The five masterpieces that changed the course of musical history

[Alf-Prufrock]

Today I bought my copy of the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine and it lies before me with this headline prominent on the front cover. Of course we can all have our own ideas about these five pieces and I am certainly not going to hold myself bound to submit to the views of BBCMM's writer, but I started musing about which five I would choose. (I have not opened the magazine yet so I do not know which are selected there.)

In the end I chose :
Monteverdi Orfeo
Beethoven Eroica
Wagner Parsifal
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Riley In C

I was loath to junk a few others, and indeed I am all the time thinking of other good candidates. Which do other boarders propose?

[rubbernecker]

Interesting choices.

The Bach 48 would be an obvious contender.

Something by Schoenberg or Thelonious Monk rather than the Riley, perhaps.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Monteverdi Orfeo
Beethoven Eroica
Wagner Parsifal
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Riley In C

A good selection. I might substitute Parsifal with Tristan, and Riley in C with 4' 33".

[MrGongGong]

A good selection. I might substitute Parsifal with Tristan, and Riley in C with 4' 33".

Snap
I was going to say the same, (the opening bars of the Tristan prelude are all you need)
but expected the usual idiot(s) to do the whole 4:33" isn't music nonsense again

[Serial_Apologist]

Today I bought my copy of the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine and it lies before me with this headline prominent on the front cover. Of course we can all have our own ideas about these five pieces and I am certainly not going to hold myself bound to submit to the views of BBCMM's writer, but I started musing about which five I would choose. (I have not opened the magazine yet so I do not know which are selected there.)

In the end I chose :
Monteverdi Orfeo
Beethoven Eroica
Wagner Parsifal
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Riley In C

I was loath to junk a few others, and indeed I am all the time thinking of other good candidates. Which do other boarders propose?

Purely in the Euroclassical field:

In place of Wagner's Parsifal I would suggest Tristan und Isolde
I would add something by Mussorgsky - not sure quite what, but surely his harmonic innovations count for something
I would also add Schoenberg's Erwartung (the monodrama)
plus his Suite Op 25
Varese's Ameriques
Messiaen's Mode de Valeurs et d'Intensites
Schaeffer's Symphonie pour un Homme Seule
Stockhausen's Electronische Studie No 1
and his Gesang der Jungelinge

S-A

[Mr Pee]

Snap
I was going to say the same, (the opening bars of the Tristan prelude are all you need)
but expected the usual idiot(s) to do the whole 4:33" isn't music nonsense again

Firstly, I would certainly substitute Tristan for Parsifal.

And, 4"33 isn't music.

[MrGongGong]

Firstly, I would certainly substitute Tristan for Parsifal.

And, 4"33 isn't music.

BINGO

[Chris Newman]

Substituting Tristan for Parsifal and Schoenberg's Five Piece's for Orchestra for the Riley, I would go along with the rest.

[Mr Pee]

BINGO

How is 4"33 music, then, Mr. GG? Surely the whole point of the "piece" is that it is emphatically NOT music.

[Alf-Prufrock]

I think I would agree now about Tristan rather than Parsifal, and I did consider Schoenberg (but which work?) for a long time before settling instead for the Riley. I was very unsure about that choice myself!

I even wondered whether I should put Perotin's Viderunt omnes in the list (or Machaut's Le Voir Dit), but decided they would be too much!

Addition : I have now looked into the BBC Magazine and find that the five masterpieces are all Debussy's! The intention was to ask five people to write about a Debussy piece that was unique and influential. Sorry about misleading you!