Essential Repertoire

[xaos]

Hullo everyone,
Ive been playing piano for roughly 10 months, and I just wanted to know what you guys think is the "essential repertoire" that all students of piano should learn (assuming they have a reasonable degree of skill and commitment). By just looking around it seems the most popular pieces are Beethoven sonatas, Liszt etudes, and Chopin etudes. In any case, whats your opinion on the essential repertoire of a commited student?


Thanks.

[Skeptopotamus]

everyone learns La Campanella.

[da jake]

Every pianist must learn a prelude and fugue from the WTC at some point.

[Kassaa]

Hammerklavier Sonata.

[da jake]

Shorly u jest. *chortle*

[hazypurple21]

well tempered clavier, beethoven sonatas

[stevie]

essential concerti -

grieg
tchaikovsky 1
rach 2+3

[brewtality]

^ the grieg is not one I'd call essential.
For me essential concerti would be the Rach 1, Henselt, Rubinstein 3 and 4 but thats just my opinion

[alzado]

Just my impression, but if this individual has taken lessons for 10 months, I am not sure he is really ready for some of the suggestions, which can be god-awful difficult.

As for me, I'm just an amateur.  I also am not a "committed student," whatever exactly that means.

I really like the Chopin waltzes.  I like and play the Myra Hess version of "Jesu."

I play movements of a couple of Beethoven sonatas. 

I am now playing a prelude by Ravel, and am also playing my way through Edward MacDowell.

Some of the pieces that are "good for you" may be boring, as well.  I have never played an etude and never will.

I do play shorter pieces by Schumann, Ravel, and others.

Of course, I am the first to admit I am not "serious" about piano.  I'm a senior citizen who plays for enjoyment.  And who gets bored easily.

[AvoidedCadence]

Well, I don't think any one piece of music can be called essential.   Name any famous piece, and there's probably at least one 'great master' who never played it.

Also, what is "essential"?  Anything that you love sufficiently might be essential, TO YOU.  What is essential to a top-rank artist is not essential to a teacher of beginners, and vice versa.

That said, what I think IS essential (eventually) is:
a) a selection of polyphonic works (Bach WTC, suites, toccatas, or other Baroque, some Romantic polyphonic stuff, Shostakovich)
b) some large-scale classical works (sonatas/variations/fantasies) including some Beethoven
c) some large-scale works of Chopin (Scherzi/Ballades/fantasy/sonatas)
d) a smattering of etudes of Chopin (Including some "finger" etudes, some "arpeggio" etudes, some double-note etudes, etc. - not necessarily all) and possibly etudes of Liszt, Rachmaninoff, or Scriabin
e) some large works from the Russian school (eg sonatas, Rachmaninoff variations)
f) some sets of smaller pieces, such as Chopin preludes/waltzes/mazurkas, or Schumann, or Prokofiev Visions...
g) something French, or Spanish, or Romanian (Bartok)

These should expose you to pretty much all the different problems (finger independence and voicing, endurance, tension control, scales and arpeggios, chordal playing, various pedalling problems, and interpretation of both large-scale pieces and miniatures from all genres.  You will also probably have a "balanced" repertoire.

You will notice that Liszt, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff do not appear explicitly on my list.  This is only because I do not consider any single one of these composers to be essential.  Chopin is a special case.  He is arguably the most popular, unique, and educational of the Romantic masters.  Of course, this is all arbitrary anyways.

[prometheus]

What do you mean when you say Chopin is educational?


There is no essential repetoire.

[stevie]

What do you mean when you say Chopin is educational?


There is no essential repetoire.

the etudes are educational, chopin knew how to use the piano very efficiently.

[nanabush]

I think you should learn a Chopin etude, Bach P/F, Beethoven Sonata, and a crazy modern work...

[musicsdarkangel]

I would encourage every student to at some point learn Chopin etudes.

[steinwaym]

Sorabji is crucial to the development of a young musician.

[musicsdarkangel]

Sorabji is crucial to the development of a young musician.

lol

[pianote]

not really an essential repertoire...

for developing pianist you should keep a repertoire from all different time periods...

it usually isn't until later on that pianists really focus on one composer/ or period.


for technique chopin etudes/ the well-tempered clavier...

but musically there's no limit for "essential" repertoire- everything helps

[nanabush]

I'd say to prep for Chopin etudes, which helped me start my first one, Moszkowsky etudes for finger dexterity (i think, something with dexterity)...They help alot..

[stormx]

For a beginner, Clementi's sonatinas are useful (and nice). 

[shasta]

For a beginner, Clementi's sonatinas are useful (and nice). 

Yes, and I'd also add Kuhlau's.  What budding pianist hasn't had to play one of their sonatinas?   

[pita bread]

Me, thank god.

[Jacey1973]

A Mozart sonata surely?

After learning one this last year i feel i've learnt a hell of alot from it - in terms of technique/style/touch (- mainly how to play lightly which i found particulary difficult)/sound - all things i can apply to many other pieces. I found the Mozart (K576 it was) took me longer to learn than Beethoven's Les Adieux which i started 3 weeks ago, Mozart is defintely a real challenge.

I have more respect for his music than ever these days.

[musicsdarkangel]

A Mozart sonata surely?

After learning one this last year i feel i've learnt a hell of alot from it - in terms of technique/style/touch (- mainly how to play lightly which i found particulary difficult)/sound - all things i can apply to many other pieces. I found the Mozart (K576 it was) took me longer to learn than Beethoven's Les Adieux which i started 3 weeks ago, Mozart is defintely a real challenge.

I have more respect for his music than ever these days.

I totally agree with every words you said.  I have been learning K 284, and the 3rd movement theme and variations has given me more technical and musical trouble than any sonata has.  I have learned so much about the style, technique, touch, control of volume, and phrasing.

I respect Mozart big time (now) and agree that it's essential to anyone's repitoire as a growing pianist.

[chromatickler]

who the *** would want to play the same sh*t as everyone else?

[Skeptopotamus]

true

[xaos]

who the *** would want to play the same *** as everyone else?

Wow, go sit in a corner somewhere.

...

...

Fool!