The Ten Best Piece Of Classical Music for Easter

The Christ is risen! Hallelujah!! Easter is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and held (in the Western Church) between March 21 and April 25, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.

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The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all. Hence we celebrate his resurrection with Easter festival.

The resurrection of Jesus is the Christian religious belief that, after being put to death, Jesus rose again from the dead. It is the central tenet of Christian theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures".

NOTE: Today, the meaning of Easter festival, for millions of Christians, is that of honouring and recognizing Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him.

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For this special festival and occasion, many genius classical composers have works attached to the celebration of this great festival. From the intricate genius of J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion to the quiet contemplation of Arvo Pärt’s Passio, and The Messiah by G.F. Handel, Easter has inspired some of the greatest works in classical music. Here are ten of the best and some of the others that worth it.

1. The Messiah by George Frederic Handel (1741)

2. St Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach (1727)

3. Lamentations of Jeremiah by Thomas Tallis (1565-70)

4. The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross by Joseph Haydn (1783-96)

5. Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem or “Passio” by Arvo Pärt (1982)

6. Easter Oratorio by J. S. Bach, (1725 - 1746)

7. Tenebrae Responsoria by Carlo Gesualdo (1611)

8. Symphony No 2, “Resurrection” by Gustav Mahler (1888 - 1894)

9. Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky (1910-11)

10. Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1736)

Some of the others that worth it includes

Seven Last Words from the Cross by James MacMillan (1994)

Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ by Gustav Mahler: (1894)

Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence by Francis Poulenc (1939)

Russian Easter Festival Overture by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1888)

Resurrection History by Heinrich Schutz (1623)

Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (1890)

The Greek Passion by Bohuslav Martinů:  (1957)

 JudasMaccabaeus, Oratorio by George Frideric Handel, 1746

The Messiah by George Frederic Handel is probably the essential piece of Easter music and so much more than the Hallelujah chorus. Handel has endured for his mixture of Baroque monumental (here, for instance, in the chorus ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ and ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs’) and delicious intimacy (‘But who may abide the day of his coming’).

St Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach is quite simply one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. Bach’s St Matthew Passion is regarded as a treasure trove of innovation, tirelessly surprising in its combinations of musical styles of the day and shrouded in mysticism. Some scholars associate the piece with numerology, supposing Bach’s placement of notes spells out a hidden religious or Masonic significance. It remains a piece that musicians and music lovers will constantly revisit. It played on the German composer’s mind, too: towards the end of his life, between the years 1743 - 46, Bach revisited and revised the piece.

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The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross by Joseph Haydn was commissioned as an orchestral work, music to punctuate seven readings during an Easter service, in 1783; it was then concentrated into a string quartet a few years later; and ended its life as an oratorio, dramatising the seven discourses that were originally to be read by priests.

Which of these is your favourite?