Greatest Classical Solos and Duets

Classical composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms
Criteria: Greatest Classical Solos and Duets are ranked for their innovation and influence, as well as their aesthetic importance, historical significance and lasting popularity.

Last Updated: 2017-06-18

The Greatest Violin/Piano Duets

1. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A minor "Kreutzer" - Ludwig Van Beethoven

2. Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major - Cesar Franck

3. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5 in F major "Spring" - Ludwig Van Beethoven

4. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in G major - Johannes Brahms

5. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in D minor - Johannes Brahms

6. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in A major - Johannes Brahms

7. Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor - Claude Debussy

8. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 10 in G major - Ludwig Van Beethoven

9. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major - Gabriel Fauré

10. Fantasy for Violin and Piano in C major - Franz Schubert

11. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 7 in C minor "Eroica" - Ludwig van Beethoven

12. Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 3 in E major - Johann Sebastian Bach

13. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 32 in B flat major, K454 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

14. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor - Edvard Grieg

15. Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major - Maurice Ravel

16. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in D minor - Camille Saint-Saëns

17. Liebesleid - Fritz Kreisler

18. Liebesfreud - Fritz Kreisler

19. Berceuse for Violin and Piano in D major - Gabriel Fauré

20. Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor "dans le caractere populaire roumain" - George Enescu

21. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 8 in G major - Ludwig van Beethoven

22. Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major "Duo" - Franz Schubert

23. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 26 in B flat major, K378 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

24. Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 6 in G major - Johann Sebastian Bach

25. Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 5 in F minor - Johann Sebastian Bach

26. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 33 in E flat major, K481 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

27. Sonata for Violin and Piano - Leos Janácek

28. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 - Béla Bartok

29. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F minor - Serge Prokofiev

30. Sonata for Violin and Piano in B minor - Ottorino Respighi

31. Tzigane for Violin and Piano - Maurice Ravel

32. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 - Alfred Schnittke

33. 3 Myths - Karol Szymanowski

34. Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 4 in C minor - Johann Sebastian Bach

35. Sonata for Violin and Piano in E flat major - Richard Strauss

36. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 21 in E minor, K304 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

37. Baal Shem - Ernest Bloch

38. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 - Béla Bartok

39. Caprice viennois - Fritz Kreisler

40. Schön Rosmarin - Fritz Kreisler

41. Sonata for Violin and Piano - Aaron Copland

42. Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor - Edward Elgar

43. 2 Duets for Violin and Piano "From the Homeland" - Bedrich Smetana

44. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 6 in A major - Ludwig van Beethoven

45. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in D minor - Robert Schumann

46. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in G major - Edvard Grieg

47. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in D major - Serge Prokofiev

48. 3 Romances - Clara Schumann

49. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 35 in A major, K526 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

50. Rondo for Violin and Piano in B minor "Rondo Brillant" - Franz Schubert
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven


Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms


Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart




The Greatest Cello/Piano Duets

  1. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A major - Ludwig van Beethoven

  2. Sonata for Arpeggione in A minor - Franz Schubert

  3. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E minor - Johannes Brahms

  4. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 5 in D major - Ludwig van Beethoven

  5. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in F major - Johannes Brahms

  6. Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor - Claude Debussy

  7. Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor - Dmtri Shostakovich

  8. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 4 in C major - Ludwig van Beethoven

  9. Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor - Sergei Rachmaninoff

10. Elégie - Gabriel Fauré

11. Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major - Serge Prokofiev

12. Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor - Frederic Chopin

13. Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor - Edvard Grieg

14. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in C minor - Camille Saint-Saëns

15. Sonata for Cello and Piano - Zoltán Kodály

16. Sonata for Cello and Piano - Samuel Barber

17. Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major – Richard Strauss

18. Adagio and Allegro for Cello and Piano in A flat major - Robert Schumann

19. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in D minor - Gabriel Fauré

20. From Jewish Life – Ernest Bloch

21. Sonata for Cello and Piano – Alfred Schnittke

22. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 – Bohuslav Martinu

23. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in G minor - Ludwig van Beethoven

24. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in F major - Ludwig van Beethoven

25. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 – Bohuslav Martinu

26. Variations on a Slavic Folksong – Bohuslav Martinu

27. Sonata for Cello and Piano - Francis Poulenc

28. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in D major - Felix Mendelssohn

29. Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor – Frank Bridge

30. Sonata for Cello and Piano – Frederick Delius

31. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in A minor – Nikolai Miaskovsky

32. Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in B flat major - Felix Mendelssohn

33. Sonata for Cello and Piano - Paul Hindemith

34. 7 Variations for Cello and Piano on Mozart's "Bei Männern" - Ludwig van Beethoven

35. Introduction and Polonaise for Cello and Piano in C major - Frederic Chopin

36. 12 Variations for Cello and Piano on a theme by Handel - Ludwig van Beethoven

37. Sicilienne for Cello and Piano - Gabriel Fauré

38. Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major - Benjamin Britten

39. Allegro appassionato for Cello and Piano in B minor - Camille Saint-Saëns

40. Rondo for Cello and Piano in G minor - Antonín Dvořák


The Greatest Duets For Other Instrumental Combinations

  1. Fantasie in F minor, D940 (piano 4 hands) - Franz Schubert
  2. Sonata for Clarinet & Piano in F minor, Op.120 no.1 - Johannes Brahms
  3. Sonata for Clarinet & Piano in E flat major, Op.120 no.2 - Johannes Brahms
  4. Sonata for Flute & Piano - Francis Poulenc
  5. Scaramouche, Op.165b (2 pianos) - Darius Milhaud
  6. Variations on a Theme by Haydn in B flat major (2 pianos) - Johannes Brahms
  7. Slavonic Dances (piano 4 hands) - Antonín Dvořák
  8. Variations on a Theme of Paganini (2 pianos) - Witold Lutoslawski
  9. Sonata for Flute & Piano - Bohuslav Martinu
10. Flute Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, BWV1031 - Johann Sebastian Bach
11. Hungarian Dances (piano 4 hands) - Johannes Brahms
12. Ma Mere l'Oye (piano 4 hands) - Maurice Ravel
13. Sonata for Trumpet & Piano - Paul Hindemith
14. Grand Duo Concertant for Clarinet & Piano in E flat major - Carl Maria von Weber
15. Sonata for Recorder & Continuo in A minor, Op. 1 no. 4 - George Frideric Handel
16. Sonata for Clarinet & Piano - Francis Poulenc
17. Sonata for 2 Pianos in D major, K. 448 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
18. 44 Duos for 2 Violins - Bela Bartok


The Greatest Solo Violin Works

  1. 3 Partitas for Violin - Johann Sebastian Bach
  2. 3 Sonatas for Violin - Johann Sebastian Bach
  3. 24 Caprices for Violin - Niccolò Paganini
  4. Sonata for Violin - Bela Bartok
  5. Sonata for Violin in D major - Serge Prokofiev
  6. 12 Fantasias for Violin - George Philipp Telemann
  7. 6 Sonatas for Violin - Eugène Ysaÿe
  8. A Paganini - Alfred Schnittke
  9. Sonata for Violin - Arthur Honegger
10. 2 Sonatas for Violin - Paul Hindemith
11. 2 Suites for Violin - Ernest Bloch
12. Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice for Violin solo - Fritz Kreisler  
13. Sequenza VIII for Violin - Luciano Berio
14. Sonata for Violin - Bernd Alois Zimmermann
15. Sonata for Violin - Hans Werner Henze


The Greatest Solo Cello Works

  1. Suite for Cello No. 1 in G major - Johann Sebastian Bach
  2. Suite for Cello No. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Johann Sebastian Bach  
  3. Sonata for Cello - Zoltán Kodály
  4. Suites for Cello solo No. 3 - Benjamin Britten
  5. Theme and Variations - Jean Sibelius
  6. Sonata for Cello - György Ligeti
  7. Sonata for Cello - George Crumb
  8. Suite for Cello - Gaspar Cassadó
  9. Sonata for Cello in C sharp minor - Serge Prokofiev
10. Près for Cello - Kaija Saariaho
11. Serenade for Cello - Hans Werner Henze
12. Three Suites for Cello - Ernest Bloch
13. Petals for Cello - Kaija Saariaho
14. Suite for Cello - Ernst Krenek
15. Sacher Variations for Cello - Witold Lutoslawski


The Greatest Solo Flute Works

  1. Syrinx - Claude Debussy
  2. Partita for Flute in A minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
  3. Density 21.5 - Edgard Varèse
  4. Fantasias (12) for Flute - Georg Philipp Telemann
  5. Sonata for Flute solo in A minor - Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach  
  6. Sequenza I for Flute - Luciano Berio
  7. Danse de la chèvre for Flute - Arthur Honegger
  8. Pièce for Flute - Jacques Ibert
  9. Pieces (8) for Flute - Paul Hindemith
10. Ascèses for Flute - André Jolivet








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