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So What Pieces do you think every pianist should know. doesn't have to be a list or anything (lists are welcome) it can just be one piece.

IMHO, it all starts with Bach 48 (WTC).

Without this there is nothing.

Play the WTC to get some fundamental basics down. Play Beethoven sonatas to get an unerstanding of music down. Play technical studies from the romantic era to develop a strong technique.

...and when you've done that get back to Bach and you might learn what music is really all about. (Bach is paramount, not a mere step on the way.)


John

Scarlatti: selected Sonatas
JS Bach: a (comprehensive) selection of WTC I & II, English/French Suites, Partitas
Haydn: selected Sonatas
Beethoven: selected Sonatas
Schubert: selected Sonatas/Impromptus
Mozart: selected Sonatas
Chopin: selected Etudes, Preludes, Scherzi, Mazurkas, Waltzes, Nocturnes, Polonaises, Ballades.
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Album für die Jugend, Kreisleriana, plus selected others.
Liszt: Consolations/Liebesträume, a few TEs, plus a selection of Hungarian Rhapsodies.
Brahms: Piano pieces Op. 118/119, plus selected others
Scriabin: a selection of Preludes plus maybe a Sonata or two.
Mussorgsky: selections from Pictures at an Exhibition.
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque, Children's Corner, Preludes I & II, Images I & II, Pour le Piano, plus selected others.
Ravel: Sonatine, Tombeau de Couperin, Three Pieces, etc.
Rachmaninoff: selected Preludes/Etudes-Tableaux
Bartók: selected piano works
Hindemith: selected piano works
Prokofiev: selected Sonatas
Shostakovich: selected Preludes, Preludes/Fugues

Probably forgotten lots of others, but off the top of my head, this is what I would expect an experienced, medium to advanced level, amateur classical pianist to be at least familiar with, and be able to make reasonable representations of specific works, though of course not necessarily play the whole list upto public performance standard.

-Michael B.

All pianists should know:

Bach 48 Preludes and Fugues, as well as one of each kind of suite and one partita.

A Beethoven Sonata

Liszt Sonata

At least... My Opinion .

Dan

Apparently, this thread is about pieces that every CLASSICAL pianist should know.

The truth of the matter is, most people in the average audience/party/function, unless it's a recital or concert, have no understanding of classical music, and thus, no appreciation of it.

In my humble opinion then, (FWIW) every pianist should know a variety of pieces for a variety of settings, ranging from pop, boogie, classical, jazz, ragtime, baroque, and pop.

I don't understand you list. By "Bach 48 preludes and fugues," do you mean the entire WTC? I don't think that's realistic, and there are lots of really good pianists who don't play all 48.

"A Beethoven Sonata." Just one? Now I'm going in the other direction . I think a good pianist should play a handful of Beetoven sonatas.

"Liszt sonata." Well, not everyone plays that one, but it's still a great piece to study. I would say a mix of Liszt from "Annees," etudes, HRs, etc.

Where's the Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Mendelssohn?

I said every pianist. Chopin you can choose if you must. Haydn is nice, and preparatory to Beethoven.
Mendelssohn if you must. Mozart is good but I didn't think really essential.

I agree with Busoni- You must play Bach, Beethoven and Liszt. Because they are the greatest composers for their instrument.

I just think that everyone should have the experience of a the Liszt Sonata, a Beethoven Sonata, and Richter said that the WTC was the hardest thing he ever did.

Dan

John Cage - Silence

I Gotta say - Mendelssohn is very under-rated and under-appreciated. He's one of the composers (along w/Beethoven) that I wish had lived longer.

Of Mendelssohn's output, the Serious Variations are incredible. The Prelude and Fugue in e is good.

But that rather ends his "great" writing for piano. He did far better in other fields, such as chamber music, symphonies, Elijah. There lie his greater masterpieces.

Dan

Dan,
I tried open your link but had no luck. Any suggestions?

("Shut up, Frank. You don't know any of these pieces, so you can't possibly be a pianist." "Yeah, Frank: Shut up. Classical is the only music in the world.")

i don't think Liszt sonata is a must for any pianist, because it leads to the argument like this about me: i will never play it anyway which means i'm not a serious pianist or never will be.

i think some sonatas from Beethoven, Mozart or Haydn-Clementi are necessary. Bach is a 'have-to', some of his WTC or inventions at least. also, some Chopin etudes are necessary, even though one doesn't have to play all op.10 & 25 sets.

At least 3 or 4 selections from the WTC. (One or two from each book.)

A couple of Mozart sonatas, as well as 3 or 4 by Beethoven.

At least a handful of Chopin Etudes, along with a Nocturne or two and a Scherzo or Ballade.

A Prokofieff sonata and a Rachmaninoff Prelude or Etude.

A couple of Debussy Preludes.

You're right. I take that back. I think I'd like everyone to have the experience of studying the sonata, but I don't think it's compulsory.

Really, then, you should know some Bach WTC, some Chopin Etudes, some Classical Sonatas, and maybe just one thing from 20th century.

Right-Click save as should work. If not, then I don't know what's wrong. Do you have excel?

Dan

Happy Birthday. Seriously: it'll earn you respect everytime you churn out the old piano at granma's at such occasion...

I think PoStTeNeBrAsLuX has pretty well covered everything. And then I'd add Happy Birthday (thanks, namekuseijin) and a dozen Christmas carols (these seem to be especially useful around Christmastime) with Auld Lang Syne.

Now, someone else choose the Christmas carols.