ABRSM launches 'Classical 100' initiative

New scheme to interest primary school children in classical music launched

Published: November 2, 2015 at 11:08 am

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

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024