First came the BBC’s Ten Pieces scheme. Now, the ABRSM has announced its initiative aimed at introducing primary school children in England to classical music.
Launched today (2 November), the ABRSM’s ‘Classical 100’ is an online resource based on a list of 100 works that the organisation – which runs music exams in the UK – believes are ideal for sparking an interest in children aged five to 11 and then inspiring them to investigate further.
Covering nearly ten centuries of music, from Hildegard of Bingen (born 1098) to present-day composers such as Elena Kats-Chernin and Graham Fitkin, the list has been designed to introduce a wide range of music – not just from different periods, but also of different genres and styles. With the scheme supported by Decca and Classic FM, schools registering with the scheme can listen to recordings of the works in question and, in future, download other useful learning resources.
‘Classical 100 exemplifies ABRSM’s commitment to high quality music-making and learning and is representative of a new generation of digital resources,’ says the ABRSM’s chief executive Michael Elliott. ‘We all want to make a child’s first experience of music magical, the beginning of a rich and varied life-long journey.’
Here is the Classical 100 list in full:
Adams, John
‘The Chairman Dances’ from Nixon in China
Allegri
Miserere
Bach, JS
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, 1st Movement
Air on a G String
‘Badinerie’ from Orchestral Suite No. 2
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Barber
Adagio for Strings
Bartók
‘Joc cu bâta’ from Romanian Folk Dances
Beethoven
Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement
Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement
Für Elise
‘Ode to Joy’ from Symphony No. 9
Bernstein
‘Mambo’ from West Side Story Symphonic Dances
Bizet
‘Farandole’ from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2
‘March of the Toreadors’ from Carmen Suite No. 1
Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 5
Britten
‘Fugue’ from Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Chopin
Raindrop Prelude
Copland
Fanfare for the Common Man
‘Hoe Down’ from Rodeo
Debussy
Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune
Delibes
‘Flower Duet’ from Lakmé
Dukas
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Dvořák
‘Largo’ from Symphony No. 9 ‘New World’
Slavonic Dance No. 8
Elgar
Cello Concerto, 1st movement
‘Nimrod’ from Enigma Variations
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
Falla
‘Ritual Fire Dance’ from The Bewitched Love
Fauré
‘Berceuse’ from Dolly Suite
Pavane
Fitkin, Graham
Hook
Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Grainger
Londonderry Air
Grieg
‘Gavotte’ from Holberg Suite
Piano Concerto, 1st Movement
‘Morning Mood’ from Peer Gynt Suite
Handel
‘Hallelujah’ from The Messiah
‘Hornpipe’ from Water Music Suite No. 1
Haydn
Symphony No. 94 ‘Surprise’, 2nd Movement
Trumpet Concerto, 3rd movement
Hérold
‘Clog Dance’ from La Fille Mal Gardée
Hildegard of Bingen
‘O Euchari’ from Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum
Holst
‘Jupiter’ from The Planets
Humperdinck
‘Evening Prayer’ from Hansel and Gretel
Kats-Chemin, Elena
‘Eliza Aria’ from Wild Swans
Khachaturian
‘The Sabre Dance’ from Gayane Suite No. 3
Kodály
‘Viennese Musical Clock’ from Háry János Suite
Mendelssohn
‘Scherzo’ from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Hebrides Overture
Monteverdi
‘Ave Maris Stella’ from Vespers
Mozart
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1st Movement
Symphony No. 40, 1st Movement
Clarinet Concerto, 2nd Movement
Horn Concerto No. 4, 3rd Movement
‘Papageno’s Song’ from The Magic Flute
Musorgsky
‘Baba Yaga’ from Pictures at an Exhibition
Night on a Bare Mountain
Orff
‘O Fortuna’ from Carmina Burana
Pachelbel
Canon
Prokofiev
‘Peter’s Theme’ from Peter and the Wolf
‘Troika’ from Lieutenant Kijé Suite
‘Dance of the Knights’ from Romeo and Juliet
Puccini
‘Nessun Dorma’ from Turandot
Purcell
‘Dido’s Lament’ from Dido and Aeneas
Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st Movement
Ravel
Boléro
Reich, Steve
Six Pianos
Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade, 2nd Movement
‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’ from The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez, 2nd movement
Rossini
William Tell Overture
Rutter, John
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
Saint-Saëns
‘Aquarium’ from Carnival of the Animals
Schubert
Marche Militaire
Trout Quintet, 4th Movement
Schumann, C
Romances for Violin and Piano, 1st Movement
Schumann, R
‘About Foreign Lands’ from Kinderszenen
Shostakovich
Symphony No. 5, 4th Movement
‘Waltz’ from Jazz Suite No. 2
Sibelius
‘Intermezzo’ from Karelia Suite
Sousa
Liberty Bell
Strauss, J
The Blue Danube
Strauss, R
Also sprach Zarathustra
Stravinsky
‘Russian Dance’ from Petrushka
Tallis
If Ye Love Me
Tavener
The Lamb
Tchaikovsky
1812 Overture
‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ from The Nutcracker
Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on Greensleeves
The Lark Ascending
The Wasps overture
Verdi
‘Grand March’ from Aida
‘La Donna è Moblie’ from Rigoletto
Vivaldi
'Winter', 2nd movement from The Four Seasons
Wagner
‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Die Walküre
Warlock
‘Mattachins’ from Capriol Suite
Widor
‘Toccata’ from Organ Symphony No. 5
