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Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor
This symphony premiered on December 22, 1808, in Vienna. The venue conditions were awful for the audience members. -
Franz Schubert's Erlkönig
The poem Erlkönig, originally made by JW Goethe, was given a musical context by Schubert in 1815. -
Nicolo Paganini's 24 Caprices for Violin, Op. 1
This set of caprices was composed in 1805, but they were fully published in 1820. -
Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique
Hector Berlioz composed his Symphonie fantastique in 1830. -
Chopin's Mazurka Op. 7
The Mazurka in B-flat Major Op. 7 No. 1 was composed between 1830 and 1831. -
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's Das Jahr
Fanny Hensel completed her piece Das Jahr in 1841 after an extended trip to Italy. -
Gottschalk's Souvenir de Porto Rico
Louis Moreau Gottschalk composed Souvenir de Porto Rico between 1857 and 1858. -
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
The original piano version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition premiered in 1874. It was later orchestrated for full orchestra. -
Bizet's Carmen
Georges Bizet's Carmen premiered in 1875, which is the same year he died. -
Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen
Richard Wagner's Der Ringen des Nibelungen, a cycle of 4 music dramas, premiered in its entirety in 1876. -
Brahms Symphony No. 4
Johannes Brahms Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op. 98 premiered in 1885. -
Mahler's First Symphony
Mahler's Symphony No. 1 premiered in 1889, but it had a terrible reception after the performance and was revised many times by Mahler. -
Dvorak's Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" by Antonin Dvorak premiered in 1893. -
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag
Maple Leaf Rag was published 1899. -
Jean Sibelius' Finlandia
Jean Sibelius' Finlandia premiered in 1900. -
Claude Debussy's "Voiles" from Preludes Book 1
Debussy wrote the piece "Voiles" in his Preludes Book 1 in 1909. -
Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire
Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire was composed in 1912. -
Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps
Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" premiered in 1913 and the crowd started a riot in their reaction. -
Arnold Schoenberg's Piano Suite, Op. 25
Arnold's Schoenberg's Piano Suite, Op. 25 (Minuet) was composed sometime between 1921 and 1923. -
Louis Armstrong's "Hotter Than That"
Louis Armstrong's "Hotter Than That" was composed and premiered in 1927. -
George and Ira Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm"
"I Got Rhythm" from Crazy Girl by George and Ira Gershwin was published in 1930. -
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 was composed and premiered in 1937. A famous quote about it was: "A Soviet artist's reply to just criticism." -
Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
The film Alexander Nevsky came out in 1938 and it was about a Russian leader who fought against the Swedes and Germans and won. -
Duke Ellington's Cottontail
Duke Ellington composed Cottontail after playing at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1940. -
Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour le fine du temps was composed during his time in a prisoner of war camp in the year 1940. It is composed for piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. -
Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra
Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra was composed and published in 1943. -
Copland's Appalachian Spring
Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, originally titled "Ballet for Martha" was composed in 1944 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. -
John Cage's 4'33"
Cage's 4'33" was composed in 1952 and it deals with the concept of indeterminacy, where the sound is up to the performers and audience. -
Varese's Poeme Electronique
Edgard Varese's Poeme Electronique was composed sometime between 1957-1958 for the 1958 Brussels Exposition (World's Fair). -
Miles Davis Kind of Blue
Miles Davis' best-selling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue, was produced in 1959. -
George Crumb's Ancient Voices of Children
Crumb's piece, Ancient Voices of Children, was composed in 1970 and it is scored for soprano (boy), harmonica, harp, toy piano, and percussion. -
John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Adams' piece, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, was composed in 1986. The piece itself symbolizes the rapid advancement of technological innovation that was occurring at the time.