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I've been recently thinking over pieces that I would like to play in the future and an interesting question hit me:
What do you think are the quintessential piano pieces? That is, what are the pieces every pianist should play?
Do or do not, there is no try.
CURRENT PIECES Beethoven Sonata Op.49 No.2 Fur Elise Chopin Waltz Op.69 No.2 Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2 Schumann Op.15 No.1 (About Strange Lands and People) Schumann Op.15 No.7 (Traumerei)
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Wow, Pianoluvr, what a great, open-ended question. There are thousands, but I think if I wanted to have a broad selection of favorites in my repertoire, I'd include:
Prelude & Fugue in C by Bach Rondo alla Turca by Mozart Adagio Cantabile from Sonata Pathetique or 1sst movement from Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven Chopin Waltz Opus 64, #2 Clair de Lune by Debussy Maple Leaf Rag or Solace by Joplin Autumn Leaves or other jazz standard Linus & Lucy by Guaraldi
Nancy
Estonia 168
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This is almost the same question as
"What are the most over-played pieces?"
Life without Piano is Death
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J.S Bach 12 Preludes and Fugues from Well-tempered Clavier bk 1 and 2 3-4 Bach Concert Pieces ( Partitas/Italian Concertos etc) 3-4 sonatinas by Clementi/Kulah etc. 2-3 classical sonatas by each of the following composers: Mozart,Haydn,Beethoven,Schubert 3-4 romantic sonatas by Beethoven/Chopin/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Grieg etc. Romantic pieces by Chopin,Mendelssohn,Schumann,Grieg,Liszt etc. 20th Centuary pieces by Debussy,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc. Concert etudes by Chopin,Debussy,Bartok,Schumann etc. a few concertso by each of the following composers: Bach,Mozart,Beethoven,Haydn,Chopin,Mendelssohn, Schumann,Liszt,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc.
Mastering:Chopin Etudes op.10 nos.8&12 and op.25 no.1, Chopin Scherzo no.4 in E major op.54, Mozart Sonata in B flat major K.333& Khachaturian Toccata
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Originally posted by Amelialw: J.S Bach 12 Preludes and Fugues from Well-tempered Clavier bk 1 and 2 3-4 Bach Concert Pieces ( Partitas/Italian Concertos etc) 3-4 sonatinas by Clementi/Kulah etc. 2-3 classical sonatas by each of the following composers: Mozart,Haydn,Beethoven,Schubert 3-4 romantic sonatas by Beethoven/Chopin/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Grieg etc. Romantic pieces by Chopin,Mendelssohn,Schumann,Grieg,Liszt etc. 20th Centuary pieces by Debussy,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc. Concert etudes by Chopin,Debussy,Bartok,Schumann etc. a few concertso by each of the following composers: Bach,Mozart,Beethoven,Haydn,Chopin,Mendelssohn, Schumann,Liszt,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc. If every pianist should play all this, I'm going to give up.
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This is almost the same question as
"What are the most over-played pieces?" If every pianist should play all this, I'm going to give up. Why so negative about the question? I suppose you could view it from the perspective of overplayed pieces. But "overplayed" gives a connotation of "played way too much whether they're worth it or not", with particular emphasis on pieces that aren't worth it. My question was geared more towards what pieces ARE worth playing to the point that every pianist ought to at least learn how to play them, if not necessarily memorize. I didn't intend to cause any anger or frustration.
Do or do not, there is no try.
CURRENT PIECES Beethoven Sonata Op.49 No.2 Fur Elise Chopin Waltz Op.69 No.2 Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2 Schumann Op.15 No.1 (About Strange Lands and People) Schumann Op.15 No.7 (Traumerei)
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I agree, Pianoluvr. "Overplayed" is a loaded term. I heard a 14 year old groan when someone mentioned liking Pachelbel's Canon, saying it was played too much. Jaded at 14? I think the reason they're played so much is because their beauty is so universal. I do think it's important to include less known pieces in a repertoire for variety, but this thread will be longer than "Totally Devoted to Chopin" if we include everyone's favorite "Deep Cuts."
Pianoluvr, have you read Charles Cooke's book, "Playing Piano for Pleasure"? It talks about learning a list of pieces like this, making sure to pick a variety and finding pieces that people want to listen to. That book really reignited my interest in piano, so I highly recommend it.
I like Ameliaw's list. I hope that at the end of my piano career I can say I've played all those things. They just won't stay in my memorized repertoire in less I annex someone else's brain space!
Nancy
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Originally posted by little-big-man: Originally posted by Amelialw: [b] J.S Bach 12 Preludes and Fugues from Well-tempered Clavier bk 1 and 2 3-4 Bach Concert Pieces ( Partitas/Italian Concertos etc) 3-4 sonatinas by Clementi/Kulah etc. 2-3 classical sonatas by each of the following composers: Mozart,Haydn,Beethoven,Schubert 3-4 romantic sonatas by Beethoven/Chopin/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Grieg etc. Romantic pieces by Chopin,Mendelssohn,Schumann,Grieg,Liszt etc. 20th Centuary pieces by Debussy,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc. Concert etudes by Chopin,Debussy,Bartok,Schumann etc. a few concertso by each of the following composers: Bach,Mozart,Beethoven,Haydn,Chopin,Mendelssohn, Schumann,Liszt,Rachmaninoff,Prokofiev etc. If every pianist should play all this, I'm going to give up. [/b]Why would you give up if every pianist has to play what's on that list? This is what you would find on a good repertoire list and although it may look impossible to achieve that much at 1st, it is possible.And if you do, you will have a great sense of achievment.
Mastering:Chopin Etudes op.10 nos.8&12 and op.25 no.1, Chopin Scherzo no.4 in E major op.54, Mozart Sonata in B flat major K.333& Khachaturian Toccata
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pianoluvr,
I think the answer to this question is different for everyone, and it depends on the kind of music they like to play. If your main interest is jazz, or pop, your list is going to be very different from the pieces listed by people who are focused on the classical repertoire. If your interest is classical, bear in mind that Amelia is aiming for a concert career. I think Nancy's list is much more realistic for someone who plays for the pleasure of it rather than aiming to make it their career.
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OK -
EDIT - did not realize you wanted classical....
"There is nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself." Johann Sebastian Bach/Gyro
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Originally posted by Donna R: pianoluvr,
I think the answer to this question is different for everyone, and it depends on the kind of music they like to play. If your main interest is jazz, or pop, your list is going to be very different from the pieces listed by people who are focused on the classical repertoire. If your interest is classical, bear in mind that Amelia is aiming for a concert career. I think Nancy's list is much more realistic for someone who plays for the pleasure of it rather than aiming to make it their career. I agree. I shouldn't class myself as "A Pianist". I'm a person who loves to play the piano. And I do believe that Amelialw's list is a bit much for most "Adult Beginners" who frequent this particular board on this forum.
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I think the answer to this question is different for everyone Very true, I can see that. Especially the great differences that exist between a classical pianist vs, say, a jazz pianist. I suppose my question was aimed primarily at classical music. I asked it because people often say things such as "everyone should learn at least some Bach." So I was going for the pieces that are those "should learns" for developing technique and so forth. Milestone pieces lets say. I'm think that I phrased the question poorly. Sorry!
Do or do not, there is no try.
CURRENT PIECES Beethoven Sonata Op.49 No.2 Fur Elise Chopin Waltz Op.69 No.2 Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2 Schumann Op.15 No.1 (About Strange Lands and People) Schumann Op.15 No.7 (Traumerei)
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i don't think everyone should play every piece in Bach WTC and invention sets, but one should at least play as much inventions (as my teacher says) as possible, and some preludes and fugues from WTC. Bach is kind of like the fundamental for pianists, and any serious pianists should play Bach for sure.
after Bach, depending on what level you want to achieve, some Beethonen, Mozart sonatas and Chopin etudes (not necessarily all) should be the next to put into one's rep.
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Pianoluvr, you might like to take a look at the Alfred "An Introduction to His Keyboard Works" series. They're available for quite a few composers, including Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann. The nice thing about these books is that the pieces are arranged pretty much in order of difficulty and they have an introductory section with tips about how to play that composer's work. And I think you'll find that most of them will contain some better known pieces that could be considered 'landmark' as well as some lesser-known things. For instance, the Schumann book contains "Traumerei" and the Beethoven book contains "Fur Elise".
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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