The Greatest Piece of Music Ever Written

Obviously an entirely subjective thread.

Posters should feel free to reserve the right to change their minds and post something else should the spirit move them.

Barber's "Adagio for Strings"

Funny, that was one of the first things to come to mind here, too, even if I can't listen to it without flashing back to 50 Vietnam movies.

I'm glad you beat the inevitable novelty song post, though.

Ah, there it is.

"Agnus Dei" from Martin's "Mass for Double Choir"

(why yes, I like droney classical music, why do you ask)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk5s3_when-doves-cry_dating

(Stupid Prince and his stupid Youtube cock blocking)

Q: Is the word "written" in the title meant to point us more toward the composition and the song as a portable thing (versus if you'd said "recorded")?

Good question!

Q: Is the word "written" in the title meant to point us more toward the composition and the song as a portable thing (versus if you'd said "recorded")?

... Sort of? I'm thinking about music that transcends performance, or put another way music that is so finely crafted that it is nigh-impossible to imagine a bad performance of it (whether that be due to only musicians of a certain caliber taking it on or the music itself being performance-proof).

Having said that, you can ignore that aspect and point out instances of well-written songs recorded/arranged impeccably (ie, "When Doves Cry"). I used the word "written" mostly for emphasis but I like the idea of it pushing the thread more towards the composition side of things.

(btw I heartily recommend the Martin Mass for Double Choir to everyone because it's pretty astonishing all the way through)

For some reason my first thought was "Chega de Saudade" -- for some reason the answer about composition vs. performance actually doesn't help me decide whether I seriously think that or not!

i don't know, i've heard a lot of terrible chega de saudades. Gilberto's guitar playing is just right, and his very controlled vocal is a marvel.

8-bit minimalism I know, but still an incredible piece of music generally available only on cartridge. Also, consider this was composed numerically, and not with a keyboard.

That Adagio by Barber, and also this one (not by Albinoni at all, as it turns out)

The third movement of the string quartet in A-minor, Op. 132 by Beethoven (convalescent offering thanks to the deity in the Lydian mode etc) has on occasion made me feel it must be the best music ever.

(from 41.39 to skip the lecture)

Likewise Brahms's Alto Rhapsody.

Mind you, I'd probably more often say the same thing about Tempo House by The Fall.

(btw I really don't mean for this to be all choral/orchestral music; it's just those were the ones that really hit me)

(also Alto Rhapsody, fuck yeah)

Honestly,

it's this:

caveat: probably not "written"

5 decades of awesome composition:

http://www.amazon.com/LaMonte-Young-Well-Tuned-Piano-NYC/dp/B000009HZ9

Not actually my favourite movement but the only one I could find in a lazy-ass 10sec trawl...about the best sound I've ever heard on a YouTube clip, mind:

This kicks arse too. Skip to the last 2.5min though...

Listening to it this morning (inspired by another thread), I think The Sinking Of The Titanic is the most beautiful and compelling work I've heard. I think it has something to do with the layer of haze above all the instruments, plus the sounds of the ship and crowd noise, and the hard-to-decipher but unmistakable voices of the survivors' telling their stories. It's ostensibly about the night the ship sank, but to me, it's really about aging, decline, honor and dignity, nostalgic, melancholy, and the sadness of slipping away.

Not sure which YouTube clip I like best, so here's two:

Frankly, I like the recent eMusic version (with Philip Jeck and Alter Ego) best of all.

Who cares if they nicked the guitars from Neil Young, the tunes from Big Star and the sentiment from Heraclitus? I fucking hate this fucking whiney band too, but I hear this song and really, the true nature of the world is revealed as nothing but a shabby chaos of sadness and joy and piss-weak lager.

For me, all these other bits of music are just over-elaborate embellishments on that one fundamental truth.

I like this subject title a lot better than "The best song ever".

The greatest piece of music ever written? That would be Genesis' glorious 23 minute epic "Supper's Ready" of course...

yh this thread needs more prog imo

I'd like to stan just for a moment for Webern's one and only symphony, please.

i've been debating which would be the funniest lol answer all day and have settled on "Jingle Cats"

Tacobell's Cannon

Well, it's pretty hard to see how I could post something here that isn't classical music. I mean, yeah I think Tempo House by The Fall is some major brilliance, or New Order's Everything's Gone Green. But I can also see how someone else could do those and totally mess it up. I know next to nothing about classical music, but this piece still breaks my heart into pieces just as it did in my childhood. The cattle struggling uphill that it's meant to portray seems to mirror everything that is difficult and sad in life.

Come to think of it, though, I really hope someone posts something by the Beatles here. They ought to be in here somewhere.

Oh alright, I'm sorry to post it one more time, but I finally found a version that has the kind of passion I was looking for from the other clips on You Tube. I've heard orchestral versions with this amount of passion, but sadly, they're not on You Tube.
&

ian are you sure this is really the greatest piece of music ever written? i mean, if you're a huge fan of gigi or slank or /rif or one of those guys, i guess you might really think so... but i'm 99.9% this is a group of teenagers sitting around playing a poorly sung poprock tune, written/made famous in indonesia by a decent-to-good rock band from jakarta, on an cheap, out of tune acoustic guitar. just sayin.

"Come to think of it, though, I really hope someone posts something by the Beatles here. They ought to be in here somewhere."

i was thinking beatles too. maybe this one:?

i mean, if you wanted to make a case for some indonesian ethnik music i'd suggest this sorta thing instead

i think some of this stuff is written out, but i admit i'm not 100% sure about that.

The Dock of the Bay

Trouble is, most longer pieces have great bits in them, but they're not necessarily completely brilliant.

E.g:

from 8.15 -> 9.50 (great bit when the whole orchestra starts), but the rest is, don't know, okay, he's playing dazzlingly, but I'm no violinist myself so this
technical virtuoso stuff is just way over my head. I'm going to hear this twice tonight (Queen Elisabeth contest for violin is on TV and I've been checking it out
for about a week, great way to find out about stuff you don't know anything about - the two finalists tonight both have chosen this as their main concerto -
both this (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35) and Brahms (Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77) have been played by several finalists already, which
is why I suddenly appreciate some of this)

The best piece of music EVER

^in its greatest performance

(i think that's it; best conductor, at least)

About that competition, btw: Ray Chen won, the youngest contestant (20 years old, Taiwan-born, now Australian, but studying in Cleveland). He's the only one who had everything (technique & charisma) and he was also the orchestra's favourite (post-concert interview with two ladies: "we hope he wins, he's such a cutie")

Bach's "Partita No. II in E Major for Unaccompanied Violin" (especially when played by Bronislav Gimpel).

Another very short bit I like very very much: 0:15 -> 1:12 here (with the mega simple but so fantastic 2 x 3 timpani/percussion beats)

Bartok's "Allegro Barbaro" does a lot in under 3 minutes or so. Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" is another obvious contender. For large-scale works, I may take John Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano.

For piano? Claire de lune

That arpeggio still takes my breath away and Ive heard it a thousand times.

good pick. i agree that clair de la lune is interestingly immune to overplay. i think it would be more dignified somehow to choose something classical, but for me "Blue Thunder" by Galaxie 500 is probably the best piece of music ever written... at least today. the reason i will always own a blue car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFkG6vD2nxk

(although 90% of why that song is great is down to the performance, so it might not be appropriate for the thread. but i saw other people choose things that are more "performance" oriented so...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynEOo28lsbc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjU6ZjrQulc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa7birRBmNM

Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Xm7s9eGxU

<3 that, and also <3 the leonora carrington painting in that youtube. RIP leonora carrington.

WOw. That lecture on the Heiliger Dankgesang is great.
I'd love to hear a similar breakdown on some jazz pieces.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5YQD7XEaEs

I may change my mind tomorrow, but I was just listening to this, and wow!!