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* "Wayfarin' Stranger," an Appalachian folk hymn. When the piano kicks into high gear . . . just, WOW. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5TQgyDzhNM&feature=related Great choir, too.]
* It only just about counts as Classical, Emilie Autumn's instrumental song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2UE0gfEaHI Dominant] is beyond epic. If the world were ending, this would be the perfect soundtrack.
** Additionally "Laced" is a great album with Revelry, Tambourin and La Folia particularly beautiful.
* [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]'s [[Toccata and Fugue
** How awesome is this music? Less than fifteen seconds of it, as performed on violin, is the core of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHWPJbn9na0 this theme] from ''[[Bleach]]''. In the anime, this is typically used as the "you underestimated my awesomeness" music.
** Not to mention his just-as-famous [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVadl4ocX0M "Little" Fugue in G minor], which has been used as '''boss music''' for Mega Man Legends 2.
** In fact, name a piece by Bach. Any piece. The Mass in B Minor, the "Dorian" Toccata, the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor (the "Great" G minor fugue to the preceding "Little" G minor fugue), the Chromatic Fantasia, the St. Matthew Passion, the Goldberg Variations ... the man was an absolute genius.
** The Brandenburg Concertos are incredible. The first movement of the 5th, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljojjoBGLYw&feature=related especially the end], is harpsichord on... some kind of illegal drug.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVh0-jenY6s Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring] is another highlight of Bach's output, and [[Celtic Woman]] certainly does a beautiful rendition of it.
** Johann Sebastian Bach ''improvised'' much of his work. Including fugues. He just wrote down what he remembered later. He could probably have farted a four-part fugue and it would have been brilliant.
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* Samuel Barber's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRMz8fKkG2g Adagio for Strings]. Especially [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkObnNQCMtM a chorale arrangement] he heard once.
** The Dallas Symphony Orchestra opened their 2001 season with Barber's Adagio with Strings three days after 9/11. Excuse me, [[Men Don't Cry|something caught in my eye...]]
* ''[[Ludwig Van Beethoven|Beethoven's]] 9th Symphony, movement 4'' is one of many [[Standard Snippet|Standard Snippets]] popular throughout fiction, but it is one that truly conveys ''majesty''. Or that humanity is [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|really]], [[Read or Die
** Not only through fiction, after all, it is the anthem of the European Union.
*** It speaks volumes that this song managed to be chosen as the EU anthem ''even after having been used as a patriotic song by the Nazis''. It's ''that'' good.
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** In fact, just try to [[Failure Is the Only Option|find a Beethoven symphony that is anything short of superb]].
** And there's more to Beethoven than just symphonies. Check out the Fourth Piano Concerto, which has one of most hauntingly beautiful slow movements ''ever''. Or the "Emperor", which has an absolutely gorgeous slow movement which leads - without break - straight into a brilliant finale.
** Then there's the "Egmont" Overture - just so magnificently gorgeous and evocative.
** The Moonlight Sonata.
* Even its fans would acknowledge that 20th century classical music is an acquired taste, but here is one 20th century piece made from purest awesome: [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vgQYd-oz9Q 1st Movement of the ''Chichester Psalms''.]
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** By the same composer, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyMWIOn6EFM Waltz in C# minor]. (Too often played much too fast, but the linked video is an excellent recording.)
** Also by Chopin, the posthumous nocturne in C# minor. It can be a ''very'' difficult piece to play, but it pretty much defines "heartbreakingly beautiful" as classical music goes.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZMBsW0f1HM Variations on 'Là ci darem la mano'] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D5bpxyLdBg&feature=related from Mozart's Don Giovanni]. The guy wrote it when he was only SEVENTEEN.
* Technically, it's Classical and something else, but Classical Crossover and Classical Fusion definitely deserve mention. Just start with [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiaOFOMPOBc "Explosive"] from Bond and go from there.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzf0rvQa4Mc Fanfare for the Common Man]" by Aaron Copland. (ELP's version is pretty awesome too.)
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* Claude Debussy deserves a mention or three. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKd0VII-l3A Clair de lune] is one of the most recognizable classical pieces of all time. Not to mention [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hX8Ms0FwE&feature=PlayList&p=0CD6935A2186100F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=33 La Mer], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWpV7L4YHuU Arabesque], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_7loz-HWUM Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun] and many, many more.
* Lucia's Mad Scene from ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' by Gaetano Donizetti.
** Also by Donizetti, ''Una furtiva lagrima'' from ''L'Elisir d'amore''. One of the most famous tenor arias.
* Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World"), especially the third movement ''Molto vivace'', was also helpful in writing ''[[Star Wars]]''. And the concluding ''Allegro con fuoco'' was <s> an inspiration behind</s> blatantly plagiarised into the ''Jaws'' theme, but is ten times more awesome.
** Hell, when Allegro con Fuoco takes up the final half of episode 126 of [[
** There's no doubt that the Allegro con fuoco is awesome, but let's not forget that the ''entire symphony is pretty much epic win in musical form''.
** Dvorak wrote all kinds of kick-ass music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K_APlv8TC0&fmt=18 Slavonic Dances], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1PMzQ8PuCo&fmt=18 Rusalka], The Water-Goblin etc. etc.
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** Also ''Israel in Egypt,'' particularly the second half.
** ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0YOPoj4t0 Zadok the Priest]'', which also doubles as [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Awesome Music of Crowning]] - it was written for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain, Ireland, and Hannover in 1727, and has been played at every coronation of a British monarch since.<ref> In fact, the Bible verses which provide the libretto for the anthem have been recited at the coronation of every English monarch since King Edgar back in the year 973!</ref>
** ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0YOPoj4t0 Te Deum for the Victory of Dettingen]'', written to commemorate [[Royals Who Actually Do Something|King George II's victory over the French in 1743]]<ref> (the last time a sitting British monarch led the army into battle)</ref>, is an underrated piece of brilliance.
** ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TGKJ9MgCOQ Arrival of the Queen of Sheba]'' is fantastic.
** ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuw8YjSbKd4&feature=related The Water Music]'' is excellent, as is the ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkexMGdNE5I&feature=related Music for the Royal Fireworks]''.
** ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-QV6XpzNMs&feature=related See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes]'' from ''Judas Maccabeus'' is incredible.
* Haydn's ''Creation.'' Dear Lord, Haydn's ''Creation''. The oratorio begins with a musical representation of chaos, followed by a bass recitative, and then the choir singing, pianissimo: ''Und Gott spracht: Es werde Licht'' (And God said: Let there be light), ''und es ward'' -- and then a sudden fortissimo -- ''LICHT!'' Words can't describe it properly -- listen to it [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNxgFu3aSuw here.]
* Samuel R. Hazo's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9XPLxeUrRE Ride] is an energetic piece with an epic alto sax solo at 1:04. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4yvZF1cMz0 Sevens], the piece that starts out alternating between 11/16 and 7/16 time and in the key of G-flat. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9VDlFEUgnw Arabesque], starting out with three epic flute solos and then getting much more epic as it goes on. Finally, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhrOde0qT78&feature=related Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song], a beautiful piece.
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** Or, boosting the awesome quotient, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANZ45vCCUe0 Vanessa Mae's remix]. And to further up the awesome quotient, there's dancers too.
** Listen to his "Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia" (known to fans of vintage British television as the theme to ''The Onedin Line''). Then dry your eyes.
** Also the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZexcMRKVMkk violin] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4W34SsreA&feature=related concerto].
* По́люшко-по́ле, (''Polyushko-polye'', or ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hliuEte028 Song of the Plains]'') by Lev Knipper with lyrics by Viktor Gusev. As stirring as Soviet patriotic songs get.
* Korobeiniki, aka the ''[[
** While we're on the subject of fully-orchestrated ''Tetris'' music, we must mention [http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=tapzwyMgziE the remix] included in the [[Super Smash Bros.]] Brawl soundtrack. DEFINITELY qualifies for the trope. (Along with about 95% of the rest of the Brawl OST, but we'll leave that for the video game page.)
* ''Vesti la giubba'' from ''[[I Pagliacci]]'' by Ruggiero Leoncavallo. It's the aria in ''[[The Untouchables]]''.
* Franz Liszt wrote many pieces which deserve mention here. Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in C-sharp minor/F-sharp major and Liebestraum No.3 in A-flat major are some of the most challenging and beautiful pieces for piano.
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** Any live (professional) performance of the mammoth 8th Symphony, "The Symphony of a Thousand", is almost guaranteed to be an awesome experience for both performers and audience.
* Mexican music is underappreciated so here's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vwZAkfLKK8 Danzon no.2] by Arturo Márquez.
* ''Voi lo sapete'' from ''[[Cavalleria Rusticana]]'' by Pietro Mascagni.
** Also The Easter Chorus.
* [[Felix Mendelssohn]]'s "Wedding March" is awesomeness of epic proportions. There's a reason it has become [[Lohengrin and Mendelssohn|a standard wedding recessional]] in many countries.
** His Violin Concerto in E minor is concentrated awesome from start to finish.
* ''To this we've come'' from ''[[The Consul]]'' by Gian Carlo Menotti. Passionate, desperate, and incredibly powerful.
* Further awesomeness from the 20th century: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE1XJCY2Gpk Olivier Messiaen - 5th Movement of the ''Turangalîla Symphonie''.]
* Mozart's ''Krönungsmesse'' ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ZNdw1jXg4 link to the Kyrie]) is [[Awesome Moment of Crowning|Awesome Music of Crowning]].
** Not to mention that he wrote a song titled "Leck mich im Arsch" which, in German, means [
* Mussorgsky's "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE Night on Bald Mountain]"
** Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." Particularly amazing bits are [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T_aY52jMMY Gnomus], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1umZ-_5_Rlw The Old Castle], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCn0yFu0wy8 The Great Gate of Kiev], especially the moment when the recurring "Promenade" theme enters about halfway through.
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*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OmQPukGsBA Bacce bene venies] as well. ''Istud vinum bonum vinum vinum generosum... Redit vinum curialem probum animosum!''
*** Also ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvI9R16I6SU&feature=related Tempus est iocundum]'', which might just be the happiest song ever written.
{{quote|
Totus floreo!
Iam amore virginali totus ardeo!
Novus, novus, novus amor est
Quo pereo, quo pereo, quo pereo!'' }}
** Orff's "Carmina Burana" is just full of epicness. There is no way to deny that fact.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlprozGcs80 Pachelbel's Canon in D]. Period.
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkuWlSioQpQ This version] certainly belongs on this list.
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* ''[[La Boheme]]'', by Giacomo Puccini. All. Of. It. But ESPECIALLY [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_UtIy5VEz0 "O soave fanciulla] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZzC6e6olCY "Quando m'en vo"] (a.k.a. Musetta's Waltz). If you hear opera in a movie or tv show and it's not Flight of the Valkyries, there's a good chance it's this.
** Also from Puccini, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdTBml4oOZ8 "Nessun Dorma"] from ''Turandot''. The end of the aria is the bit that everyone knows (Luciano Pavarotti in particular made it something of a signature tune in his repertoire):
{{quote|
Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincero! (Set, stars! At dawn, I will win!)
VINCERO!
''VINCEROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!'' }}
* Henry Purcell's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWRcx9LHBJU Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary]. It's mostly known as the [[Soundtrack Dissonance|unfitting]] opening theme in the film of ''[[A Clockwork Orange (
** Also, Purcell's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3wAarmPYKU When I am laid in earth], the famous lament from ''Dido and Aeneas''. Heart-breakingly beautiful...
* Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise", Op.34 No.14, is his most well-known vocal work, and has been arranged for almost every conceivable collection of instruments. Its haunting beauty definitely earns it a place on this page.
** Although Nos. 2 and 3 are the most popular and frequently performed, all four of Rachmaninoff's piano concerti embody awesomeness to at least some extent. Ditto the Paganini Rhapsody. And the 2nd Symphony.
* While the entire piece is epic, the Cathedral Chorus (ending) of Alfred Reed's [http://www.imeem.com/wiwiey/music/uHS50tCY/alfred-reed-russian-christmas-musicmp3 Russian Christmas Music] is simply awe-inspiring.
**
* The "Dies Irae" part of the Requiem Mass has more than one crowningly awesome interpretation. Try [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARO7ZjsXSkE Mozart's] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY Verdi's] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnHJJgiaxDU Michael Haydn's (which is very under-appreciated)]. There is also [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlr90NLDp-0 the original chant.]
** It is also notable for being one of the first headbang-able pieces of music ever written. Seriously. Mozart invented heavy metal. And Punk, according to some pundits.
** The former was used to great effect in ''[[
*** And if that's not good enough, Mozart's ''Confutatis, maledictis'' will leave you breathless. (This was the one that Mozart was doing additive composition on with Salieri near the end of [[Amadeus]].)
** Don't forget [[Call of Duty|World at War]], when you, as the Russian, sack Berlin.
** The latter was used to great effect in the opening cinema of Quidditch World Cup.
** Also applies to Faure's ''Requiem'', with the "Dies Irae" passage appearing in ridiculously awesome fashion in the 6th movement ''Libera Me''. Both this and the 7th movement, ''In Paradisum'', were used to poignant effect in the final episode of British Detective Series ''Inspector Morse''.
** The Ballad of Sweeney Todd was also inspired by the Dies Irae.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhgOAR4Xq4Y Maurice] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-VD7d2I9Uo&feature=related Ravel's] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAqz5gtdbno&feature=related Bolero]. It's one of a very few pieces of music that, while repetitive, lacks for nothing, and let's not forget that ''amazing'', soul-inflating, spirit-lifting ending. Also, it's tied to a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for the Winter Olympics: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zbbN4OL98 Torvill and Dean ice-danced to it and earned the sport's only perfect score, to date].
** Ravel's F Major String Quartet is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest - and most difficult - string quartets ever written. The fourth movement is absolutely spectacular.
* Resphigi's ''Pini di Roma'' - so awesome, it influenced [[John Williams]]. Of special note is the final movement, [http://youtu.be/TQwGTe_MueM ''I pini della Via Appia'' (The Pines of Appian Way)], which has been described as follows:
{{quote|
** Even more awesome when its accompanies by [[Fantasia|humpback whales flying into the Aurora Borealis.]]
* Rimsky-Korsakov's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FHFJ0lU9Us/ Russian Easter Festival Overture]. Part beautiful, part powerful and energetic, part takes your breath away... It's quite possibly one of the most epic overtures ever written.
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* Gilbert and Sullivan's "For he is an Englishman" from ''HMS Pinafore''.
* Thomas Tallis, a 16th-century English composer of choral music, wrote a '''40-part''' chorale, called ''Spem in Alium''. It was written for 8 separate five-voiced choirs. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cn7ZW8ts3Y The voices in this song will lift up your soul and carry it off to heaven.]
* Tchaikovsky's "[
** To quote [[Calvin and Hobbes|Calvin]], "And they perform this in crowded concert halls? Gee, I thought classical music was ''boring!''"
** Perhaps the only piece of music that REQUIRES cannons, carillon, and an organ to perform properly. Since there are perhaps only a dozen places where these three instruments can be used, live performances will use at best two out the three, with the third instrument being pre-recorded, or ignoring the organ orchestration all-together.
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** Being able to play this beast of a musical piece properly is a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in and of itself, regardless of what type of band you're in. Anyone who has participated in a performance can tell you just how '''''hard''''' it really is.
*** Sadly the 1812 overture for most US people will be most known for just the one-minute snippet near the end where everything gets fast-paced mainly due to the fact that that one snippet is used in practically every Fourth of July fireworks celebration!
** The ''1812'' Overture just scrapes the surface for Tchaikovsky. ''Swan Lake'' leaps to mind. The overture from ''Swan Lake'' was used to [[Nightmare Fuel]]-riffic effect in the trailers for ''[[
** Also the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHUJ4tI16qM violin concerto]. Why only ''one'' violin concerto, Piotr Illitch? Why?
** Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor as well - and not just the famous first three minutes.
** And Symphonies No.4 in F minor and No.5 in E minor, especially the finales. (No.6 in B minor falls more into [[Tear Jerker]] territory.)
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ir8FnLF_9Q&fmt=18 Nutcracker, anyone?]
* Ophelia's Mad Scene from ''[[Hamlet]]'' by Ambroise Thomas. Thirteen minutes long, incredibly difficult, and incredibly haunting.
* Modern classical, but classical still: composer Christopher Tin of the Video Games example Baba Yetu, has recently released [https://web.archive.org/web/20120504064903/http://www.christophertin.com/callingalldawns.html an album] called "Calling All Dawns." This album can basically be described as more than an hour of Crowning Music of Awesome. A song cycle depicting day, night, and dawn, it is made up of 12 songs (including an epic reorchestration of Baba Yetu itself). Each song is sung in a different language, each segues smoothly into the next, sometimes with no break, and the album ends on the same sequence of notes with which it began. And it is stirringly, [[Tear Jerker|tear-jerkingly]] beautiful.
** Special CMuOA mention goes to "Rassemblons-Nous" (Let Us Gather), which from the title sounds like it would be some type of Kumbaya song, but in French. Instead, it's a techno-backed anthem about [[Screw Destiny|giving destiny the finger]], building a [[La Résistance]] against death itself, and pure, unmitigated AWESOME.
** "Kia Hora Te Marino" needs a mention too. Sung in Maori, it would make for a great anthem for peace. More or less, it's a powerful ending to an incredible album.
* Ralph Vaughan Williams: ''The Lark Ascending.'' It is often presented in concert or recorded programs along with ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7nJL1hpUU Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis]'', which is heart-stirring and emotionally rending without ever being sappy.
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** Singing the concluding Cum Sancto Spiritu, from Vivaldi's Gloria in D major, makes you feel ten feet tall.
* [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''Ride of the Valkyries''. Sure, it's [[Music of Note]], but it's still CMOA.
** Unfortunately, this one's picked up a few nasty connotations due to the Nazis' usage of it. But then, it could be argued that more people associate ''Ride of the Valkyries'' with ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' than with [[Those Wacky Nazis]]. Or with Bugs Bunny - "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!" Or the tank driver in [[
** Also, ''Götterdämmerung''. Oh hell, all of ''[[Der Ring Des
* Charles-Marie Widor's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-gzmGu1J4 Toccata], the finale from his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByRkggPFiMM&NR=1 Symphony No.5 for Organ in F minor,] is a Crowning Music of Awesome, but seeing it played, it also doubles as a Crowning Moment of Awesome for any organist who can successfully pull it off!
** Widor's Organ Symphonies contain a lot of moments that deserve to be more widely known. Two which are particularly impressive are [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmjpkvXbyII Symphony No. 6 in G Minor, Op 42. No.2, Allegro] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zswHI0BGaU Symphony No. 9 "Gothique", Allegro.]
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* Zoltán Kodály's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1NsG0ATFvo Vainamoinen makes music] for women's choir and piano. The choir gets memorable melodies, playful counterpoint, and tricky rhythms. The piano part is beautiful, epic, and fun to play (which can't be said for a lot of choral literature), especially in the introduction and at the end. Each section is different from the last. It's only 4 minutes long. Go listen.
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