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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
