Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Smooth Classics at Seven with Zeb Soanes 7pm - 10pm

    Smooth Classics at Seven with Zeb Soanes

    Now Playing

    Slavonic Dance in E minor Opus 72 No.2 Antonin Dvorak Download 'Slavonic Dance in E minor Opus 72 No.2' on iTunes

    Slavonic Dance in E minor Opus 72 No.2 artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on X
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Discover Music

    • Discover Music Home
    • Periods & Genres
    • Occasions
    • Mood
    • Instruments
    • Music Theory
    • Learning
    • Humour
    • Women in Music
    • Lyrics
    • More Classic FM

    14 beautiful pieces of classical music for Mother’s Day

    What’s the best classical music for Mother’s Day? Whether it’s a gentle tribute or a song from a mother to her child, we select the finest classical pieces for you and your mum.

    1. Antonin Dvorak

      1. Antonin Dvořák - Songs My Mother Taught Me

      This beautiful little song features a slightly sad rhyme about a mother who often cried (" Seldom from her eyelids were the teardrops banished") but still passed her songs onto her children.

    2. Robert Schumann

      2. Robert Schumann - Fraunliebe und -leben

      Translating as 'a woman's love and life', this song cycle from Robert Schumann details the whole life of a woman as she meets her suitor and has children of her own.

    3. johannes brahms

      3. Johannes Brahms - Lullaby

      Perhaps the most recognisable piece associated with mothers, this gentle little piece has been soothing babies to sleep for hundreds of years now.

    4. Rebecca Dale Requiem for My Mother

      4. Rebecca Dale – Requiem for My Mother

      Rebecca Dale became the first female composer to sign to Decca in 2018 and later that year her debut album was released on the label. The centrepiece of the recording was her Materna Requiem – Requiem for My Mother. The work is a tribute to the composer’s mother, who died in 2010. Rebecca said of the work: “The Requiem is a very personal piece to me, and it uses melodies I wrote when I was a child so you could say I’ve been working on it for most of my life! When I first wrote the Requiem I did

    5. Edvard Grieg

      5. Edvard Grieg - Grandmother's Minuet

      Don't forget Grandma! Grieg certainly didn't with this piano piece. It's unclear whether it was written for his grandmother in particular, but we still love it anyway.

    6. Amy Beach

      6. Amy Beach – Empress of the Night

      Amy Beach (1867-1944) was an America composer and a real pioneer for female composers in the 19th and 20th century. Her song 'Empress of the Night' was dedicated to her mother Clara Cheney and uses a text by her husband, Henry Beach. She went on to use the melody as the basis for the Scherzo of her Piano Concerto, which she wrote in 1899.

    7. John Tavener

      7. John Tavener - Hymn to the Mother of God

      Written in memory of his own Mother, Tavener's ethereal choral work "speaks of the almost cosmic power attributed to the Mother of God by the Orthodox Church."

    8. Mozart images for gallery

      8. Leopold Mozart - Toy Symphony

      Perhaps one to remind your mum the reason they are a mum (i.e. you), this jovial symphony by Mozart's dad is full of child-like themes. And here's the whole Mozart family, sitting around the piano with mum looking on.

    9. 99 Words

      9. 99 Words – Sir John Tavener and Roxanna Panufnik

      The text of '99 Words' is by the late composer John Tavener. Panufnik said: "As well as being a deeply inspiring mantra for how he wanted his children to live their lives, there seemed to be so many parallels with my own personal history. Like Theodora [Tavener's daughter], I had lost a composer father whose musical legacy is sometimes comforting but can also feel incredibly raw."

    10. Delibes

      10. Leo Delibes - Flower Duet

      A bunch of flowers is a fairly standard Mother's Day gift, but what about this instead? An aural bunch of flowers from Delibes' opera Lakmé.

    11. Composer and cellist Rachel Bruerville

      11. Dancing on Tiptoes by Rachel Bruerville

      Dancing on Tiptoes was commissioned by The Hush Foundation which provides calming music for children's hospitals. Here's what Rachel says: “'It’s like dancing on tiptoes, but knowing you’re never going to fall…' - a quote from an insightful young person at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which sparked the inspiration for my piece, Dancing on Tiptoes." I hope it helps bring a sense of calm and optimism to anyone who is struggling.

    12. Richard Strauss

      12. Richard Strauss - Muttertändelei

      A perky little tune for proud mums everywhere, this comic song sees a mother telling everyone just how precious her baby is - and it's a bit of a tongue-twister as well.

    13. Anton Webern

      13. Anton Webern - Six Pieces For Orchestra

      We can't guarantee that this is going to be the perfect lazy Mothering Sunday soundtrack, but Webern's Six Pieces For Orchestra were written partly as a tribute to his late mother, who died before he wrote them.

    14. The Magic Flute, Vienna

      14. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn

      This aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute is The Queen Of The Night's first. While it's not as well known as the other big aria for that character, "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen", it is a comforting song from mother to son that translates as "Tremble not, my dear son / You are innocent, wise, pious."

    Discover music

    See more Discover music

    Soloist unable to board flight – after Ryanair said her 18th-century violin was ‘too big’ for the plane

    Soloist barred from flight – after Ryanair claimed 18th-century violin ‘too big’ for the plane

    8 hours ago

    The 15 best pieces of music by composer and virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt.

    The 15 greatest pieces by Franz Liszt

    1 day ago

    Matteo Bocelli performing with his father Andrea, at the O2 Arena in September 2022

    Matteo Bocelli: Everything you need to know about Andrea Bocelli’s son

    1 day ago

    Andrea Bocelli

    Fiji World Cup Rugby team sing in France

    Fiji rugby team sing together in spine-tingling harmony ahead of World Cup triumphs

    2 days ago

    Videos

    Listening to music with your child has long been thought to help develop their mind and listening skills.

    10 of the best pieces of classical music for children

    6 days ago

    India players stand to sing the national anthem at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka

    What are the lyrics to India’s national anthem?

    6 days ago

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

    The 25 greatest conductors of all time

    Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

    30 of the greatest classical music composers of all time

    Best pianists of all time

    The 25 best pianists of all time

    Classic FM Live Playlists

    See more Classic FM Live Playlists

    Classic FM Hall of Fame

    Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame

    Classic FM Relax

    Essential Classical

    Classic FM Video Game Music

    Classic FM Pet Classics

    Browse by

    See more Browse by

    Periods & genres

    Occasions

    Moods

    Instruments

    Latest on Classic FM

    The Shireland CBSO Academy is in West Bromwich, Sandwell – one of England’s most deprived boroughs

    This academy is Britain’s first school set up in partnership with a professional orchestra

    CBSO

    Listening to music can make us feel happier, says new study

    Music takes 13 minutes to ‘release sadness’ and 9 to make you happy, according to new study

    A12 orchestra plays in Netherlands protest

    Orchestra passionately mimes Mozart ‘Dies Irae’ in protest – after police banned their instruments

    Mozart

    This week’s on-air highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery.

    This week’s Classic FM radio highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery

    Lewis Hamilton and Lang Lang duet

    F1’s Lewis Hamilton impresses Lang Lang by playing Adele tune on piano

    Hildur Guðnadóttir’s original score to A Haunting in Venice, starring Kenneth Branagh as Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.

    Explore Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s ‘dark’ original score for A Haunting in Venice

    Hildur Guðnadóttir

    Juan Manuel Cat, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Leindekar, Santiago Arata and Gaston Mieres of Uruguay sing the national anthem prior to the Rugby World Cup 2019

    What are the lyrics to Uruguay’s national anthem?

    Ballet students at the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School have come forward with allegations of ‘toxic cultures’ at these institutions

    Top UK ballet schools accused of bullying and body-shaming by over 50 former pupils

    10 best musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber: from 'Phantom of the Opera' to 'Cats'

    10 best musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber – ranked

    Lloyd Webber

    10 of the best classical music podcasts you can listen to in 2023.

    10 of the best music, arts and entertainment podcasts in 2023

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on X
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager