"Overplayed" pieces in everyone possible key

[werq34ac]

This is stemming from rachmaninoff_forever's post of how there are a lot of C#m overplayed pieces. And eventually that discussion led to the conclusion that the same can be said for every key. SO here it is.

To make it easy, let's make it popular pieces rather than overplayed pieces.

C major
1. Mozart k545 most likely
2. Jupiter Symphony perhaps?
3. WTC 1 prelude in C major
4. Maybe the Waldstein?
5. Beethoven's 1st piano concerto?


C minor
1. Beethoven Symphony no. 5
2. Pathetique Sonata
3. Revolutionary Etude
4. Rach 2
5. Sarasate Zigunerweisen

Db major
1. Clair de Lune
2. Raindrop prelude
3. 18th variation of Rhapsody on theme by Paganini
4. Tchaikovsky piano concerto super famous theme
5. Prokofiev 1st concerto?

C# minor
1. Moonlight Sonata 1st movement
2. Fantasie-Impromptu
3. Prelude Op. 3 no. 2
4. Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement
5. Etude Op. 10/4

D major
1. Pachabel's Canon
2. Ode to Joy
3. Beethoven Violin Concerto
4. Pastorale Sonata
5. Beethoven 2nd piano cocnerto

D minor
1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor
2. Beethoven's 9th
3. Mozart Requiem
4. Beethoven Tempest Sonata
5. Bach Chaconne

Eb major
1. Nocturne Op. 9/2
2. Emperor Concerto
3. 1812 Overture
4. Eroica Symphony
5. AT&T cell phone ringtone

Eb minor/D#minor (This one's the hardest so far)
1. Scriabin Etude op. 8/12
2. Rachmaninoff Elegie Op. 3/1
3. Rachmaninoff Etude-Tableaux Op. 39/5
4. Invocation from Iberia
5. Running out of ideas here... Take 5

E major
1. Westminster Clock theme
2. Chopin etude op. 10/3
3. Bach Partita no. 3 for solo violin
4. Vivaldi Spring from Four Seasons
5. Ravel Jeux D'eau

E minor
1. Mendelssohn Violin concerto
2. Chopin prelude Op. 28/4
3. Chopin Piano Concerto no. 1
4. Chopin Nocturne Op. 72/1
5. Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2

F major
1. Pastorale Symphony
2. Vivaldi Autumn from Four Seasons
3. Brandenburg concerto no. 2
4. Beethoven Romance no. 2
5. Traumerei

F minor
1. Appasionata Sonata
2. Vivaldi Winter from Four seasons
3. Chopin Ballade no. 4
4. Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 4
5. Chopin Piano concerto no. 2

Eh I'll post the rest of the keys tomorrow...

Feel free to add your own

[werq34ac]

F#/Gb major
1. Black Key Etude
2. Girl with the Flaxen Hair
3. Butterfly Etude
4. Schubert Impromptu no. 3
5. Chopin Barcarolle

F# minor
1. Brahms Hungarian Dance no. 5
2. Rachmaninoff piano concerto no. 1
3. Scriabin Piano concerto
4. eh I'm getting bored... someone else finish this off.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

F# minor
2. Rachmaninoff piano concerto no. 1

Really?!  I think it's underplayed

[philb]

Really?!  I think it's underplayed

1 is barely ever preformed, 4 even less. A real shame.

I don't know how Scriabin's piano concerto could even be on a list of overplayed pieces though.

[stiefel]

I originally thought we could name a few pieces for each key, but now I think it's a stretch.  I'd say every key has well-known pieces, but the difference between overplayed and well-known is hard to define.  Overplayed is also hard to define.  Aren't pieces played a lot because people like them?  If people like a piece and continue to have the desire to learn/study/listen to it, is the piece really overplayed?  For example, I'm currently studying scriabin etude op 42 no 5.  It is definitely one of his more popular/well known etudes, but I personally think it deserves all its attention.  Does that make it overplayed?  (ps this piece has some absolutely gorgeous sounds)  Thoughts?

[ahinton]

But what about allegedly overplayed pieces that are not obviously centred around any particular key?...

Best,

Alistair

[stiefel]

I hardly think we can call atonal or pieces without tonal centers overplayed because they have never really caught on with the vast majority of musicians.

[philb]

I hardly think we can call atonal or pieces without tonal centers overplayed

There are a few. Evryali, and Boulez's 2nd come to mind.

because they have never really caught on with the vast majority of musicians.

I wouldn't say that... 

[haydnseeker]

C# minor
Rachmaninov Vocalise (sometimes transcribed in other keys though)

D min
Habañera from Carmen

F maj
Widor Toccata
Adagietto from Mahler 5

[brianvds]

I originally thought we could name a few pieces for each key, but now I think it's a stretch.  I'd say every key has well-known pieces, but the difference between overplayed and well-known is hard to define.  Overplayed is also hard to define.  Aren't pieces played a lot because people like them?  If people like a piece and continue to have the desire to learn/study/listen to it, is the piece really overplayed?  For example, I'm currently studying scriabin etude op 42 no 5.  It is definitely one of his more popular/well known etudes, but I personally think it deserves all its attention.  Does that make it overplayed?  (ps this piece has some absolutely gorgeous sounds)  Thoughts?

Perhaps a piece is overplayed when it is popular out of all proportion to its actual merits? Of course, "actual merits" is itself debatable. :-)

Another aspect of the "overplayed" phenomenon is, I would think, when one movement of a multi-movement piece is played and listened to far more often than any of the others. The Moonlight sonata comes to mind. This sometimes happens for no other reason than that the particular movement is much easier to play and thus more popular with amateur musicians, but I think very often that particular movement simply is also much more popular and then it overshadows the rest of the work.

You then also get the fearsome "Hooked on classics" effect, where that particular movement or even just snatch of melody is turned into pop music by adding electronic drums and a synth or two to it: the Rach Paganini rhapsody, 18th variation, now as disco dance music! And if you buy within the next hour, you also get the electric guitar version of the slow movement from Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" and the blues version of Orff's Carmina Burana, absolutely free of charge! Operators are standing by; call NOW!

Oh, the horror.

Another similar thread one could start: composers who are known for only work, and that work gets payed over and over and you never hear anything else by them, despite the fact that they did actually compose lots of other stuff, much of which is highly listenable. Poor Max Bruch comes to mind...

[j_menz]

Orff's Carmina Burana, absolutely free of charge! Operators are standing by; call NOW!

Oh, the horror.

O Fortuna was actually used in a coffee ad here.  Instant, even.

Incidentally, can 4:33 be played in any key one chooses?

[stiefel]

I do think it's a shame when a composer with tons of great repertoire becomes famous for just one work and people forget the rest.  I don't think it's a shame, however, when works become popularized to appeal to the masses.  If the world of classical music refused all contact with the popular world, classical would die.  Also with popularization of classical, people are exposed music they would probably never learn about otherwise.  Popularization is good.

Besides, what is the difference between popular music and classical music? 

[brianvds]

I do think it's a shame when a composer with tons of great repertoire becomes famous for just one work and people forget the rest. 

The most tragic/silly case is that of Albinoni, who became famous for an adagio he didn't compose, and nothing else. :-)

I don't think it's a shame, however, when works become popularized to appeal to the masses.  If the world of classical music refused all contact with the popular world, classical would die.  Also with popularization of classical, people are exposed music they would probably never learn about otherwise.  Popularization is good.

Besides, what is the difference between popular music and classical music? 

I'm all in favour of popularization (introducing new audiences to classical music), but I dislike "poppifying" (taking melodies from classical works and turning them into pop music.) I'm not sure that does the music any favour.

But I do think classical musicians could perhaps do more to reach wider audiences. E.g. every now and then we have these huge pop concerts to raise money for charity, and every time I wonder why classical musicians are shining in their absence. It would be a perfect opportunity to reach a huge new audience while doing some good in general.