7 Famous Classical Violin Pieces for Relaxation and Healing

Want to feel soothed and relaxed just by listening to music? This blog post will introduce recommended classical violin pieces for such people! I have selected famous violin pieces that everyone has heard somewhere, so I hope you will feel relaxed by listening to the songs in the video! We also recommend it as background music when sleeping!

01. Canon by Pachelbel

Composed by German composer Johann Pachelbel. It is often used for celebratory events such as weddings and graduation ceremonies. Actually, "canon" means "circular singing" in musical terms, and the composition consists of a single melody like “Frog's Song”, with each part following it in turn. The violin performance part is pleasant to listen to, so I recommend it as background music for sleep.

02. Aria on the G String by Bach

“Aria on the G String” is an arrangement by a violinist of part of the Bach Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068. The "G string" in the title of the piece refers to the lowest violin string, and the arrangement is arranged so that it can be played only on the G string, which is a bit difficult. It is a standard piece for beginner violin players, so it is recommended as a practice piece. On a personal note, I was very impressed by the use of this piece in an important scene in the second half of The End of Evangelion: Air.

03. Méditation from Thaïs by Massenet

Opera composer Jules Massenet wrote the opera Thaïs, and this is an interlude Méditation from Thaïs between Act 2, Scene 1 and Scene 2. Some people may not know what kind of music it is just from the title, but many may be able to recognize it by listening from the beginning of the piece. This piece has an image of being often played by various instruments, including orchestra, piano, violin, and flute. Like Canon, this piece can be listened to with a particularly pleasant violin tone, and I recommend it as background music for sleep.

04. The Planets by Gustav Holst

The Planets is a symbolic orchestral piece by British composer Gustav Holst, consisting of seven movements, and the chorus of the British national anthem is based on this piece. In Japan, the singer Ayaka Hirahara sang a song based off the fourth movement ‘Jupiter’ and it became a big hit.
In the video, you can hear the famous phrase that everyone has heard before in the latter half of the song. Please try to listen to that part!

05. The Four Seasons: Spring - I Allegro by Vivaldi

From one of the violin concertos composed by Italian composer Vivaldi from his"An Attempt at Harmony and Creativity" collection. “Spring" from The Four Seasons. Many of you may not be able to recognize this piece by name, but once you hear the first melody, you will instantly recognize it and probably say, "Oh, that piece!” This piece often incorporates a form of performance called "solo" in which only the violin plays, and the solo violin and the orchestra play together. Please listen to this piece as it is characterized by a pleasant atmosphere that makes you feel as if you can see beautiful scenery just by listening to it!

06. Salut d’amour (Love’s Greeting), Op. 12 by Elgar

Composed by English composer Edward Elgar, this piece was given to Caroline Alice Roberts from Edward Elgar in 1888 to commemorate their engagement. As the title suggests, the piece is often used for marriages and celebratory occasions. It is a popular piece among pianists and violinists in Japan, and since it is not that difficult to play, it is often performed by a variety of people. It is the kind of piece that makes you feel happy just by listening to it.

07. The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky

This piece was composed by Russian composer Tchaikovsky for a ballet. The theme of this piece is the story of a young girl who is given a nutcracker on Christmas Eve and travels with the doll through the world of dreams. For this reason, you may often hear this melody in the streets around Christmas time. Incidentally, among the many ballets, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, which were also composed by Tchaikovsky, are known as the "three great ballets," and are popular ballets worldwide.

How was it? I hope that the soothing sounds of the violin that I introduced in this article have helped you feel a little more relaxed. I myself play the violin often, so I would like to continue to provide information about the violin in the future. Thank you for reading this article to the end.