The Magellan's Log
Basic Guide to Good Music

The list was compiled as a starting point for persons curious to explore the Western musical canon.

"Good" here means "of substantial, enduring quality" and implies fairly ready emotional accessibility. In other words, something you can listen to repeatedly over a long period of time.

The performer is important. When in doubt, choose a recording by a famous performer. A Beethoven performance by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra may cost four times as much as a recording of the same piece by the Auckland Symphony, but the Vienna performance will be infinitely better.

Idiosyncratic inclusions are the prerogative of the list compilers. Omissions are in part the result of intent and in part the result of absentmindedness.

* = in a class by itself.

CLASSICAL

ADAM, Adolphe-Charles
Giselle (ballet)

ALBINONI
*Adagio in g minor

ALKAN, Charles-Valentin
The Festival of Aesop

ALLEGRI
*Miserere

BACH, Johann Sebastian
*Brandenburg Concertos
*Goldberg Variations
Italian Concerto
*Little Fugue in g minor
*Partitas for Harpsichord
*Passacaglia & Fugue in c minor
*Toccata & Fugue in d minor
*Two- and Three-part Inventions

BARBER, Samuel
Adagio for Strings

BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van
*Concertos for Piano (1, 2, *3, *4, 5)
Concerto for Violin Op. 61
Overtures (Leonore, Egmont. etc.)
Sonatas for Piano (*8, *14, *21, 23, 29)
*Symphonies (1, 2, *3, 4, *5, *6, *7, 8, *9)

BERLIOZ, Hector
Symphonie fantastique

BIZET, Georges
Suites: L'Arlesienne & Carmen

BORODIN, Alexander
Prince Igor: Polovetsian Dances

BRAHMS, Johannes
Hungarian Dances
Symphonies (*1, *2, 3, 4)

CHOPIN, Frédéric
Piano Music (Ballades, *Etudes, *Nocturnes, *Preludes, *Polanaises, Waltzes, etc.)
Sonatas for Piano (*2, 3)

CORELLI, Arcangelo
*Violin Sonata, Op. 5, No. 12 (Variations on "La Folia")

DELIBES, Léo
Coppelia (ballet suite)
Sylvia (ballet suite)

DES PREZ, Josquin
*Masses (Pange Lingua, Ave Maris Stella)
*Motets (Ave Maria gratia plena, etc.)

DOWLAND, John
Lachrimae

DUKAS, Paul
Sorcerer's Apprentice

DVORÁK, Antonín
Slavonic Dances
Symphony No. 9 ("New World")

EASTERN ORTHODOX LITURGY
Choral works

ENESCO, Georges
Roumanian Rhapsodies

FELDMAN, Morton
Rothko Chapel

GÓRECKI, Henryk
Symphony No. 3

GREGORIAN CHANT
*Chants

GRIEG, Edvard
Concerto for Piano
Peer Gynt Suites

HANDEL, George Frederick
*Messiah
*Organ Concertos 1, 2, 3, 4
Royal Fireworks Music
The Harmonious Blacksmith
Water Music

HAYDN, Franz Joseph
Concerto in E flat for Trumpet

HOVHANESS, Alan
Symphony No. 2 ("Mysterious Mountain")

LISZT, Franz
Concertos for Piano (1, 2)
*Hungarian Rhapsodies
Les Preludes
Mephisto Waltz
Paganini Etudes
*Totentanz

MENDELSSOHN, Felix
Andante & Rondo Capriccioso
*Concerto for Violin Op. 64
Midsummer Night's Dream

MONTEVERDI, Claudio
*Magnificat No. 2
*Vespro della Beata Vergine

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus
*Concerto for Clarinet
*Concertos for Horn No. 1-4
Concertos for Piano 20, *21, 23, *25, 27
Eine kleine Nachtmusik ("A Little Night-music")
Exultate, Jubilate (motet)
*The Magic Flute (opera)
*Overtures
*Requiem
Symphonies (29, 35, 36, 38, 39, *40, *41)

MUSSORGSKY, Modest
Night on Bald Mountain
Pictures at an Exhibition

OFFENBACH, Jacques
Orpheus in Hades Overture

ORFF, Carl
Carmina Burana

PACHELBEL
*Canon in D major

PAGANINI, Niccolò
Concertos for Violin 1, 2

PÄRT, Arvo
Tabula Rasa

PONCHIELLI, Amilcare
La Gioconda: Dance of the Hours

PUCCINI, Giacomo
*La Bohème (opera)

RACHMANINOV, Sergei
Concerto for Piano No. 2
*Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

RAVEL, Maurice
Bolero

RESPIGHI, Ottorino
Ancient Airs & Dances
Fountains of Rome
Pines of Rome

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, Nikolai
Russian Easter Overture
Scheherazade

ROSSINI, Gioacchino
*Overtures ("William Tell", etc.)

SAINT-SAËNS, Camille
Carnival of the Animals
*Concertos No. 2 & 5 for Piano
Danse macabre
Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso
*Symphony No. 3 "Organ"

SARASATE, Pablo de
Zigeunerweisen ("Gypsy Airs")

SCHUBERT, Franz
*Lieder ("Songs")
*Trio for Piano & Strings D.929
Impromptus for Piano
Moments musicaux for Piano
Rosamunde
Symphonies *8 ("Unfinished"), *9
Wanderer Fantasie for Piano

SCHUMANN, Robert
Carnival for Piano
Concerto for Piano

SMETANA, Bedrich
The Moldau

STRAUSS, Johann Sr.
Radetzsky March

STRAUSS, Johann II
Waltzes (Blue Danube, Voices of Spring, Emperor, etc.)

STRAUSS, Richard
*Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks

STRAVINSKY, Igor
*Firebird
*The Rite of Spring

SUPPÉ, Franz von
Overtures

TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter Ilyich
Capriccio Italien
*Concerto No. 1 for Piano
*Concerto for Violin
Marche Slav
*The Nutcracker
Overture 1812
Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture
Sleeping Beauty
Swan Lake
Symphonies *4, 5, 6

VICTORIA, Tomás Luis de
Masses (O Magnum Mysterium, etc)

VIVALDI
*Four Seasons
*Concerto in C for recorder

WAGNER, Richard
*Rhine Journey & Funeral Music
*Tannhäuser: Overture & Venusberg Music
*Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod

WEBER, Carl Maria von
Invitation to the Dance
Overtures

WEILL, Kurt
*Three-penny Opera

OTHER

ANDREWS SISTERS
Songs from the 1940s

ARMSTRONG, Louie
Recordings from the 1930s & 1940s

BALL, Marcia
Songs

BEATLES
*Abbey Road
*Magical Mystery Tour
Rubber Soul
*Sergeant Pepper
White Album

IRVING BERLIN
Songs (White Christmas, etc.)

BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
First album

LEONARD COHEN
*Early songs

DYLAN, Bob
*Early Songs

FITZGERALD, Ella
Scat songs.

FOSTER, Stephen S.
*Songs ("Beautiful Dreamer," etc.)

FUGS
*It Crawled in My Hand, Honest
Early albums (Virgin Fugs, etc.)

GILBERT & SULLIVAN
The Pirates of Penzance (operetta)

INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
*Wee Tam
*The Big Huge

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Surrealistic Pillow

JOPLIN, Scott
*Rags (piano)
*Treemonisha (opera)

JONI MITCHELL
Clouds

PORTER, Cole
*Kiss Me, Kate

DORY PREVIN
Mythical Kings and Iguana
On My Way to Where

JEROME KERN
*Show Boat

PROCOL HARUM
*A Salty Dog

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
*Soundtrack of the movie

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
*Carousel
*Oklahoma!
*South Pacific
*The Sound of Music

SACRED HARP
Hymns

BUFFY SAINT-MARIE
*Big Wheel, Little Wheel
*Illuminations

SIMON & GARFUNKEL
Early songs

SOUSA, John Philip
Marches (*"Stars and Stripes Forever," etc.)

CAT STEVENS
Tea for the Tillerman

THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS
*Easter Everywhere

TOMANDANDY
Killing Zöe

THE WHO
The Magic Bus
*Tommy
Who’s Next

WILLIAMS, Hank (Sr., NOT Jr.)
His performances of his songs

NEIL YOUNG
After the Gold Rush

Send this page to a friend.

Magellan's Log front page