10. Carmina Burana

Composed by 20th Century German composer Carl Orff between 1935 and 1936, based on a medieval collection of poems discovered in a Bavarian monastery in 1803. The piece is part of Trionfi, a longer composition that also includes Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. The best-known movement is “O Fortuna,” which opens and closes the piece, and which has been used in countless advertisements and movie trailers. In 1991, upset that a music group produced a heavily-sampled version of “O Fortuna,” Orff’s estate sued to stop the distribution of the song. Today, new versions of Carmina Burana cannot be purchased.

9. Peter & The Wolf

The Magic Flute is recognized even today as a remarkable two-part opera in the form of “Singspiel,” a combination of singing and the spoken word. The opera, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1n 1791, and debuted in Vienna on September 30 of that same year, is nearly as popular among opera lovers today as it was at the turn of the 19th century. On its opening night, Mozart himself conducted the orchestra, and soon realized that he had a bona fide hit on his hands. Throughout the 1790s, huge crowds flocked to see the story of the trials of the handsome prince, Tamino, and his lover, the beautiful maiden Pamina. Sadly, Mozart did not live to see much of the success of The Magic Flute, which is as famous for its references to Masonic elements and pro-Enlightenment stance as it as for its music, as the famous composed died shortly after the opera debuted.

7. Four Seasons

Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons or “Le Quattro Staggione” as the four violin concertos were known in the original Italian has become a favorite of wedding musicians, local symphonies, and classical music lovers everywhere. Composed in 1723, Four Seasons is one of the most popular and best-selling pieces of baroque music of all time. Famous for movements that are evocative of the season they purport to describe, the passages were each written to accompany four sonnets (spring, summer, autumn and winter), which some believe may have been written by Vivaldi himself.

6. Moonlight Sonata

Believed to have been composed by Ludwig van Beethoven for his pupil, 17-year old Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, with whom he was in love, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, otherwise known as Moonlight Sonata, has long been one of the best-loved classical music pieces in the world. Composed in 1801, it was rumored at the time that Beethoven composed the sonata while playing piano for a blind girl at night, hence the name “Moonlight” Sonata. Others attribute the popular title to a popular music critic who, in 1832, compared the first of the three movements to moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne.

5. The Hallelujah Chorus

Perhaps the most popular choral literature in the Christian faith, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is heard as frequently in concert halls and churches today as it was when it was composed in the mid-18th Century. Depressed and hunted by debt-collectors, Handel determined to set Charles Jennens’ libretto, made up largely of Bible verses, to music. A mere 24 days later, Messiah was completed. Composed in 1724, the piece was debuted in Dublin on April 13, 1742, with Handel himself playing the harpsichord. Messiah, which tells the story of the life of Jesus in three parts, according to the Christian faith, and especially its exceedingly popular Hallelujah Chorus remains a musical fixture during Advent, Lent, and Eastertide.

4. Canon in D

If you’ve been to a wedding in the past 50 years, the chances are that you’ve heard Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Written in 1680, during the Baroque period, Canon as a piece of chamber music for a violin trio and a bass, but has since been arranged for a wide variety of ensembles. Beloved for its soft and lovely chord progression, Canon is frequently played at weddings and graduations. The piece has even worked its way into popular culture: Robert Redford used the piece as the main theme for his 1980 Academy Award-winning film Ordinary People, the band Blue’s Traveler used the chord progression in their hit Hook, and stand-up comedian Rob Paravonian’s YouTube rant on how much he “hates” Canon has become an internet sensation.

3. Rhapsody in Blue

In 1923, band leader Paul Whiteman asked American composer George Gershwin to contribute a concerto-like piece for jazz concert he intended to conduct in February 1924. In January of 1924, fearing that several rivals were also in the process of composing an American jazz concerto, Gershwin was finally persuaded to compose the piece. With only 5 weeks left before the piece was to debut, Gershwin on a train to Boston was suddenly, had the idea for “Rhapsody in Blue,” originally titled “American Rhapsody,” hit him. Gershwin later told friends that the entire piece laid itself out before him, from beginning to end. Now famous to many Americans as the piece that accompanies the United Airlines commercials, Rhapsody in Blue is a truly American classical piece that has taken its place amongst compositions composed by timeless giants such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Debussy.

2. Clair de Lune

French for “Moonlight,” Claude Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” is counted among the most beautiful and popular classical works of all time. While many know only “Clair de Lune,” the piece is actually the third movement of Debussy’s piano suite Suite Berganmasque. Composed in 1888, the work was not published in 1903. The famous “Clair de Lune” was most likely named after symbolist poet Paul Verlaine’s poem by the same name.

1. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Ode To Joy)

The last symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven was, in the minds of many, his best. Based on the 1785 poem An Die Freude, by Friedrich Schiller, Ode to Joy marked not only a masterpiece but a departure for Beethoven, who, for the first time, used human voices on the same level as instruments. Ode to Joy, the fourth movement of the symphony, was later rearranged by Herbert von Karajan into what is now known as The Anthem of Europe. If any more proof of the popularity of Ode to Joy is needed, the original composition manuscript sold at auction for $3.3 million in 2003. At the time, the head of Sotheby’s compared Ode to Joy to Hamlet and King Lear as “one of the highest achievements of man.”

10. Blind Melon

Though the original members of Blind Melon actually began playing together in 1989, it wasn’t until 1991 that the band signed with Capitol Records and began recording their self-titled debut album. Even before the release of that album there was a whispering in the music world of a new, exciting band to excite music fans based entirely on lead singer Shannon Hoon’s connection to Guns N’ Roses, with whom he sang back up vocals in ’91. Blind Melon’s first album held 13 tracks that spread all over the musical palate. The pounding guitars on tracks such as Soak the Sin and Tones of Home, were heavily influenced be the heavy metal sounds of earlier years, yet other tracks carried an almost psychedelic sound bringing the late 60s a few decades ahead. It was in 1993 that Blind Melon truly caught fire with the release of the single No Rain. Its melancholy lyrics and melodic tempo resonated with fans all over the world and the album went on to go platinum four times over. Yet as success hit, Moon’s regular drug abuse spiralled out of control, disrupting tours and threatening the continuation of the band. However, in 1994 the second album, Soup, got underway and many of the songs, most notably St. Andrew’s Fall, which spoke of suicide, seemed to hark to the desperate cries of Moon and many others of the era. In 1995 while on tour supporting the second album, Moon was found dead on his tour bus from a cocaine overdose. Though another album was eventually released and garnered much attention, the band would never again reach the heights they saw in the early days and in 1999, the band members officially went their separate ways, leaving behind a solid legacy on the decade.

9. Nine Inch Nails

The influence of Trent Reznor throughout the 90s and beyond is undeniable. He is the sole member of Nine Inch Nails and the man entirely responsible for the direction of the music, and while the sounds of his music straddle the line between alternative rock and Industrial Electronica, the status of the band in the Alternative Genre is solid. Formed in Cleveland in 1988, Nine Inch Nails began as the darling of the underground music scene but by the early 90s, its distinct music caught widespread attention. 1994s Downward Spiral was the band’s most influential album, with songs like March of the Pigs, Closer, and Hurt, which was later covered by none other than Johnny Cash. Time magazine in 1997 placed Reznor among the list of the year’s most influential people and by 2004, following the great success of Nine Inch Nails in the previous decade and the continuing hold Reznor had on the music industry, Rolling Stone placed Reznor on the list of its top 100 greatest artists of all time.

8. Alice In Chains

Alice in Chains was spawned out of the great Seattle music movement of the late 80s that caught widespread attention as grunge moved mainstream in the early 90s. The band’s heavy metal-inspired guitar riffs blended with calmer, acoustic sounds and the meshing of harmonies between vocalist Layne Stanley and guitarist, Jerry Cantrell are unmatched in any band formed to date. Two of the band’s three studio albums, Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains went Number 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 list and the band had 11 top ten singles and six grammy nominations. Arguably one of the greatest albums the band put out was a live and unplugged recording of an MTV concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1996. To this day, the album remains one of the greatest unplugged live recordings by any rock band and the album proved once again that the range of music produced by Alice in Chains was limitless. As with many great bands of the era and despite its success, Alice in Chains was plagued by substance abuse throughout the decade and in 2002, Layne Stanley lost his battle with addiction.

7. Tool

Formed in 1990, Tool has consistently pushed the boundaries of art and music reaching a pinnacle at the top of the new rock movement with the 1996 release of Aenima. The band has continually evolved with each of its albums in its quest to mesh visual art with music and its live shows are arguably some of the most intriguing spectacles of entertainment, mixing entrancing lyrics from front man, Maynard James Keenan, with heavy guitar and the mesmerizing beats of drummer, Danny Carey. In its early days after the release of its first compilation, Opiate, the band proved ts willingness to push the envelope with its video for Hush, which tackled the Parents Music Resource Centre head on by displaying all band members prominently naked with Parental Advisory Stickers covering their most discreet body parts. The following album, Undertow, propelled the band even farther into the spotlight with hits like Sober, dealing with substance abuse, and Prison Sex, which dealt with controversial themes of child abuse and was removed from MTV’s playlist being deemed “too graphic.” Throughout the 90s, Tool rode a wave of support from devoted fans and that success has carried on to this day proving it is truly one of the greatest alternative rock bands to come out of the 1990s.

6. Radiohead

Though this list seems to deal mainly with bands out of the United States, there was also a wide range of alternative music that rose from across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, and no top ten list would be complete without giving credit to this British influence. During the 1990s, Radiohead fit this bill. This band, led by vocalist Thom Yorke, has been called one of the hardest working rock bands in the world. Their first single, Creep, was released in 1992, but it wasn’t until well after the 1993 release of its debut album, Pablo Honey, that it would catch on with international music fans and become and unfiltered success. Radiohead followed this momentum with the release of The Bends in 1995 and the band toured relentlessly to support the album, garnering much deserved attention and by the time OK Computer was released in 1997, Radiohead had positioned itself firmly as one of the top international bands of the decade. The eerie mix of Yorke’s voice combined with layers upon layers of guitars, piano and electric melodies and became a signature sound that has inspired a number of bands to follow, though none have compared. In 2000, Kid A was released followed by Amnesiac a year later and the experimental sounds of both of these albums prove that in the decade before, Radiohead had earned the right to challenge the limits of its musical power.

5. Soundgarden

Actually formed in 1984 in Seattle, Soundgarden didn’t reach a widespread audience until the emergence of the grunge movement from the west coast in the early 90s. When it did hit the charts, however, it was one of the great leaders in the charge of alternative rock, led by the unmistakable voice of front man Chris Cornell.Though it didn’t achieve initial success as the first “grunge” band to sign to a major label, Soundgarden did become one of the greats with the release of 1994′s Superunknown, which launched at number one on the billboard charts and produced two grammy award-winning singles, Spoonman and Black Hole Sun. Despite the fact that Soundgarden never made it through the 1990s in tact, breaking up in 1997, there is no question that as one of the first bands to bring attention to the Seattle sound, their impact was immense. Their estimated 20 million albums sold worldwide is a testament to that fact.

4. Stone Temple Pilots

STP (Stone Temple Pilots) front man Scott Weiland is probably one of the most colourful and provocative rock musicians to emerge out of the music scene of the 1990s. Like many of the successful musicians of that decade and many before, he struggled constantly with the burdens of drug addiction and lawlessness. Despite these troubles, the band defied critics with their 1992 album Core and became an almost instant legend when the album reached platinum status 8 times. Songs off that album, such as Plush, Dead and Bloated, Sex Type Thing, and Wicked Garden, are practically icons of the era and they helped establish the band as one of the United States’ great contributions to the international rock scene. It’s estimated that STP has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and though they eventually broke up in 2003, they recently reunited to tour again, much to the delight of a devoted fan base that feared the opportunity to see the band perform would never happen. Weiland remains an intriguing figure who, despite his numerous brushes with death while feeding his addictions, stands today as the lead in a band whose music carried a generation.

3. Red Hot Chili Peppers

By the time the Chili Peppers entered the mainstream with the release of Mother’s Milk in 1989 they had already released three previous albums. The band was formed in L.A. in 1983 but it would take nearly a decade before their funk/rock influenced style would propel the band to super star status. Mother’s Milk garnered serious attention in the music world but it was the release of Blood, Sugar, Sex Magik in 1991 that proved this band was destined to be one of the most popular bands in modern history. The single Give it Away from that album gave the band its first grammy and Under the Bridge is one of the most recognizable songs to come out of the decade. As seems to be the theme of this list, success had its dues to pay and they often came in the form of addiction. With the Chili Peppers, substance abuse helps explain why the band’s history holds the names of 9 former members, though amazingly enough, the original members of the band are the current members. In 1999, the band released its 7th album after reuniting with founding member, John Frusciante, who’d left the band years before to battle his addiction to heroin. The triumphant Californication, was an immediate success and went on to sell more than 15 million copies world wide and solidified the Red Hot Chili Peppers as capable of achieving almost unlimited success.

2. Nirvana

When Nirvana released its second album Nevermind in 1991 with its first single, Smells Like Teen Spirit, the band officially exploded into the mainstream and gave a voice and a face to the grunge aspect of the alternative rock world. Front man Kurt Cobain became the media’s example of the new generation – angry and lost in a world of uncertainty. Cobain was never comfortable as this poster child though he had little choice. By late 1991, Nevermind was selling 400,000 copies a week – massive numbers that proved an insatiable appetite existed among music fans for the songs of this new music trend. Their third album, In Utero, debuted in 1993 at the top of the billboard charts and while its success was guaranteed, its release would also mark the beginning of the sad end for the band. Cobain was a hopelessly depressed heroin addict with numerous substance abuse problems and despite marriage, the birth of a daughter and overwhelming success, he escaped from a rehab centre in April, 1994 and was found dead a week later, apparently the result of a suicide gunshot to the head. The band’s short-lived time together in the early 1990s created a sound and a place in history among the greatest bands of the decade. To date, Nirvana has sold an estimated 50 million records worldwide.

1. Pearl Jam

One of the pioneers of the grunge music scene to come out of Seattle, Pearl Jam formed in 1990 and was an immediate success with the release of its debut album, Ten, in 1991. Despite being criticized early on as “cashing in” on the alternative rock movement, Pearl Jam has proved its willingness to move the other way from conformity by boycotting ticketmaster or refusing to make videos, despite the pleas of the powers-that-be at the record labels. Ten wasn’t an instant success but after remaining on the billboard charts for nearly two years it became a fixture in the rock world and has gone platinum 12 times over. The songs on that debut album told powerful stories through the crooning and wailing of front man, Eddie Vedder, who is blessed with one of the most distinct voices in musical history. The song Jeremy stands out among the band’s many hits as one of the most important tales of sorrow ever told, describing an incident based on fact where a young boy shot himself in front of his class mates in school. Pearl Jam’s songs told stories of a harsh reality and in the 1990s, these tales caught the overwhelming attention of a huge audience. Success was hard on the band, though, and early on they challenged their success at every corner. After the video for Jeremy won four MTV awards, the band refused to make any more, opting to be remembered for their music and not their videos. Their second album Versus, sold nearly a million copies in its first week of sales in 1993 and the band went through the 1990s at the top of the rock world where they remain to this day, with more than 60 million records sold to date.