertos: The Top 25

Concertos:

The Top 25

A concerto is a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra. These are the top 25 ranked concertos according to Dave’s Music Database.

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

Composer Name of Work (year composition was finished)
1. Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1725)
2. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875)
3. Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concertos (6) (1719-21)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” (1811)
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (1785)

6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 (1785)
7. Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major (1806)
8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A Major (1791)
9. Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (1901)
10. Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (1944)

11. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor (1786)
12. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in C minor (1786)
13. Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D major (1879)
14. Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor (1845)
15. Edvard Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor (1868)

16. Antonin Dvorák Cello Concerto in B minor (1895)
17. Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1909)
18. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major (1791)
19. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat major (1784)
20. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major (1786)

21. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major (1784)
22. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major (1777)
23. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (1806)
24. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major (1784)
25. Johann Sebastian Bach Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major (1723)

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First posted 10/3/2023; last updated 2/23/2026.

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Thursday, February 22, 2024

Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (February 2024)

The Top Chamber Music Works

Originally posted 2/22/2024.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the 21st group of album inductees. These are the top 10 chamber music works of all time (see the full list here). Chamber music is a form of classical music composed for a small group of instruments, traditionally a group which could fit in a palace chamber.

See the full list of album inductees here.

Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin (1717-20)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

These three sonatas and three partitas were composed by Bach. He “elevated both forms to a deeply emotional and reverent height” JS by setting “up elaborate schemes that utilize the violin’s full range of sounds.” TM They “firmly established the technical capability of the violin as a solo instrument” WK serving “as archetypes for solo violin pieces by later generations of composers.” WK Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 (1826)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. While this was Beethoven’s 13th published quartet, it was actually the 14th composed. Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 (1826)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was Beethoven’s favorite of this period. He died before it was published or performed. It is dedicated to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim as “a gesture of gratitude for taking Beethoven's nephew Karl into the army after a suicide attempt.” WK-14 Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (1826)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. It was actually the 13th quartet written but was the 15th published. Read more.

Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 3 (Emperor)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

In facing the threat of Napoleon, Haydn saw a need for a national anthem to rally the Austrian people. The second movement of his third string quartet became a tribute to Emperor Francis II, hence the quartet’s popular “Emperor” nickname. It became the national anthem of Austria-Hungary in 1847 and the same melody was later used for the German national anthem. Read more.

Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 5 in D major (Largo) (1797)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

“Haydn was an early cultivator of the string quartet. His first works for the combination of instruments (two violins, viola, and cello) were lighter in tone, an intimate version of the serenades and divertimentos called on to accompany the events of life at the princely court where Haydn worked.” LPString Quartet No. 5 “is sometimes called the Largo or Friedhofsquartett (Graveyard-Quartet) “because the second movement...is often played at burials” WK “because this music not only sounds sad, it also gives comfort.” WK Read more.

Felix Mendelssohn Octet for Strings in E flat major, Op. 20 (1825)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Mendelssohn was only 16 when he composed his octet for four violins, two violas, and two cellos. He wrote it and gave a signed score to Eduard Rietz, his friend and violin teacher, as a birthday present. WK It “created a new chamber music genre” WK as string quartets were the most widely known works within chamber music. WK Read more.

Claudio Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and War (Madrigali Guerrieri ed Amorosi) (1638)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Monteverdi published eight books of madrigals in his lifetime. The last one focused on the themes of love and war. It was “an extensive collection of diverse compositions ranging from solo laments to vast eight-voice compositions with instrumental accompaniment.” CG The work “transformed a venerable genre – the Renaissance part song…few madrigals from any age hold a candle to these masterworks for multiple voices and instruments.” LH Read more.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major (Stadler) (1789)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Mozart’s clarinet quintet (a piece for clarinet with a string quartet) was written for Anton Stadler, a talented clarinetist and friend. It is the only clarinet quintet completed by Mozart. The work is viewed as “one of the earliest and best-known works that was written especially for the instrument” WK and “one of the most admired of the composer’s works.” WK Musicologist Alfred Einstein called the piece “chamber music work of the finest kind.” WK Read more.

Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major (Trout), D 667 (1819)

Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

“Sylvester Paumgartner, a wealthy mining executive and an accomplished cellist, commissioned Schubert to write a quintet based on ‘The Trout’ (and perhaps patterned after a work by Hummel that he had in his collection). The resulting ‘Trout’ quintet – scored for the unusual combination of piano, violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass – has become one of Schubert’s more enduring chamber works.” AM Read more.
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Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The Top100 Keyboardists/Pianists of All Time

Keyboardists/Pianists:

Top 100

This is one of the DMDB’s most diverse best-of lists, with everything from classical (Beethoven, Mozart) to jazz (Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock) to R&B (Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder) to pop/rock (Billy Joel, Elton John) to progressive rock (Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman). As always, DMDB lists are determined by an aggregation of multiple lists.

See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories.

1. Franz Liszt
2. Art Tatum
3. Vladimir Horowitz
4. Chick Corea
5. Thelonious Monk
6. Bill Evans
7. Frederic Chopin
8. Sergei Rachmaninoff
9. Ludwig van Beethoven
10. Oscar Peterson

11. Dave Brubeck
12. Duke Ellington
13. Ray Manzarek
14. Josef Hoffman
15. Keith Emerson
16. Herbie Hancock
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
18. McCoy Tyner
19. Ahmad Jamal
20. Earl Hines

21. Billy Joel
22. Count Basie
23. Keith Jarrett
24. Erroll Garner
25. Richard Wright
26. Glenn Gould
27. Sviatoslav Richter
28. Tommy Flanagan
29. Red Garland
30. Horace Silver

31. Fats Waller
32. Bud Powell
33. Jelly Roll Morton
34. Wynton Kelly
35. Jon Lord
36. Gene Harris
37. Jordan Rudess
38. Rick Wakeman
39. Arthur Rubenstein
40. Gregg Rolie

41. Stevie Wonder
42. Alfred Cortot
43. Elton John
44. Steve Winwood
45. Jonathan Cain
46. Claudio Arrau
47. Teddy Wilson
48. George Shearing
49. Al Kooper
50. Martha Argerich

51. Alfred Brendel
52. James P. Johnson
53. John Paul Jones
54. Ray Charles
55. Billy Taylor
56. Nicky Hopkins
57. Andre Previn
58. Arturo Bendetti Michelangeli
59. Jan Hammer
60. Henry “Hank” Jones

61. Willie “The Lion” Smith
62. Nat “King” Cole
63. Billy Powell
64. Hampton Hawes
65. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan
66. Patrick Moraz
67. Bobby Timmons
68. Neal Doughty
69. Janne Warman
70. Tony Banks

71. Walter Gleseking
72. Robert Schumann
73. Sonny Clark
74. Billy Preston
75. Liberace
76. Phineas Newborn Jr.
77. Brian Eno
78. Gregg Allman
79. Evgeny Kissin
80. George Duke

81. Eubie Blake
82. Mose Alison
83. Mary Lou Williams
84. Rod Argent
85. Dennis DeYoung
86. Michael Petrucciani
87. Paul Bley
88. Kerry Livgren
89. Kenny Drew
90. Richard Tandy

91. Brad Mehldau
92. Don Airey
93. Geoff Downes
94. Alicia Delarrocha
95. Marc-Andre Hamelin
96. Roy Bittan
97. Mike Pinder
98. Robert Lamm
99. Vince Guaraldi
100. Joe Sample

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First posted 5/14/2017; last updated 1/26/2022.

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Monday, March 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Music Maker Inductees (March 2021)

Originally posted 3/22/2021.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This ninth class of music maker inductees is comprised of the top 10 classical composers according to Dave’s Music Database. See the full list of music maker inductees here.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer born in Eisenach, Germany. Recordings of his Cello Suites and Goldberg Variations have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Those two and his Mass in B Minor are also in the National Recording Registry. Those works as well as his Brandenburg Concertos and St. Matthew Passion all rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time and the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time. Read more.

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born in Germany. Recordings of his Violin Concerto in D Major, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Piano Concerto No. 5, Symphony No. 7, Piano Sonatas (32), and The String Quartets (16) have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Those works, as well as Symphony No. 3 in E-flat "Sinfonia Eroica" Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral", and Symphony No. 9 all rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time and the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time. Read more.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer born in Hamburg, Germany. His Symphony No. 4 in E minor ranks as one of the top 100 classical works of all time and the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time. A recording of his Piano Trio No. 1 in B major been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin in Duchy of Warsaw, Poland. Recordings of his Nocturnes for Piano, Waltzes, and Mazurkas have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. A recording of Polonaise, op. 40, no. 1 ("Polonaise Miltaire") is in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born in Rohrau, Austria. He has been called “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet.” He composed more than 100 symphonies and nearly 70 string quartets. He was influential in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. Read more.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart in Salzburg, Austria. His operas The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Don Giovanni, and Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) rank among the top 50 operas of all time. Those works as well as Symphony No. 40 in G minor, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", Requiem Mass in D minor, Clarinet Concerto in A major, and his Piano Concertos (27) all rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time and the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time. Read more.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born in Himmelpfortgrund, Vienna, Austria. His works Piano Quintet in A major ("Trout"), Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished"), Winterreise, Symphony No. 9 in C major ("The Great"), and String Quintet in C major all rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time. Read more.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer born Oranienbaum, Russia. His ballets Pétrouchka (aka "Petrushka") and Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Those and The Firebird (L’Oiseau de Feu) rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time. Rite of Spring is also one of the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time and is in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer (Swan Lake) born in Votkinsk, Russia. Wrote Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and the 1812 Overture, which all rank amongst the top 100 classical works of all time as does his Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, which is also one of the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time and is in the National Recording Registry and Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Inducted March 2021 as a “Top Classical Composer”

Classical composer and pianist born Wilhelm Richard Wagner in Leipzig, Germany. His operas Tristan Und Isolde and The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) rank among the top 50 operas of all time, the the top 100 classical works of all time, and the DMDB’s top 1000 albums/works of all time. They are also both in the National Recording Registry and Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.
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Monday, February 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums (Feb. 2021)

Originally posted 2/22/2021.

January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the ninth group of album inductees. These are the top ten classical works of all time, excluding previous inductees George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Johnann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and Monterverdi’s L’Orfeo (Orpheus).

See the full list of album inductees here.

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Fate) (1808)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This is “one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies.” AZ In Howard’s End, E.M. Forster said the symphony satisfies “all sort and conditions” MJ while poet and composer E.T.A. Hoffman called it “one of the most important works of all time.” AZ It took Beethoven more than four years to compose. Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major (Emperor) (1811)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This was the last of Beethoven’s completed piano concertos. He never publicly played it. MR. It is often known as the “Emperor Concerto,” so-named by Johann Baptist Cramer, the English publisher of the concerto. WK “There is hardly an adjective that could more aptly evoke the work’s impressive scale and majesty. Despite its considerable technical demands, the ‘Emperor’ Concerto handily transcends the typical role of the concerto as a mere virtuoso vehicle.” MR Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major (1812)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

Beethoven began writing this in 1809, but didn’t finish the composition until 1812, by which time he was seriously deaf. This was “his definitive break with stylistic conventions practiced by Mozart, Haydn, and a legion of lesser mortals who copied them. He stretched harmonic rules, and gave breadth to symphonic forms that Haydn and Mozart anticipated.” RD Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral) (1824)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This started as two separate works – a symphony with a chorale finale and a purely instrumental work in D minor. Beethoven had worked on the two pieces for almost ten years before deciding in 1822 to combine them. He famously includes Friedrich von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” in the finale. “The finished work is of visionary scope and proportions, and represents the apogee of technical difficulty in its day.” AMG Read more.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) (1786)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This four-part comic opera “tells how the servants Figaro and Susanna succeed in getting married, foiling the efforts of their philandering employer Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna and teaching him a lesson in fidelity. The opera is a cornerstone of the repertoire and appears consistently among the top ten in the Operabase list of most frequently performed operas.” WK Read more.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (1787)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This two-act opera was a mix of serious and comedic action, telling the story of the legendary Don Juan and how he is destroyed by his excesses. Mozart was commissioned to create the opera in 1787 and finished a day or two before it premiered on October 29 of that year. According to Operabase, it is the seventh most-performed opera worldwide. WK Read more.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass (Missa Papae Marcelli) (1565)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

“Arguably Palestrina’s best-known work,” NB this piece has been recorded often in the latter part of the 20th century. This is “primarily a six-voice mass, but voice combinations are varied throughout the piece.” WK He intentionally composed “in a simplified, easily understood style to please church officials” WK after Pope Marcellus II urged “musicians to strive for simplicity, clarity, and intelligibility in their compositions” in 1555. NB Read more.

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor (1875)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

Tchaikovsky composed his first piano concerto between November 1874 and February 1875. He played it for pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, who he hoped would play the piece, but he responded with a list of demanded changes before he would play it. Tchaikovsky was devastated, initially insisting he wouldn’t change a single note. He did, however, make some minor changes before it debuted in 1875 and revised it in 1879 and again in 1888. Rubinstein later retracted his criticisms and championed the work. WK Read more.

Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1725)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

This group of four violin concertos are centered around the four seasons of the year, inspired by the countryside around Mantua, where Vivaldi lived at the time. Within the pieces, he represented flowing creeks, singing birds, storms, and warm winter fires. Vivaldi also tied the music to texts from poems. The works stand as some of the earliest examples of program music, or music with a narrative element. Read more.

Richard Wagner Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (1874)

Inducted February 2021 as “Top Classical Works.”

All told, this series of four operas, created over a quartet century, stretches to more than 15 hours. The first one is the shortest, running about two and a half hours, while the final one can run as long as five hours. The story follows three generations of protaganists from the Norse sagas. “Wagner wrote for an orchestra of gargantuan proportions;” WK “the music of the cycle is thick and richly textured and grows in complexity as the cycle proceeds.” WK Read more.
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Monday, November 16, 2020

Box Sets: Top 100

First posted 11/16/2020; updated 11/20/2020.

Box Sets:

Top 100

This list was created by first aggregating best-of lists focused on box sets (see sources at bottom of page). Those figures were combined with the box sets’ overall status in Dave’s Music Database, which factors in sales, chart peaks, critic ratings, appearances on other best-of lists, and DMDB points of songs on the collection. The DMDB defines a box set as a compilation of three or more compact discs, or the equivalent, which would be at least 240 minutes, or four hours, of music.

Box sets are most typically associated with efforts to compile a mix of hits and rarities from veteran artists. However, this list also includes compilations from various artists, classical works, larger-than-usual live collections, repackagings of multiple studio albums gathered together, deluxe editions of studio albums, and even one triple-length studio album.

Note: The first date(s) listed in parentheses after the album title indicates the years covered by the box. The second date indicates when the box was released (hence the r.).

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

  1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live 1975/1985 (live box: 1975-85, r. 1986)
  2. Various Artists Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1959-71, r. 1992)
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonatas (32) (1795-1822)
  4. Various Artists compiled by Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (1926-32, r. 1952)
  5. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (1925-28, r. 2000)
  6. Richard Wagner Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (opera, 1848-1874)
  7. James Brown Star Time (1956-84, r. 1991)
  8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (opera, 1787)
  9. Various Artists Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (1947-74, r. 10/15/91)
  10. The Rolling Stones The Singles Collection: The London Years (1963-71, r. 1989)

  11. Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (opera, 1857-59)
  12. Various Artists produced by Phil Spector Back to Mono (1958-69, r. 1991)
  13. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
  14. Led Zeppelin How the West Was Won (live: recorded 1972, r. 2003)
  15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concertos (27) (1767-1791)
  16. Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion (1736)
  17. Prince The Hits/The B Sides (1978-93, r. 1993)
  18. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartets (16) (1798-1826)
  19. The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs (1999)
  20. Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set, recorded 1939-42, r. 1990)

  21. Elvis Presley The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete ‘50s Masters (1953-58, r. 1992)
  22. Eric Clapton Crossroads (1963-87, r. 1988)
  23. Bob Dylan Biograph (1962-81, r. 1985)
  24. Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (1970-2002, r. 2002)
  25. Various Artists The First Rock and Roll Record (1916-56, r. 2011)
  26. Béla Bartók The String Quartets (1908-39)
  27. Various Artists The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (1926-91, r. 1992)
  28. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin (Box Set) (1969-79, r. 1990)
  29. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings (1944-48, r. 2000)
  30. Velvet Underground Peel Slowly and See (1955-70, r. 1995)

  31. The Police Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (1978-86, r. 1993)
  32. Elvis Presley Artist of the Century (1954-77, r. 1999)
  33. Bruce Springsteen The Essential: Limited Edition (1973-2002, r. 2003)
  34. Bob Marley & the Wailers Songs of Freedom (1961-83, r. 1992)
  35. Johnny Cash The Essential (1955-83, r. 1992)
  36. Various Artists Doo Wop Box: 101 Vocal Group Gems (1948-87, r. 1994)
  37. Chuck Berry The Chess Box (1955-73, r. 1988)
  38. Queen The Platinum Collection (1973-99, r. 2001)
  39. Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) The Symphonies (9) (classical, composed 1800-1824)
  40. Ray Charles The Birth of Soul – The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings (1952-59, r. 1991)

  41. Elton John Diamonds (1969-2016, r. 2017)
  42. Bing Crosby Bing! His Legendary Years (1931-57, r. 1993)
  43. Various Artists Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of ’50s Rock (1948-61, r. 1999)
  44. Howlin’ Wolf The Chess Box (1951-73, r. 1991)
  45. Bing Crosby Bing: A Musical Autobiography (1938-54, r. 1954)
  46. Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-77, r. 1992)
  47. The Beach Boys Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1961-88, r. 1993)
  48. Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (archives: 1961-89, r. 1991)
  49. Cream Those Were the Days (1966-69, r. 1997)
  50. Journey Time 3 (1975-86, r. 1992)

  51. Led Zeppelin The Complete Studio Recordings (1969-79, r. 1993)
  52. The Who 30 Years of Maximum R&B (1964-91, r. 1994)
  53. Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Sevens (1925-26, r. 1999)
  54. Various Artists No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion (1973-81, r. 2003)
  55. The Jimi Hendrix Experience The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966-70, r. 2000)
  56. Burt Bacharach (composer) The Look of Love: The Collection (1957-96, r. 1998)
  57. Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman The Genius of Electric Guitar (1939-41, r. 2001)
  58. Muddy Waters The Chess Box (1947-72, r. 1989)
  59. Stevie Wonder At the Close of a Century (1962-97, r. 1999)
  60. Elvis Presley From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential ‘60s Masters (1960-69, r. 1993)

  61. Fats Domino They Call Me the Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings 1949-62, r. 1991)
  62. Elton John To Be Continued (1965-90, r. 1990)
  63. Rod Stewart Storyteller (1964-89, r. 1989)
  64. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy Sessions (1944-48, r. 2000)
  65. The Rolling Stones Grrr! (1963-2012, r. 2012)
  66. Ray Charles Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection (1949-93, r. 1997)
  67. David Bowie Nothing Has Changed (1969-2014, r. 2014)
  68. Elvis Presley Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential ‘70s (1970-77, r. 1995)
  69. David Bowie Sound + Vision (1969-80, r. 1989)
  70. Fleetwood Mac 25 Years: The Chain (1967-92, r. 1992)

  71. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Playback (1973-93, r. 1995)
  72. Fletcher Henderson A Study in Frustration: Thesaurus of Classic Jazz (1923-38, r. 1994)
  73. Marvin Gaye The Master (1961-84, r. 1995)
  74. Billie Holiday Quintessential (1933-42, r. 1998)
  75. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 (1962-65, r. 2006)
  76. Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (1970-77, r. 1991)
  77. Aerosmith Pandora’s Box (1966-82, r. 1991)
  78. Patsy Cline The Collection (1955-63, r. 1991)
  79. Nirvana With the Lights Out (1987-94, r. 2004)
  80. Kenny Rogers Through the Years: A Retrospective (1956-97, r. 1999)

  81. Paul Simon 1964/1993 (1957-91, r. 2006)
  82. The Byrds The Byrds (1965-90, r. 1990)
  83. The Beatles In Mono (1962-70, r. 2009)
  84. Michael Jackson The Ultimate Collection (1969-2004, r. 2004)
  85. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times: Super Deluxe Edition (1981-87, r. 2020)
  86. The Cure Join the Dots: B-sides & Rarities (The Fiction Years) (1978-2001, r. 2004)
  87. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers The Live Anthology (1978-2007, r. 2009)
  88. The Allman Brothers Band Dreams (1966-88, r. 1989)
  89. Lou Reed Between Thought and Expression (1972-88, r. 1992)
  90. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 (1963-64, r. 2004)

  91. The Smiths Complete (1983-87, r. 2011)
  92. Various Artists Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ‘80s Underground (1979-89, r. 2004)
  93. Simon & Garfunkel Old Friends (1965-75, r. 1997)
  94. B.B. King King of the Blues (1949-91, r. 1992)
  95. Crosby, Stills & Nash CSN (1968-90, r. 1991)
  96. Various Artists Now That’s What I Call Disney (1937-2011, r. 2011)
  97. Simon & Garfunkel The Collection (1965-70, r. 2007)
  98. Various Artists Country Music (1928-2002, r. 2019)
  99. Steve Winwood The Finer Things (1964-90, r. 1995)
  100. Bruce Springsteen Tracks (1972-95, r. 1998)

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is added to National Recording Registry

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Jane Taylor (lyrics), traditional (music)

Writer(s): Jane Taylor (words), traditional (music) (see lyrics here)

Published: 1806

First Charted: --

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2143.66 video, 2143.66 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

The Alphabet Song (ABC Song)

Charles Bradlee (lyrics), traditional (music)

Writer(s): unknown (words), traditional (music) (see lyrics here)

First Published: 1824

Copyrighted: February 3, 1834

First Charted: --

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1723.0 video, 75.18 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

unknown (lyrics), traditional (music)

Writer(s): unknown (words), traditional (music) (see lyrics here)

First Published: 1744

Copyrighted: October 25, 1879

First Charted: --

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4364.72 video, 177.64 streaming (multiple versions)

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Songs:

Jane Taylor, an English poet, wrote a five-stanza poem called “The Star.” It was published in London in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems Jane and her sister Ann. In 1838, it was published as the song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in The Singing Master: First Class Tune Book. WK Generally, people only sing the first stanza of the original poem. The song is now in the public domain.

The poem was set to a French melody called “Ah! Vous diraj-je, Maman” (“Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama”), written by an unknown composer in 1761. It has been suggested it may even date back as far as 1740. The song, without words, first appeared in Les Amusements d’une Heure et Demy, a collection of music for garden parties published by a man named Boüin. There is, however, no evidence that he wrote the song. BR

The original melody has often been misattributed to composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There’s even a myth that he wrote the tune as a child, but that isn’t true. BR He did, however, create a twelve-bar variation of the tune for solo piano in the early 1780s. Composers Haydn and Liszt have also integrated the piece into their works. Lewis Caroll created a parody of the tune in his 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The tune was also the basis for “The Alphabet Song (aka “The ABC Song),” published in the 1824 issue of “Musikalischer Haus-Frend”). It was copyrighted by Boston music publisher Charles Bradlee on February 3, 1834. WBM It has become the go-to song for teaching the alphabet to preschoolers in English-speaking countries.

The melody was also used for “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” It was first printed as a nursery rhyme around 1744. In The Real Personages of Mother Goose, published in 1930, Katheine Elwes Thomas suggests the rhyme was a reference to heavy taxation on wool. WK2 It has also been suggested that the rhyme had a connection to the slave trade in the Southern United States, but there has been no evidence to support that. WK2 It wasn’t until 1879 that it was copyrighted after being set to music and appearing in Nursery Songs and Games. WBM

The song has also played a significant role in music history. The German-born Emile Berliner invented a microphone in 1877 and sold the patent to Alexander Graham Bell. That same year, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. Berliner would continue to develop technology to allow for recordings to be made and reproduced. He secured a licensing agreement with a German doll manufacturer called Kämmer & Reinhardt to mass produce discs to be played on a gramophone. The first known selections, believed to be of Berliner himself, featured recitations of “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” NRR The recordings have been inducted into the National Recording Registry.

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” has been used in studies to research child development in “vocal pitch accuracy, perception of intervals, contour and key, to grow self-esteem in the classroom, in music therapy for feeding and sleeping in premature infants, and as a method to encourage children to compose and improvise music.” RNZ

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First posted 12/17/2023; last updated 11/30/2025.

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