American Piano Music

[lilypiano]

What's some of your favorite American piano music?  I just heard "To a Wild Rose" and it almost made me cry.  It's so sweet.  I like Louis Moreau Gottschalk's music  too. 

[cjp_piano]

I like:

Ives

Liebermann

MacDowell

Copland

[arensky]

I also like MacDowell, there's a lot of great music of his that isn't played a lot. His four big Piano Sonatas are underrated IMO. There are other suites like the "Woodland Sketches" that have some very attractive short pieces in them, the "New England Idylls" for instance; several great pieces in there, including "From Puritan Days", "To an Old White Pine" and "Of Salamanders". The "Sea Pieces" op.55 are also very good. You should investigate this literature more if you already like "Wild Rose". Gottschalk is extraordinary, the first composer to use material from America and the New World, although the forms the materials are in is standard 19th century virtuoso format. A remarkable composer...

I also enjoy the piano music of Gershwin, Beiderbecke, Ives, Griffes, Barber and some Copland. And the ragtime composers.

I've only heard a few of his pieces but the music of Arthur Foote seems to be worth further investigation...

[instromp]

Could someone maybe post a link to thier music so I can have a listen to it,since i never heard any of there music,thanks

Instromp

[burstroman]

Much American music is overlooked.  Some of my favorite composers are Amy Beach, Charles T. Griffes, Arthur Falwell, Wallingford Riegger, Louise Talma, Elie Siegmeister, and Leo Ornstein.

[lilypiano]

Sometimes I listen to samples of music on amazon or Barnes and Noble if I want to hear something.   Which Liebermann are you talking about? I found a Rolf and a Lowell Liebermann.  Thank you for posting.  i'll try to listen to those.  If any of you have never listened to Gottschalk, please do.  he's amazing.  he was half Creole. 

[cjp_piano]

 Which Liebermann are you talking about? I found a Rolf and a Lowell Liebermann. 

Lowell  - Gargoyles is fun, as are both sonatas (the second one is all one movement, check it out!).  He also wrote nocturnes.

[sharon_f]

Don't forget Gershwin and Barber! I would also add Dello Joio and Bolcom.

[4tissimo]

To a Wild Rose is by McDowell, isn't it?  I like Charles Ives, Wm. Gillock, but I love Bonnie Millier.

[cjp_piano]

Don't forget Gershwin and Barber! I would also add Dello Joio and Bolcom.

Yes, I love Gershwin (preludes are my favorite!)

Dello Joio and Bolcom too, there are just so many!

[menancyandsam]

Just came across a huge collection of American classical sheetmusic, over 2200 pages.  At https://www.cdsheetmusic.com/.  It's nicely laid out & a great resource.  You can find it for free fhere https://pianosheets.org/browse.php?incldead=1&search=cd+american&page=1.

Btw would anyone like to recommend a American composed beginner piece (at or little more difficult than To a wild Rose). 

[lilypiano]

do you any of you really like the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" melody? 
I just love it.  It has an exultant quality to it, but also has an agitated and bitter sound.  when johnny comes marching home again HooRAH  HooRAH. 

[ted]

The ones mentioned so far are good but, as an outsider looking in, it seems to me that many fine contemporary American ragtime composers are not as highly regarded as they should be, either in their own country or outside it. In particular, David Thomas Roberts creates piano music of real emotional power, individual stamp and distinction; once heard never forgotten. Other fine composers working in similar genres are Frank French, Scott Kirby, Hal Isbitz and Reginald Robinson.

Much of this music is not strictly ragtime in the same way as Joplin is ragtime, but contains strong Latin and other New World influences. David's "New Orleans Streets", and much of his ragtime is going to be regarded as great one day, of that I am convinced. It is at once intimate and universal in much the same way as Chopin. It continues to amaze me how many Americans have simply never heard of him.

[carlsayres]

John Corigliano has some terrific piano compositions. Look at his Etude Fantasy and Fantasia on an Ostinato.

[superstition2]

Ornstein!

[pita bread]

Stuff worth checking out:

Antheil-
Jazz Sonata

Barber-
Piano Concerto
Piano Sonata

Copland-
Cat and Mouse
Variations

Corigliano-
Etude Fantasy
Piano Concerto

Danielpour-
Piano Sonata
Metamorphosis for Piano and Orchestra

Dello Joio-
Capriccio on the interval of a second

Ives-
Concord Sonata

[franzliszt2]

Barber sonata!!!!!!!!!!

A must hear, an amazng piece

[ahinton]

No one has even mentioned Elliott Carter yet!

Best,

Alistair

[amanfang]

Liebermann is my favorite living composer. 

Other names not mentioned - Howard Hanson, Kent Kennan (I especially like his 3 preludes)

Has anyone said John Adams yet?

[JCarey]

No one has even mentioned Elliott Carter yet!

Oh yes, good call! Unfortunately, there seems to be much negativity towards the music of Carter, though I don't know why - his music has always been fairly easy for me, personally, to comprehend and enjoy.

I'm surprised at the lack of jazz composers mentioned in this thread - after all, jazz could possibly be considered the "classical music" of America.