7 Great (Classical) Songs YOU Should Listen to this Week

cmp2020 (72)in #music • 7 years ago (edited)

Traditionally, there is a difference between a song and a composition. Generally, a song is a short poem (or vocal performance) set to an instrumental accompaniment. A song is a composition, but a composition is not necessarily a song. Throughout history, there have been numerous composers who wrote a ton of songs (Schubert, Fauré, etc. . .). Here is a list of some of my favorite classical songs!

7. Der Leiermann - Franz Schubert

This piece is quite mysterious. The singer, Mr. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, does a very good job. I picked this video because it has the lyrics (In English) As I stated in my birthday post for Schubert

"this piece is about a man who is poor and lonely, going through rough times in his life. I think this piece depicts how Schubert felt people looked at him, considering that he was never a "major hit" and died penniless."

What I don't think I realized is that Schubert didn't write the words, he wrote the music. Wilhelm Müller wrote the words, so scratch anything I said that implied that Schubert wrote the words. I'm sure he felt like the man in the poem, though, and probably did enjoy writing the piece. Anyway, here is the song:

6. Ich Grolle Nicht - Robert Schumann

I would like to sing this song eventually for a live performance, as well as another piece on this list. The title means I bear no grudge, and the piece is a great piece for someone with my range. I included this list in my weekly7 7 Songs I've Been Listening to this Week in Remembrance of my Great Grandmother (I just noticed that not all 7 pieces are songs, whoops). Here is Ich Grolle Nicht:

5. Panis Angelicus - César Franck

This song is about the bread of angels becoming the bread of men. It has a beautiful melody, as well as string accompaniment (in at least my favorite recording). I really like the interpretation that Pavarotti sang with, so that is the recording I've included. I once sang this piece for a vocal recital, and let me tell you, it is fun to sing. It has a good range for a young baritone, and is not too demanding with word pronunciation.

4. Cantique De Jean Racine - Gabriel Fauré

This piece may not be by definition a song (I'm unsure because it is for a choir), but I still find it beautiful, and it is a short poem set to music, so I think it qualifies as a song. I saw Fauré's requiem live the other day, it was one of the most beautiful pieces I've heard (Although this one is up there). We sang this piece for school choir this year, and I found the bass part quite interesting (it will be quiet and out of no where the bases come in with a beautiful entrance that causes a crescendo I.E. (3:40) "Qui la conduit a l'oubli de tes lois. . .") Anyway, this song is beautiful I included it in my Weekly7 7 Pieces by Gabriel Fauré You Should Listen to this Week, and I would still highly recommend it.

3. Lamento Della Ninfa - Claudio Monteverdi

I am going to use indirect proof to prove that this is a song. Assume that Cantique De Jean Racine is a song, by cpctc, this is also a song (they are similar styles). This song is very relaxing, and actually landed the first spot (number 7) in my very first Weekly7, 7 Relaxing Classical Pieces You Should Try to Listen to This Week. It turns out that this piece is a madrigal, or part song for several voices, so my indirect proof was correct. Anyway, this piece is beautiful, I'm definitely going to try to find more of Monteverdi's pieces (maybe I'll add him to the birthday list).

2. Caro Mio Ben - Tommaso Giordani

This is probably one of the most famous vocal pieces there are. Many modern celebrities have covered this song, and even greats (like Pavarotti have covered it [that's the video I am including]) It is a love song, basically saying Without you my heart languishes or I need you in my life. It is actually a quite beautiful poem, here it is if anyone wishes to read the English.

1. Der Erlkönig - Franz Schubert

This piece by Schubert is by far one of the best classical songs I have heard. The piano accompaniment is so complex that not even Schubert could play it. This is another song that I hope to eventually sing. It is about a boy who is sick, whose father is rushing him to help. As they ride on the horse, the boy begins to see the Elf King in the wind, chasing them. This song is the conversation he has with his father. His is the story, and here is a pretty good animation of the story (not the song). I included this song as well in my list of 10 of Schubert's compositions. I would have included this piece in my list of 7 Exhilarating Classical Pieces You Should Listen to This Week if I had known it existed.

All Previous Weekly7s

7 Relaxing Classical Pieces You Should Try to Listen to This Week

7 Songs from Broadway Musicals You Should Try to Listen to This Week

7 Songs By Billy Joel That Should Have Been Hits

7 Exhilarating Classical Pieces You Should Listen to This Week

7 Classical Composers That Wrote Extremely Famous Christmas Music

7 Love Ballads You Should Listen to This Week

7 Pieces of Classical Music Used in Popular Movies

7 Piano Sonatas YOU Should Listen to This Week

7 Movies About Artists You Should Watch (This Week)

Revisiting 7 of My Own Compositions to Wind Down the Year

7 Pieces by Gabriel Fauré YOU Should listen to This Week

7 Fantastic Sports Related Movies YOU Should Watch This Week

7 Songs I've Been Listening to this Week in Remembrance of My Great Grandmother

7 One-Hit-Wonders You probably Forgot About but Will Recognize Right Away

7 Magic Tricks That Will Probably Amaze You

7 Disney Songs You Should Listen to This Week

7 Piano Concertos You Should Listen to This Week

7 (+3) Of Vivaldi's Compositions in Honor of His Birthday

7 Of The Funniest Musical Comedic Skits

7 Great (Classical) Songs YOU Should Listen to this Week

Thanks for reading this! This is my third post for today, but I did not want to skip my weekly7 again. As always, feedback is appreciated, let me know which piece was your favorite. See you later!