The most Beautiful piece

[grazioso]

Being relatively new i still have not explored the outer corners of this forum but i have already noticed a large emphasise on the difficult and virtuosic aspectof the repetoire instead of the beautiful side of it.

Personally i think Brahms Klavierstucke op 118 no.2 has got to rank quite highly nut i'd like to hear your suggestions.

Come on People....Make me CRY

[Aziel]

I'll make you cry...

 <---- You.

[pianonut]

liszt's b minor ballade 2 (oops about chopin)

faure's fourth nocturne

the ballade doesn't really make me cry, but it's the most beautiful piece when played well.  the fourth nocturne isn't bad either.  beethoven's emperor concerto.  and, schumann's vocal songs.  actually, i never cry over piano music, only vocal.  you know, the heart cry - where you say to yourself "i will never hear anything so beautiful again."

the philadelphia orchestra makes me cry.  for one thing...i don't know how they can stay so perfectly together.

ps  there's a beautiful jewish melody named 'ein kamocha' that i am enamored by.  it is non repetitive and takes and interesting twist in the middle.  has to be sung by someone with two vocal ranges probably. 

[phil13]

One of the most beautiful pieces ever composed is Chopin's Nocturne in C# minor op. posth., but it has to be played EXACTLY RIGHT in the musical aspect in order to achieve this effect. When it's played right, it's one of the few pieces that actually makes me shed a tear or two.

Another is Chopin's Mazurka in A minor Op.17 No.4.

Phil

[pianohopper]

It's not piano, but I really like the Poco allegretto of Brahms' 3rd Symphony.

[nanabush]

I just looked back into some of my older books from RCM, and in grade 5 of the old system, there's a piece called Harmony of the Angels, forget the composer  .  It is not near the difficulty of the pieces mentioned, but it sounds so delicate and peaceful.  It is my mom's favorite piece that I have played.

[infamousbr]

op 52 ballade by chopin, there are 2-3 diff. melodies in it that are 

[musik_man]

The Adagio from Beethoven's Hammerklavier.  19 minutes long but worth every minute.

[grazioso]

Yeh, actually i do really like the chopin as well phil.
I really like the 2nd movement of Grieg concerto as well...the harmony is awesome

[donjuan]

I would say Liszt's Andante Lagrimoso from his Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses and the 2nd movement from Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.

[etudes]

2nd movement from Chopin 1st concerto
4th Chopin Ballade (someone already mentioned it)
2nd movement from the last beethoven sonata
very beautiful for me

[grazioso]

Although Chopin said that his third etude 'tristesse' was a melody so beautifu 'he had never written another to equal it'. But i never could understand how one man could write such an amazing amount of such well wirtten music for piano. We are truly blessed!

[Bouter Boogie]

Dvorak's 2nd movement, "From the new world symphony"

[alhimia]

Beethoven op. 109 mvt. 3

[stevie]

tchaikovsky's piano trio has the most beautiful theme ive ever heard

[pianohopper]

Brahms - op. 118

[perfect_pitch]

Traumeri - Really delicate... very beautiful.

[JCarey]

I think this is a ridiculous topic, really. Beauty is very subjective. But I'll put together a list of some of my favorites -


Beethoven -

Piano Sonata, "Waldstein"
Piano Sonata, Op. 81a
Piano Sonata, Op. 109
Piano Sonata, Op. 110
Piano Sonata, Op. 111
Symphony #9 in D Minor


Busoni -

Piano Concerto


Debussy -

Suite Bergamasque, Clair de Lune
Reverie
L'isle Joyeuse


Gershwin -

Rhapsody in Blue
Concerto in F
American in Paris


Godowsky -

Sonata, especially the 2nd movement
4 Poems, especially "Avowel"
Polonaise in C Major
Waltz Poems, 1 and 2


Grieg -

Piano Concerto in A Minor


Liszt -

Sonata in B Minor
Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Hungarian Rhapsody #12
Piano Concerti (both of them)


Mahler -

The Symphonies


Mozart -

String Quartet, "Dissonance"
Requiem
Fantasy in D Minor
Several of the operas


Rachmaninoff -

Piano Concerto #3
Piano Concerto #2
Symphony #2
The Vocal Works
Most solo piano music


Ravel -

Gaspard de la Nuit
Piano Concerto in G Major (2nd Movement)
Everything else


Scriabin -

The late sonatas, starting at #5
Piano Concerto


Shostakovich -

Symphony #5


Sorabji -

Le Jardin Parfume (I'd put this in the list of top 10 most beautiful piano pieces)
Gullistan
Fantasie Espagnole
Piano Sonata #1


I'm sure I left out a lot. That's all I can think of at the moment.

[pita bread]

Barber -

Piano Concerto
Souvenir #5 "Hesitation Tango"


Bartok -

Etudes Op. 18 #2


Busoni -

Piano Concerto, mvt. 5


Debussy -

Etude #11


Godowsky -

4 Poems
Java Suite


Griffes -

Roman Sketches Op. 7 #3 "The Fountains of Acqua Paola"


Messiaen -

Vingt Regards #11


Poulenc -

Trois Novelettes #3


Prokofiev -

Piano Concerto #2


Ravel -

Trois poemes de Stephane Mallarme
La Valse
Piano Trio
Piano Concerti in D & G


Scriabin -

Sonatas #4 - 10


Sorabji -

Gulistan
In the Hothouse
Pastiche on Rimski-Korsakov's Hindu Merchant Song


Villa Lobos -

Hommage a Chopin
Piano Concerto #1

[grazioso]

I don't agree that bauty is entirely subjective. More to do with the natural conditioning from our surroundings. Personal taste is important but surely there is more to music then just a load of notes that are nice to listen to. Do you not think some things have at least in part an objective beauty??

[hannon_freek]

HI there new to the forum, spelt my name wrong  Must say from my experiences that a most beautiful piece to me is a pop piece Witchi-Tai-To by Harpers Bizarre. It is not a piano-specific piece but if you listen carefully I think that is a piano - currently I am arranging a piano solo version to be played (if I'm allowed...) for the students in school assembly, in the style of Ravel (1875 - 1937).

[6ft 4]

Beethoven op. 109 mvt. 3

Agreed.

[JCarey]

I don't agree that bauty is entirely subjective. More to do with the natural conditioning from our surroundings. Personal taste is important but surely there is more to music then just a load of notes that are nice to listen to. Do you not think some things have at least in part an objective beauty??

If you are talking to me, I suggest you read my post again. I never said that beauty is "entirely" subjective, I said it was "very" subjective.

[grazioso]

Ok. But i do think it is worthwhile to consider wot we feel about pieces on a higer level then just technical challenges. perhaps beautiful is not the correct word but it is still worthwhile to consider why some things make us feel certain ways but also how the pianists playing them acheive this

[ada]

The Heart Asks Pleasure First, Michael Nyman (theme from The Piano).
With a a username like mine what else could it be?

[dorfmouse]

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member

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Posts: 411


  Re: The most Beautiful piece
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2005, 03:46:40 AM » 

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I just looked back into some of my older books from RCM, and in grade 5 of the old system, there's a piece called Harmony of the Angels, forget the composer   .  It is not near the difficulty of the pieces mentioned, but it sounds so delicate and peaceful.  It is my mom's favorite piece that I have played.
 

Aah! That sparked a memory! I've just rooted round in the dusty bottom drawer and found it in my grade 2 exam pieces from way way back.  It's Study in G, L'Harmonie des Anges by Burgmüller Op 100 no.21.
My mum loved it too. You've reminded me to play it, I hope better now!

[6ft 4]

The Heart Asks Pleasure First, Michael Nyman (theme from The Piano).
With a a username like mine what else could it be?

ugh

that piece is awful!!

whats "ada"?

[chromatickler]

i agree. i much prefer 'my heart will go on'

[nanabush]

Burgmuller that's it!  Yes Harmony of Angels, very simple yet very beautiful..

[pseudopianist]

*edit*

[stevie]

ugh

that piece is awful!!

whats "ada"?

aprobably a charachter from the movie 'the piano'

i actually love that piece too.. 

i also like CELINE DION!

wow, that felt good

[6ft 4]

aprobably a charachter from the movie 'the piano'

i actually love that piece too.. 

i also like CELINE DION!

wow, that felt good

I always knew "stevie" was a camp version of "steve"

[jeremyjchilds]

I like Chopin's etude no.3
and brahms' op118 #2

You may think I am crazy, but bach's Fugue in D maj. book 1 is beautiful in a less indulgent way...

[freddychopin]

Liszt: Ballade no.2
Chopin: Ballade no.4 & Nocturne op. 48 no.1

[musicsdarkangel]

Being relatively new i still have not explored the outer corners of this forum but i have already noticed a large emphasise on the difficult and virtuosic aspectof the repetoire instead of the beautiful side of it.

Personally i think Brahms Klavierstucke op 118 no.2 has got to rank quite highly nut i'd like to hear your suggestions.

Come on People....Make me CRY

i shot your cat.

[musicsdarkangel]

Really though, a lot of the most beautiful music is virtuostic.

For me,

Liszt - Sonata in B minor
Liszt - Valee de Obermann
Rachmaninoff - Sonata no 2
Rachmaninoff - Concerto no 3
Rachmaninoff - Concerto no 2
Rachmaninoff - etude op 23 no 7
Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Ravel - Jeux Deu (mispelling?)
Ravel - Sonatine
Brahms - Concerto no 2
Prokofiev - Tocatta (JUST KIDDING)
Chopin - Ocean Etude
Chopin - Ballade in G minor
Franck - Symphonic Variations
Barber - Sonata (i know, you think i'm nuts, but there is much beauty)
Beethoven - Appassionata
Tchaikovsky - Concerto no 1
Grieg - Piano sonata in E minor
Scriabin - etude op 42 no 5
Scriabin - Mazurka op 25 no 3

Barber - violin concerto
Mendelsson - viollin concerto in e minor
Prokofiev - violin concerto no 2
Bruch - violin concerto
Beethoven - violin concerto
Many violin concertos (Mendelsson, Prokofiev 2, Bruch, Beethoven, etc)
Bartok - Romanian dances (violin and piano), especially no 4
Brahms - Violin sonata in D minor
Kreistler - Preludium and Allegro
Bach - partitas (most)
 

(I'm a violinist too)

[pianohopper]

People sometimes forget that Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto also has very beautiful strains to it, particularly in the beginning.

[stevie]

I always knew "stevie" was a camp version of "steve"

and i always had a feeling that 6ft 4 was a slightly taller version of 6ft 3.5


for some reason i find the exoticism of sorabji's pastiche on the sadko theme very beautiful.

the score is very scary though..

[ada]

ugh

that piece is awful!!

whats "ada"?

How can you possibly think it's awful? I has the most beautiful melody, inspired by scottish folk tunes.

fyi Ada is the main character who  - do not read any further if you still want to see the movie - has her hand cut off (some may suggest this should happen to me)

fyi I also like the heart asks pleasure first

fyi I do NOT like Celine Dion

[da jake]

Springing immediately to mind:

Bach - 6th Partita, opening movement. Aria from Goldberg Variations
Alkan - Aime-Moi
Chopin - 3rd Sonata, 1st movement, 1st Ballade

[nolan]

It isn't piano, but I'd say "Vide Cor Meum" by Patrick Cassidy from the Hannibal soundtrack.

[dbrainiak914]

Liszt Waldesrauschen

[pseudopianist]

Scriabin:

Deux Poem Op 71
Sonata No 8

[vladhorwz]

1) Rach 3, first mvmnt (When played by him, not turned into a rubato love song)

2) Tendres Reproches   - Tchaikovsky

[nanabush]

Pavane pour une infante defunte, just recently heard it, and I think it's beautiful..

[lyret]

I agree with ada, The Heart Asks Pleasure First is a very beautiful piece.  When I heard it for the first time I was moved and immediately sought out the music.  I don't know if it would the MOST beautiful piece I've ever heard, but it is certainly up there.

[allthumbs]

One of the most moving pieces of music for me is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings in B minor, Op.11.

Stunning!

[raffyplayspiano]

i like Chopin nocturne op 15 # 2.  very nice

raffy

[Lebenssturme]

2nd movement of 5th symphony by tchaikovsky

[Bouter Boogie]

Pavane pour une infante defunte, just recently heard it, and I think it's beautiful..

Oh, yes! This piece is absolutely beautiful! I've heard 2 versions of it, one for piano and one for orchestra.. I prefer the piano version, though