Parsons Playlists: A Classical Playlist

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Alexandra (class of 2026) featuring some classical music.

A Classical Playlist!

These are some of my favorite classical pieces!

Sergei Rachmaninoff – Symphony No. 2: III. Adagio

Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings

George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

Maurice Ravel – Une Barque Sur L’océan

Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No 1. Op. 23

Claude Debussy – Arabesques

Franz Liszt – Liebestraum

Franz Schubert – Serenade

Maurice Ravel – Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio assai

Franz Liszt – Un sospiro

Sergei Rachmaninoff – 13 Preludes, Op.32: No. 5

Antonín Dvorak – Serenade for Strings, Op. 22. No.2

Frédéric Chopin – Adante spianato and Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

George Gershwin – Piano Concerto: I. Allegro moderato

Ralph Vaughn Williams – Overture: The Wasps

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZeyqcCKVNgjYdnKujBv5_AcY&si=ZUvB2P79IAty36ia

Parsons Playlists: Spring-Themed Classical Music That Isn’t Vivaldi

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Amy (class of 2025) and features spring-themed classical music.

Spring-Themed Classical Music That Isn’t Vivaldi

When many think of spring, Vivaldi’s Spring movement of his Four Seasons violin concerto is often what comes to mind. However, there is a plethora of spring-themed compositions from other artists across music eras, including Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.”

Spring anime background art

Ludwig van Beethoven – Violin Sonata No. 1 Spring Movement (Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy)

Igor Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Pt. 1: Adoration of the Earth (Teodor Currentzis, musicAeterna)

Edvard Grieg – Lyric Pieces, Op. 43, No. 6 “To Spring” (Lang Lang)

Christian Sinding – Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring) for Piano, Op. 32, No. 3 (Dubravka Tomšič)

Claude Debussy – Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (Orchestra National de Lyon)

Camille Saint-Saëns – The Swan, Carnival of the Animals (Yo Yo Ma, Kathryn Slott)

Florence Beatrice Price – Juba Dance from Symphony No. 1 (Akiko Fujimoto, Minnesota Orchestra)

Alexander Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D major for Strings, I. Allegro moderato (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center)

Bedřich Smetana – The Moldau (Polish National Radio Symphony)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 1. Very slowly (LA Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1943 Suite – 7. Doppio movimento (New York Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 2. Allegro (LA Philharmonic)

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring – 1945 Suite – 8. Moderato: Coda (LA Philharmonic)

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qizSgHRRbEo&list=PLSwAwMtTLDwitnvD5pQ8hTur4eSlqiamO

Parsons Playlists: Studying in the Parsons Music Library

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist features a selection of music for a Music Library study session curated by Music Library student assistant Amy (class of 2025).

Studying in the Parsons Music Library

Study music

Frederic Chopin – Waltz No. 19 in A Minor, Op. Posth.

Camille Saint-Saens – The Carnival of the Animals The Swan

Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor Op. 18 – II Adagio sostenuto

Bach – Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 1010: 1 Prelude

Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker Op. 71, Act 2: No. 13, “Waltz of the Flowers”

Dvorak – Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22, B.52 – II Tempo di valse

Dvorak – Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22 – I Moderato

Ravel – Ma Mere L’Oye, M. 60 – I Pavan de la Belle au bois dormant

Piero Piccioni – Amore Mio Aiutami (Main Theme)

Dvorak – “Song to the Moon” Rusalka, Op. 114, Act 1

Respighi – Pini di Roma, P. 141: III I pini del Gianicolo

Borodin – Nocturne

Beethoven – Lenore, Op. 72, Act I “Mir ist so wunderbar”

Debussy – La Mer, L. 109, II Jeux de vagues

Lavinia Meijer – Dances for Harp and Orchestra, L. 103, II Danse profane

Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102

Faure – Pavane, Op. 50

Gershwin – The Man I Love

Debussy – Deux Arabesques, CD 74: I. Andantino con moto

Liszt – Liebestraum

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSwAwMtTLDwjK99x65ClwlqXWXG6vyGRP

And here it is on Spotify:

Arachnophonia: Claude Debussy “Claire de Lune”

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Deisy (class of 2024) and features a streaming version of Debussy’s classic piano piece “Claire de Lune”. Thanks, Deisy!

Claude Debussy

“Claire de Lune”

Starry night over the Rhone" - Van Gogh

One of the big names in classical music, Claude Debussy, has greatly influenced the movement of music and art even past his years. His work is a great way to have a study session and or even to play on a rainy evening to unwind.
There is something so calming about his music. I love to play it when I’m studying and when I’m falling asleep, especially the song “Claire de Lune”. It has been in my playlist since I can remember and has always made me feel like I am part of some Disney movie.

Claude Debussy - 1900

Debussy has been a source of inspiration for many artists. Art is the inspiration of other art, we gather things we like and make them our own. Because of this, we see that Debussy is a very important aspect of the art community. Painters use his music to inspire a story in their artwork, theaters use his music to add emotion to a play, pianists use his music as inspiration for their own pieces. Because art is a cycle of borrow, transform, repeat, we can understand how influential a big musician was to an artist even in the 21st century.

Debussy at the piano

Sometimes when studying, you don’t want to sit in total silence but you also don’t want to listen to Drake’s new album, Certified Lover Boy. Debussy’s music is a great balance of both, it gives you some background noise but will not distract you with lyrics.

Arachnophonia: Erik Satie

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Ryan (class of 2022) and features a collection of works by French composer Erik Satie. Thanks, Ryan!

Erik Satie (b. 1866 – d. 1925)

Parade ; Trois gymnopédies ; Mercure ; Trois gnossiennes ; Relâche

Satie -  Parade ; Trois gymnopédies ; Mercure ; Trois gnossiennes ; Relâche

Erik Satie has long been one of my favorite composers for his ability to blend together subtlety and expressiveness to create an ambiance unlike any other artist. In his day, Satie struggled greatly to find support for his music, but his friendship with composer Claude Debussy proved valuable when Debussy offered to orchestrate two of Satie’s three “Gymnopédies”. Among Satie’s earlier works, Debussy saw great potential in “Trois Gymnopédies” and his orchestrations are still performed today, although Debussy disliked the second of the three and never orchestrated it. In this CD recording by the New London Orchestra, conductor Ronald Corp attempts to elucidate the same subtleties Debussy loved so much in Satie’s work with his orchestrations of Gymnopédie no. 2 as well as “Trois Gnossiennes”. This CD also features recordings of some of Satie’s ballets: Parade, Mercure, and Relâche. Each was met with mixed reviews at their debuts, but are now considered to be some of his finest works.

Erik Satie

Erik Satie in 1920

I love to listen to Satie, especially the Gymnopédies, while I read or do work. Music historians often credit Satie as being one of the precursors to modern “ambient music”, and it’s easy to see why. Satie’s music lends itself equally well to thoughtful listening as it does to background enjoyment. If you’re looking for a CD to help you relax after a long week or accompany a good book, I highly recommend the New London Orchestra’s collection of recordings.