Hey guys there haven't been any good list threads lately so I thought hell let's bring this old favorite back for fun.

What are your SEVEN FAVORITE melodies of all time, ever written, for any type of music, form, instrument, what have you?

I'll start this off with the ones I can come up with at the moment.
Not in particular order:

1. Brahms 1st concerto minor theme, right after the opening fanfare
2.Mozart 40th symphony opening melody, 1st mov.
3.Tchaikovsky 6th symphony "pathetique" 2nd mov. main melody
4.Beethoven Emperor concerto 2nd mov.
5.Barber Adagio for strings
6.Brahms 2nd Symphony 1st mov. 2nd theme
7.Beethoven 5th symphony 4th mov.

These aren't my absolute favorites... how could I chose, but love Vocalise and the way Rachmaninoff does his Paganini variations.

Elgar Cello Concerto - First movement (first 3 or 4 minutes) and the opening of the 2nd movement (similar).... eh, the whole thing.

(possibly my favorite piece of music)

It's quite difficult to find melody lines that are long, unique, and impressive... Besides, many fascinating melodies become fascinating only in certain context, and rely heavily on the harmony... So, I decided to compromise a bit, every now and then, while making this list...

Liszt... Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth: Élégie (version 4)
Debussy... Passepied, from Suite bergamasque
Shostakovich... Waltz 2, from Jazz Suite
J.S. Bach... Prelude from Cello Suite in C minor (BWV 1011)
Tchaikovsky... Swan Lake, the beginning of the 2nd act
Sibelius... Op. 22 no. 3 'The Swan of Tuonela'
Morricone... that something from Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in America'
Kondo... 'Main Theme' from The Legend Of Zelda

Well, that will have to do for the first part of the list...

Oh, you said seven... Well, I'll make up my next list from six...

I'm sure there are more, here are seven that come to mind immediately:

7. Theme from Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Adagio Movement
6. 18th Rachmaninoff Paganini Variation
5. Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
4. Theme from Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
3. Canon in D, played by orchestra
2. Imperial March, from "Empire Strikes Back"
1. Schubert Ave Maria (also Liszt transcription)

I selected a mix that consists of both popular melodies (Hungarian Rhapsody 2, Rhapsody in Blue) and ones that I find are totally beautiful (the Rach 3 Adagio, Ave Maria)

there're too many, but here's 7 i can think of:

Beethoven Archduke trio opening theme
Beethoven Ghost trio slow movement main theme
Beethoven string quartet op.132 finale main theme
Beethoven 'spring' sonata for violin/piano opening theme
Mendelssohn e minor violin concerto opening theme
Saint-Seans introduction and rondo capricoso(?) opening theme
Mozart 20th piano concerto slow movement 2nd theme (the minor key one)

Here goes:
1. Ballade #1 by Chopin
2. Opening theme from E minor violin concerto by Mendelsohn
3. Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart
4. Intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana" by Leoncavallo
5. Intermezzo from "Fedora" by Giordano
6. 2nd movement from Piano Concerto #23 by Mozart
7. Serenade from "Czarewich" by Lehar.
(A little schmalz never hurt anybody!)
And many, many, MANY, many more.

....and, oh yes, I have to include Serenade by Drigo, it was my absolute favorite when I was 5 years old....

Ah how could I forget this one

in no particular order:

1st mvt of Tchaik Violin Concerto
1st mvt. of Brahms 4th Symphony
3rd movement of Brahms 2nd concerto
Chopin etude in c#m, op. 25/7
chorale from Franck's Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue
Wagner Tristan und Isolde
sarabande from Bach's 4th partita

aha...stephen I was actually considering putting the 1st mov of the brahms 4 in myself but I decided to go with the 1st mov of the 2nd, though they're really almost tied in my book. I consider his 4 to be the greatest symph. ever written in my opinion, greater than beeth. 5 and 9.

Have you heard the Du Pre/Barenboim recording?

It puts the Barbirolli one to shame.

So I've read.

No, I just have the du Pre/Barbirolli. But I can't imagine any other performance of this concerto outdoing the du Pre/Barbirolli!

honorable mentions to Brahms 3rd Symphony 3rd mov. and Schubert unfinished symph 1st mov

The Dies Irae

Theme from Saint-Saens 4th concerto

Mussorgsky Promenade and Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition

Theme on Paganini

Very generic list, I know. But they are all brilliant lines of music.

1. Rach 3 opening theme
2. Rach 3 2nd movement theme
3. Rach Rhapsody on a theme variation 18
4. Bartok - Romanian dance (violin + piano) 4
5. Rach op 23 no 7
6. Mendelssohn violin concerto e minor 1st mov
7. Brahms - Violin (piano) sonata d minor 1st 8. Tchaikovsky concerto 1 theme
9. Prokofiev violin concerto no 2 theme
10. Barber violin concerto theme

I don't know about 7 but some of my favorites in no order:
Beethoven 5th concerto 2nd mvmt
Beethoven Triple concerto 3rd mvmt
Brahms 2nd concerto 2nd mvmt
Ravel Concerto in G 2nd mvmt
Ravel Concerto in D "Allego"
Prokofiev Concerto 3 2nd mvmt
Beethoven Symphony 6 1st mvmt
Beethoven Symphony 7 2nd mvmt
Chopin 1st Concerto 2nd mvmt
Ravel Bolero

I could go on... but I must control myself...

you want some melodie noob!, there you go:


-Brahms, first cello sonata.
-Paganini capriccio 24, a must! the "official theme ever"
-Rachmaninoff second concerto.
-Dies Irae
-Pange Lingua (the Josquin mass...)
-Mozart, Concerto no.17, third mvnt.
-RAVEL SECOND MVNT OF THE SONATINE!

Danor, I actually prefer the first movement of the sonatine.

Cavalleria is by Mascagni, not Leoncavallo.

A list from the top of my head (mostly stuff I've listened to recently)

Tchaikovsky- Piano Concerto No 1 opening theme (and then it disappears!)
Tchaikovsky- Symphony No 6, 1st movement, the string melody when the piece goes into D major
Tchaikovsky- Romeo and Juliet love melody
Rimsky Korsakov- Scheherazade Part 3 toward the end, when the entire orchestra explodes in an arabian theme
Beethoven- Symphony No 7 2nd mvt, the main melody is built up so wonderfully
Brahms- Symphony No 4 2nd mvt, the duet between the clarinet and bassoon in the beginning
Brahms- Symphony No 3 3rd mvt
Chopin- Piano Concerto No 1, first piano melody after all the chords
Mendelssohn- Hebrides Overture Main theme
Saint-Saens- Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals
Saint-Saens- Introduction and Rondo Cappricioso, Introduction melody
Dvorak- Symphony No 9 2nd mvt
Borodin- String Quartet No 2, Nocturne
Borodin- Polovetsian Dance "Stranger in Paradise" theme
Smetana- The Moldau, Moonlight theme
Elgar- Pomp and Circumstance No 1 "Graduation" melody
Holst- Jupiter, second melody (the grandiose one)
Sibelius- Symphony No 2 4th mvt, main melody

This reminds of the theme from the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast... (or should I say, Beauty and the Beast reminds me of Saint-Saens)

I also love the opening to the third movement of the Brahms Double Concerto.

I always thought that the Tchaikovsky 1st Concerto opening melody wears REALLY thin after about 10 listens...

Some of my favorites in no particular order:

Rach - 2nd Concerto, 1st Mvmt, after the intro
Rach - Fragments
Rach - Melodie
Rach - Prelude Op 32 #2
Rach - Prelude Op 32 #10
Brahms - 4th Symphony, 1st Mvmt
Arcangelo Corelli - Allegro theme from 1st Mvmt of the Christmas Concerto
Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata 2nd Mvmt (adagio cantabile)
Beethoven - Sonata #28 1st Mvmt
Chopin - Middle section of Etude Op 25 #5
Chopin - Mazurka Op 63 #3 in C# minor
Chopin - Etude Op 10 #3
Chopin - Nocturne Op 48 #1
Chopin - Waltz Op posth in A minor (#19)
Schubert/Liszt - Standchen 'Leise Flehen'
Schubert - Impromptu Op 90 #3
Mozart - Symphony #40 1st Mvmt
Mozart - Symphony #25 1st Mvmt after the intro
Mozart - Piano Concerto #21 2nd Mvmt (adagio)
Vivaldi - main theme from Winter (4 Seasons)
Bach - Orchestral Suite #3 2nd Mvmt (not the rearranged version!)
Scriabin - Etude Op 8 #12
Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet Suite - Montagues & Capulets

I'm not a fan of Tchaikovsky 1 either. Somehow never got onto me.

I like:
Barber Adagio for Strings
Chopin 3rd scherzo Db major theme
Prokofiev 2 first movement opening theme
Rachmaninoff 2 first movement 2nd theme
Rachmaninoff 3 first movement opening theme
Rachmaninoff 3 first movement 2nd theme
Rachmaninoff Vocalise
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Sibelius 2nd symphony opening theme
Sibelius 5th symphony opening theme

Why only seven?

One that comes to mind is a very long string melody somewhere in the middle of Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony. If you haven't heard it before, it's almost impossible to predict what the next note will be. In my book, that's great writing.

And I'm not even a Saint-Saens fan!

I won't list seven. I'll just add a couple to the mix:

1. The long clarinet melody in the 3rd movement of Rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony.

2. Final movement, Mahler's 3rd Symphony.

There are many, many opera arias and lieder that I would add, but I'm trying to stay away from vocal music.

I wouldn't say these are THE 7 greatest melodies, but they are definately 7 of my favourite. Ask me in 3 months time though and you'll get a different 7 .

Chopin - Ballade No.4 (the introduction and the main theme)
Chopin - Scherzo No.3 (the arpeggiated leadup to the coda)
Rachmaninoff - 1st Piano Concerto Mvt.2 (the opening, and also about 2 thirds through; the sweeping strings with the chromatic piano part)
Rachmaninoff - 2nd Symphonic Dance (pretty much the entire melody line upto the climax)
Ravel - La Valee Des Cloches (from largement chante)
Ravel - Ondine (the whole thing, as it is all just a development on the original theme)
Schubert - Impromptu Op.143 No.3 (particularly the 2nd variation)

I wonder if the seven greatest melodies are still the greatest after four years.

Steven

Good point. I didn't notice that this was a really, really old thread. How did it jump to the top before I posted?

At various times today, the default sort order was no longer the reverse chronological we're accustomed to. At one point, it was alphabetical by subject; I think it was the asterisk at the beginning of this thread title that caused it to move to the top of the front page.

Steven

My favorite melody ever is Jerry Goldsmith - Star Trek: The Motion Picture a.k.a. The Next Generation theme.