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10 Music Pieces You Should Listen To

... A Plethora of Great Music

By Michael UguliniPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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Photo courtesy Valentino Funghi - Unsplash

There’s an abundance of first-class music available for the discerning ear to study and enjoy. Significant works have been penned, performed, and recorded in a host of genres, across the years. These encompass all styles, from classical, to jazz, to pop, to rock, and everything in between.

To choose just 10 for this article was a bit of a daunting task. I could easily have made a series of articles on music pieces one should listen to. Selections were made, and then discarded, with no slight intended for those who did not make the cut. My intention here is to show the plethora of great music that’s accumulated over the centuries — from simple to more complex compositions and arrangements.

You may already know some, most, or all of these compositions. If not, here are 10 music pieces you should listen to in a variety of styles to broaden your knowledge of what constitutes inventive music:

1. "The New World Symphony" (Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178,) — Antonín Dvořák

Beautiful orchestration with a memorable Second Movement (Largo) that you may recognize. The confident, stately, yet humble melody here evokes a feeling of new freedoms and opportunities awakening in the “New World”. I never tire of this example of stately, controlled music that invites contemplation.

2. "Aja" – Steely Dan

This is, to this day, Steely Dan’s masterpiece. "Aja" is actually two compositions that were eventually combined into one to create the title tune "Aja" of the album of the same name. Check out Larry Carlton’s guitar work, Steve Gadd’s drumming, and Wayne Shorter’s majestic sax solo.

3. "Maiden Voyage" – Herbie Hancock

Impressive, understated jazz. Great piano chords by Hancock underpin excellent work by Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) and George Coleman (saxophone). Adding a strong foundation to this song is the playing of Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). At about the 4 ½ minute mark Hancock enters with an elegant piano solo.

4. "Outrage at Valdez" – Frank Zappa

From Frank Zappa’s album The Yellow Shark (Ensemble Modern), this piece is haunting and evocative of the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster of 1989. Peter Rundel, conductor and violinist, said of the piece, “We had to work so hard on it because it’s written out in very, very complicated rhythmic relations.” (The Yellow Shark – comments from album booklet). Meticulous writing performed to perfection.

5. "Black Man Ray" – China Crisis

British pop at its best. This song is from China Crisis’ album Flaunt the Imperfection. Walter Becker of Steely Dan, who recently passed away, produced this song and the album. The clarity and exactness inherent in Steely Dan’s work is apparent on this song. Of note are the ambiguous lyrics that fit the song perfectly and it’s truly a wonderful melody.

6. "The Way Up" – Pat Metheny

Manifold musical styles and great solo work by Metheny all rolled up into a composition that’s in four parts and over an hour long. Keyboardist Lyle Mays is a co-composer with Metheny on this opus and provides stunning work all throughout the piece. I believe The Way Up is Metheny’s masterpiece. The final part is so inspiring it makes me want to devote as much time as is possible to music study.

7. "Sun Goes By" – Dr. Music

This is Canadian pop at its best. Not many may know the name of the song or the group, but when they hear the tune they say, “Aha, yes, a great tune.” It has great horns, great female vocals, a soaring feel-good melody, and it’s just plain well-written and well-structured pop music.

8. "My Favorite Things" – John Coltrane

Coltrane at his exploratory, creative best, twisting and turning a familiar melody until it becomes his own. His solos take listeners on an aural journey to lands unknown. When you get there, you’re glad you took the trip. Especially notable on this song is the piano work by McCoy Tyner.

9. "Goldberg Variations — Aria & Variations 1-7" – Glenn Gould

This is precision and clean playing by an extremely talented Canadian classical pianist. Every note played here is the result of studious, intense, and determined thought with a view to personal interpretation. Sit back and enjoy this solo piano with no interruptions and absorb its beauty.

10. "Chamber Works – Five Movements For Drum Set and Orchestra" – Terry Bozzio

Progressive, intelligent music and well thought out, with influences from Frank Zappa’s orchestral works. Bozzio was a drummer for Zappa and combines those influences with his own creative thought to create an ambitious work. Intricate drumming across five varied movements is a true treat with movement #2 especially rewarding.

I hope you will check these music compositions out and really listen to them — more than once. Investigate the depth of musical knowledge and talent that went into the creation of these pieces. Then, form your own opinion of what you believe great music is and come up with your list of 10 music pieces everyone should listen to!

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About the Creator

Michael Ugulini

Michael Ugulini is a writer specializing in short and feature-length business articles. He ghostwrites a daily U.S. stock newsletter. He also writes poetry. His interests include economics, literature, music, piano study & baseball.

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