Which pieces got you into piano music?

[comme_le_vent]

For me, my introduction to the greatness of piano music was the 3rd movement from beethovens moonlight sonata, I had never heard anything so exciting and emotional. It opened my eyes and ears to a whole new world and got me interested in playing piano. The piece of music that made me aspire to be great at playing the piano was la campanella by liszt. Its delicious variations and textures were so amazing, I just had to be able to play them myself.

Anyway what were your first piano pieces that awakened a love and interest in listening to, and playing the piano?

[Wired]

My mom got me into piano music. She was a concert pianist for a while (not while I was alive), but ended up as a teacher (all I knew her has). However, she did play at our church off and on, and at home quite a bit. Really good stuff.

I personally don't remember which pieces got me interested, but I do remember when we moved I needed to decide if I wanted to keep playing or not (this was when I was about 11). There was this song that I personally loved that made me want to be able to play like my mom. It was Sing Hallelujah by Mark Hayes, but there were others that I remembered.

So, down the road -- right after my senior year in high school, I received the compliment that meant most to me. I was basically told that she thought I was much better than she ever would be. That was an emotional moment, realizing my dreams from 6 years previous were actually true. I still think of her being better than me, but I can't wait to go home for the first time for Christmas and let her hear the songs I've been working on, including Sing Hallelujah

[eddie92099]

Since I started playing when I was fairly young (6) I was introduced to music through basic learning books with very simple pieces in. However, as I progressed I remember listening to the Mozart sonatas and concerti a lot, as well as the simpler works of Chopin such as his Nocturnes and Waltzes. The first piece I "fell in love" with was Rachmaninov's Second Concerto - I think I was around 8 years old when I first heard it - although it was obviously unplayable at that stage! It was the ambition of playing this work though that motivated me, although I didn't actually play any Rachmaninov until I was 11. Basic exploration of the Beethoven sonatas and lighter works of Debussy (such as the Golliwog's Cakewalk) filled in the majority of this intermediary period along with the Mozart sonatas. Beyond the age of 11 or 12, when I began to discover new music without the guidance of a teacher, I found a huge number of pieces to play that I wanted to play (as opposed to practising the Well-Tempered Klavier because of it being good for finger dexterity!). Needless to say I have not run out of works in the vast piano repertoire to keep me busy up until now,
Ed    

[erik-]

Schubert's Impromptu op90 n.2
Beethoven's Triple Concerto

[bachopoven]

First hearing
Beethoven Moonlight Sonata in the movie Misery.

Then I liked the piano even more when I heard
Chopin Fantasy Impromptu on a piano demo (I was just looking around in a music store.)

[xenon]

Brahm's Rhapsody in G minor Op. 79 No, 2 inspired me to continue my music education into my ARCT.  At the annual piano recital, I was one of the graduating students, and I thought that that would be my last major performance, but I heard one of my teacher's alumni students play it, and it helped to create a bigger passion of music.

[djbrak]

I have to agree with you on Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.  Here are some of the ones that inspire me to learn:
"The Well-Tempered Clavier" by J.S. Bach
Piano Sonata #14 "Moonlight" by Beethoven
Fur Elise by "
Sonata in A (K.331) by Mozart

[ahmedito]

One of my uncles is a musicologist (that started out as a concert pianist.) Every time he would come vist he would play tons of obscure cuban and spanish music... and some not so obscure like Albeniz, and.... ugh.... LEcuona.
I loved it from the start. He started teaching me some small pieces. Haendel's sarabande, Beethovens sonatinas...  Now, my father always loved mozart. And to this day, the 9th piano concerto (not to mention the 21st, but mainly the 9th) which he played all the time when I was very little makes me want to dance and sing... like I used to when I Was very small....

[epsil0n]

i was also inspired by the moonlight sonata (gee that seems to be a common one for alot of people).  

after i got down the first movement, i just went on and eventually managed the whole sonata (the third movement was quite the show-stopper for my friends, although it really wasn't as hard as it sounded), and from then on my attitude for piano completely changed.

im currently working on grade 10 RCM (canada) but my passion for playing has brought me to the point that i can already play some ARCT level works (namely chopin's fantaisie-impromptu and nocturne in C#- op. 27 no. 1)

[pianojems]

Bumping into a Yanni concert at the Acropolis during a PBS special, I fell in love with musis and piano hard at that moment.
Classical piece definitely Moonlight Sonata...I started playing with Moonlight Sonata as my first classical piece ever. I worked on it 8 hours a day and was so passionate about it. But I painstakingly learned it and played it well.

[eddie92099]

I worked on it 8 hours a day

https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=stud;action=display;num=1060106100;start=12

Ed

[pianojems]

Well, I am a little disappointed that you think that I am not telling the truth. I practiced 8 hours in breaks. I actually didn't have a life at the time, or after school activities. I was so passionate that thats all I wanted to do. I would practice several hours in the morning, and then when I come home after school I would firlst thing sit at the piano, and then take a break for dinner. Of course I don't practice that much now, but I learned that less could me more if the practice is concentrated and not mindless. I am almost finished with my degree in music, and have learned a lot through it!

[GodScriabin]

Listening To Glenn Gould Play Bach really got me interested.

[trunks]

I used to reject the piano vehemently at tender age when my mom and dad made me learn the piano. Then at about age 11-12 dad bought an all-in-one HiFi set fitted with a vinyl LP turntable. He acquired some records and one particular disc struck me in awe - Artur Rubinstein playing 3 sonatas by Beethoven: Op.13 (pathetique), Op.27 No.2 ("moonlight") and Op.81a (les adieux). From then onwards my hate attitude against the piano turned 180 degrees to love for it.

Thank you Ludwig, and thank you Artur! Both of you introduced me to my love of music and piano.

[nad]

With me it wasn't actually a certain piece that got me into pianoplaying. When I was 8 or something, we went to visit my aunt. They had a lovely Bechstein upright. I just started playing on it, nothing really significant since I didn't know how to play. But that is how I discovered it. Apparantly my aunt and parents had talked about it, and so I was asked whether I would like to have piano lessons. So I started on this little keyboard, with about 3 or 4 octaves. Things went quick after that. After 3 months lessons I needed a real piano  . That's kinda how it all started.

[WhiteKnight2k5]

I only became serious about piano when I was 14.  The songs that really made me care about the instrument were:

La Campanella by Franz Liszt
Prelude from the Partitia No. 5 in G by Bach
Etude in D Minor Opus 1 Number 4 (The first piece I played that was written by Franz Liszt.)  Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 by Bach
Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould (1954 version)

I learned my first song when I was 3; it was called "Three Blind Mice."  It took me a very long time  

[nad]

The songs that really made me care about the instrument were:

La Campanella by Franz Liszt
Prelude from the Partitia No. 5 in G by Bach
Etude in D Minor Opus 1 Number 4 (The first piece I played that was written by Franz Liszt.)  Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 by Bach
Goldberg Variations played by Glenn Gould (1954 version)

songs? I'm interested in the lyrics, if you can provide them  

[comme_le_vent]

calm down, and interesting that you played the op1 of liszt, noone ever plays it.

[newsgroupeuan]

Rach 3 & 1,  on the radio.

[ayahav]

for me it was my mother playing fantaisie-impromptu... though my mother never made a career out of her talent, she played this piece beautifully...

[sharon_f]

The Prelude in C major, from Bach's WTC I. I heard it on the radio when I was 12 and absolutely knew I had to learn the piano in order to play it.