Repertoire suggestions?

[alpacinator1]

I'm 15, been playing for several years but only seriously for about a year. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to play. Here's what I can play:


Beethoven:

Sonata opus 79

Pathetique Sonata (first movement only, this is harder than other stuff I've played so some bits are kind of sloppy)

First 2 pages of Waldstien sonata (taught myself for fun, probably won't be able to do the whole thing for a while)

Moonlight sonata first movement

Fur Elise

Mozart:

Sonata Facile

Bach:

Invention 5

Others:

I learned some of Grieg's "Wedding Day at the Trauldhaugen" but my teacher and I decided to put it on on hold for a while because it was hard, I'll continue with it some time


So, any suggestions? I like baroque, classical and romantic music equally.

[barberjazz]

Hi!
Good luck with your playing.
At this point in your career, you want to pick music that will help with technical development, as well as providing interesting melodic and harmonic ideas.
Here are some suggestions:
Keep up the Bach!  I can't stress that enough.  Bach is critical for hand and finger independence; proficiency with Bach is the foundation of a solid piano technique.  All of my students have to be working on Bach all the time . . . and I do the same.  Try some of the other two-part inventions:  I would work on No. 1 in C, No. 4 in Dm, No. 5 in F, No. 14 in Bb.  It may still be a bit early in your career for the Three-Part Inventions (Sinfonia), or the Well-Tempered Clavier, but you can try a few of those--I would start with the Prelude and Fugue in Fm from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier, and Nos. 1, 3 and 6 of the Three-Part Inventions if you feel ready for a greater challenge.  Also try Bach's French Suite No. 5 in G.  (All of these (except the Book II Prelude & Fugue, and the 6th Sinfonia), plus more great Bach, are found in a volume entitled J.S. Bach: Selected Keyboard Works, from Alfred.  It's a great addition to your library.
Debussy's First Arabesque is a wonderful piece.  It's beautiful, and you get lots of technical practice in playing 2 against 3 (this can be hard for pianists to master).  I don't like the Second Arabesque as much.  Try some of the pieces from Debussy's "Children's Corner" as well.  Lots of people play "Golligwog's Cakewalk," but the rest of the Children's Corner is great--and the music is challenging.  Many play "Clair de Lune" and "Reverie" as well, but there's a reason why they're so popular--they are beautiful pieces of music that take advantage of everything the piano can do. 
Beethoven:  The Pathetique and Waldstein are both very challenging, and can take years to master; because of their difficulty level, you can get discouraged.  You may want to work on the two sonatas from Beethoven's Op. 49; no. 1 is in Gm, no. 2 is in G major.  I really like the first of these, the one in Gm; it's very musical.  Other Beethoven sonatas you could try:  the two sonatas from Op. 14 are both full of great musical ideas, and the Op. 10, No. 2 is a lot of fun, although the last movement is very fast and has high technical demands.
Mozart:  Mozart sounds simple, but is very hard, because he leaves you very exposed--you have to be able to play scales and intricate passagework very cleanly or you will sound sloppy, there's nowhere to hide with Mozart.  That said, try the first movement from his Sonata in F, K. 332.  It's one of those great pieces that sounds harder than it is.
Mendelssohn:  Mendelssohn is a nice bridge between the classical and romantic styles.  His "Songs Without Words" are are varying difficulty and quality.  Your teacher might be able to suggest some of those.
Schumann:  I don't like him as much as some other people do, but generations of pianists have played "Scenes from Childhood."  The great Vladimir Horowitz even recorded this suite, so that gives you an idea of the esteem in which pianists hold it. 
If you think you're ready for Chopin, I'd try the Polonaise in A major, the "Military" polonaise.  It also sounds harder than it is, and has the added benefit of being a "big" piece, one with lots of flash in it.  It will help you with your octaves, and good octave technique is a must if you want to play Chopin or Liszt.
Dimitri Kabalevsky was a great Russian composer and teacher.  His Sonatina is something I use with my intermediate and early-advanced students.  Kabalevsky wrote a lot of great music, most of it for younger pianists.  He knows how to take advantage of the piano's resources.  A piece that is similar to Kabalevsky is Khatchaturian's Toccata.  Again, this piece gets played a lot, but it sounds great when you've learned it.  I like it more than Grieg's "Wedding Day," for example.
Alfred Publishing recently published an edition of Moritz Moszkowski's Op. 91, "20 Short Studies for Piano."  These are technical pieces, in much the same way as Chopin's Etudes are technical . . . they address certain issues a pianist has to master, but they're also wonderfully musical as well.  When you get a little more advanced, you can start working on the Chopin Etudes, but Moszkowski is a good place to start.
If you want something more modern, you could try "Partridge Pie" by Richard Rodney Bennett, or Vincent Persichetti's Sonatinas. 
Find a copy of Isaac Albeniz's Tango in D.  It's romantic, and lots of fun to play.

These are some pieces I use with my students when they ask for something "new" to play.

Good luck!  Let us know what you found.

[kitty on the keys]

Handel---check out the Suites
Teleman---Fantasias
Bach----Inventions, French Suites, Little Preludes

Haydn----Sonatas, Variations
Mozart---Sonatas, Variations, Rondo in D, Fantasy in d

Mendelssohn ----Songs Without Words
Chopin---Preludes, Waltzes
Schubert---Impromptus, Moment Musicau

Debussy---1st Arabesque, Preludes, Suite Bergamasque
Ibert---Histoires

Enjoy

kitty on the keys

[alpacinator1]

Thank you very much, I will check those out. Much appreciated!

[nearenough]

This may not be the best advice but its my personal view as an "advanced" amateur. Start out by listening to many CDs (DVDs, LPs) and veer to piece that excites and inspires you. If you find yourself attached to one or the other, get the sheet music and try it. Some may be easier than you think (like the Chopin A flat polonaise as suggested). In fact, I took lessons from the age of 6 to 13 and hated it, but nevertheless wound up playing Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# minor at my elementary school graduation. (Incidentally, try some other Rach pieces -- some are negotiable by the amateur, but not Concerto #3.)

But at the age of 14 I heard Horowitz playing that polonaise and it took over my auditory senses to the degree that I HAD to get the music and play it myself. This might be the key for you. Hear something that captures your own imagination and 6th sense if you will....

Some suggestions: Scriabin preludes; Schumann - many items. He wrote many, many short pieces and strung them together in suites, so to speak, and are poetic, sincere, heartfelt, some being easy technically. The Chopin etudes are difficult, but what will facilitate their study are a basic repetitive pattern in most which makes them understandable. I don't play much Bach, Mozart and Haydn, but they are certainly the core repertoire and many are do-able.

Where I live the public library has a book sale annually and I can cheaply pick up sheet music and try it out. Libraries also have the music on loan. You can also spend time improvising, playing scales and chords and almost randomly discover pleasant creations, The best....