Why do so many pieces of classical music have only a technical name (Sonata #5, Concerto 2 in A minor, symphony #4, etc.) instead of a “name” like Fuhr Elise or Eine Kline Nachtmusik?

Question

I can only speak for myself, but this makes it really hard to keep track of the songs I like. I love listening to classical music but if you asked me my favorite artists I would have difficulty telling you specifics.

In: 8720

Answer 1

In part, this is caused by the fact that “giving a title” is a 20th century fashion. In the past, titling wasn’t a mandatory practice. It was common, but it wasn’t assumed that if a work of art exists, then it must have a title. This is also true for novels and works of art. Many 17th/18th/19th century novels didn’t have titles proper, like “Hunger Games” or “A Song of Ice and Fire”. They had rather lengthy titles appearing in the frontespice which were just a declaration of the genre, the name of a protagonist and the kind of events described, e.g. “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman”.