I play old favorites, standards. The type music you would expect to hear in a restaurant or hotel lobby. However, I have never played any classical. What artist or numbers would you suggest for me to add in?

This solely depends on your technical skill. Are you a professional player?

Piano adaptation of the Pachelbel Canon is probably good in that context.

We shouldn't also forget the most well known pieces if you play for other people. Rondo alla Turca, Für Elise and Fantaisie-Impromtu(Chopin) is also quite an attention grabber. You might also want to try some Chopin waltzes.

Beautiful and kind of slower paced pieces would be some of Bach's.

Here's a creative commons license version of it for piano from IMSLP -- dunno if it's any good ...

What do you want the music for? (to play at home, for a job coming up, to play to your teacher, ...)

Even things like Grieg's Lyric pieces would be great - when playing for others, music that creates very specific images is easily relatable and enjoyable for most audiences.

I agree that much of this depends on your skill level, though . There is any number of beautiful impressionist and romantic pieces to recommend, but they aren't the type of thing that players unfamiliar with classical would play easily, unless they had very strong theory skills and playing habits.

Interesting question. A collection of stuff like that is good even for advanced players, because sometimes we find ourselves in a place where that's what the people would most like to hear. (Should we cater to that? I think so, sometimes.)

I would say: (sorry that it's all so trite -- but I think that's what we're looking for here!)

Mozart Rondo a la Turca (as Jame said)
Debussy Claire de Lune
Beethoven 1st movement of Moonlight Sonata
Chopin Nocturne #2 (Op. 9 no. 2)
Pachelbel Canon is a good idea too (as JCortese said)
Schumann's Traumerei
The Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach thing (don't even know the actual name)
Mozart Sonata in C major (K. 545), 1st mvt (if you feel like learning it)

...and of course
Fur Elise (as Jame also said)

Jame also mentioned Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu....that would be real good but it might be harder than what's worth working up for something like this.

P.S. I'm ready for almost everyone here to laugh at the list.

There is no reason to laugh at the list. It is probably THE list if you want to play something to an audience who doesn't know anything or very little about classical.

Oh how many times I have impressed girls with Für Elise. I have also numerous times told my friends that to impress people at the piano you just need to know the first 20 or so bars of Für Elise.

I believe it. I've tried Brahms 2nd concerto but Fur Elise usually works better.

I do not play professionally. I play for myself, however, about 10 to 20 times a year I find myself playing for friends at their parties, weddings, etc. I forgot, I do play one classical number Fur Elise almost well enough to play in public. I can read music well and have a good knowledge of scales. chords, musical theroy. I am not into jazz I have only studied classical music on clarinet and that was at age ten. I am now well past seventy. So Fur Elise impresses the girls does it, I would have thought the intro would impress anyone. I can play it now but at one time I thought about setting the sheets on fire. LOL Jame334 hit the nail on the head - When I play it is mostly for people who know nothing about music and less about classical. They just think they do. LOL.

Thanks very much for the help. More help is welcome. Download and practice time.

John

Well if you mostly play for yourself. Than anything by Chopin fits the bill. Chopin is just so very beautiful. I suggest looking for some Chopin waltzes, mazurkas, preludes or nocturnes. Though Chopin is reasonably-very difficult. You might also want to look into Strauss II, if you like waltzes a lot.
There are also Mozart sonatas, they might sound a bit childish, but they are technically difficult and beautiful.

Bach preludes and fugues would be perfect if you're playing for yourself, mostly. Well, since the pieces have the performer as the audience.

A good, and simple, old chestnut is Satie's Gymnopodie no 1 (which everyone will have heard). However, I don't think it needs to be music that most people will know, just music that most people will like. A couple of pieces that spring to mind are Albeniz's Tango and Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Defunte.

Liszt's Totentanz

I think you're looking for Minuet in G major BWV Anh 114 (which it seems was actually written by Christian Petzold, for anybody who keeps track of such things).

To the original poster - this so-called "Bach Minuet in G" is very nice and quite easy. You should probably learn it first, if you don't know it already.


PS I'm not laughing - it's a useful list that (because it's well-known in some circles) doesn't often get written down.

....and I gotta say, I really enjoyed writing it.
In part because I was surprised how SHORT it is.

Years ago there was one of those TV commercials for some cassette collection, and the guy said it was "all the classical music your family will ever need."

This is kind of like that. For a 'serious' musician it's really mediocre, but if you're just noodling around and you want people to like what you're playing, it's all the classical piano you'll ever need.

I think we can make this list a tad longer.

• Brahms Hungarian Dance #5
• Grieg - Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
• Rubinstein - Melody in F
• Paderewski - Minuet in G
• Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• Mendelssohn - Spring Song
• Dvorak - Humoresque op 101 no7

And of course:
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody #2

Is there a link available for downloads from a public domain or must one purchase the sheets on line? What is recommended?

Well I know that G.Henle has very nice collections of different composers pieces. Where the pieces of the same category are all collected to one book and it also has the perfect bindings for music playing.

Also try this:
http://imslp.org/wiki/

You can probably find most of it here: LINK TO SHEETMUSIC

You just posted the same thing I did.

JINX!

Actually, I didn't see your link, which is why I embolden mine. I'll see if I can find another source.

I thought he was looking for 'easy' stuff. A lot of what you listed is hardly. (Were you goofing on us on purpose?)

(Don't put anything past Damon.)

Although I admit I overlooked the skill aspect, all of the pieces I listed can be found simplified in method books and other collections. That's what happens when a piece is extremely popular as these all are.

On the skill part there is no problem. I have played from fake sheets for so long I can work out most problems. I can always dumb it down. My biggest problem is that I am slow playing the left hand unless chords are indicated. On that I just need to practice more reading and playing l.h.

On the location I see Damon is from the St. Louis Area - He can't be all bad -LOL- I lived for about eight years in High Ridge, Mo off of Dillion Road.

To all of you who provided information and help I thank you very much. You are really a great bunch of people. John