Good Classical Composer For A Beginner

[anakin_skywalker]

I'm 17 and have been playing piano for about a year give or take. i listen to a lot of classical music now, namely Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Beethoven, etc.

I'm able to decipher and even learn bits and pieces of Chopin's 1st Ballade and Etude 10 3, two very commonly played pieces, I know, but I realize that being able to handle the depth of Chopin's work is years away for me.

I was wondering if someone could suggest a classical composer, no matter what time period, but who has a some fairly easy to moderate pieces skill-wise, which I could work on.

Thanks!!

[iroveashe]

You'sa lack of Faith disturbs me'sa : D
Sorry, I couldn't resist

Anyway, I started around the same age as you, maybe a little later, with no teacher. I'm 20 now, and I can definitely say the most didactic and helpful composer to me, whether we're talking about coordination, fingerings, phrasing and voicing has been Bach. You're probably going to get that a lot, and some people get tired of their teachers telling them to practice Bach all the time but I can't say the same thing since I went for it on my own, and I love it.
Hope it helps

[anne126]

considering you can "decipher" those pieces... and that you have been playing for over a year i think i can make a few suggestions...

you will hear this suggestion a lot from any teachers, and it does sound like a very tiresome and boring thing to practice at first, but if you study the well-tempered clavier by Bach you will improve tremendously, and very quickly too :)

https://imslp.org/wiki/Well-Tempered_Clavier%2C_Book_1_Nos.1-12%2C_BWV_846-857_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29
https://imslp.org/wiki/Well-Tempered_Clavier%2C_Book_1_Nos.13-24%2C_BWV_858-869_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29

i would suggest starting with the first prelude and fugue, and then learning the second prelude and fugue and then the ninth or thirteenth prelude and fugues

the difficulty of those pieces depends on the student really... many people find the sixth prelude and fugue easier than the first, and the third easier than the second, and so on.

the trouble however, with these pieces, is that people that are not familiar with fugues and contrapuntal music, they are difficult to understand and like... And you might want to listen to them first before you actually play them (the Gould and Richter recordings are my favourites). that way you can find a piece that you like and have an idea of playing it prior to actually playing it (which is very helpful)

there are also some Schubert sonatas that are moderately easy to play

for example...

the second movement from this piece,
https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_D.664_%28Schubert%2C_Franz%29

the first movement from this piece,
https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_D.894_%28Schubert%2C_Franz%29

and... Mozart

this fantasia is easy and you will learn a lot about playing mozart from studying it
(the "presto" parts can be played "allegro")

this is the easiest sonata

I would not recommend very many Beethoven pieces to students... even in his easier pieces there are a lot of awkward fingerings and places that are simply unpianistic... which beginners might find discouraging

however!

the third bagatelle from this collection

the first bagatelle from this collection
https://imslp.org/wiki/Bagatelles%2C_Op.126_%28Beethoven%2C_Ludwig_van%29

don't play the first movement of the moonlight sonata, you will drive yourself mad from memorizing broken chords and eventually you will regret learning such a piece.

i will suggest more pieces later after i remember some of them... excuse my typing but it's already late in the day now and i must practice

chau

[iroveashe]

I'd advice the Two-part Inventions and the Three-part as well before the WTC... the first fugue is not easy at all.

[anne126]

I'd advice the Two-part Inventions and the Three-part as well before the WTC...

The Inventions are also an excellent suggestion. :)

Here is the link to the sheet music for the topic creator:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Inventions%2C_BWV_772-786_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29

I'm able to decipher and even learn bits and pieces of Chopin's 1st Ballade and Etude 10 3, two very commonly played pieces, I know, but I realize that being able to handle the depth of Chopin's work is years away for me.

I'm curious to know what pieces you have studied or played besides the Chopin that you mentioned?

the first fugue is not easy at all.

On the topic of this first fugue, the creator has stated that he or she has been playing for a year or more, and can play parts from a Chopin ballade and etude. Considering this, and the fact that I (along with three other students that my teacher assigned this prelude and fugue to) learned this piece in less than two weeks of practice, having played a year or maybe less, I would not dismiss it from consideration. The first fugue would be a challenge, but certainly a worthwhile effort. The fugue is only two pages and the only measures that I would consider "not easy" are measures 17, 19, and 24 (which can be learned rather quickly with enough attention). Measure 17 also introduces a very important finger technique that would be valuable for any later pieces the student might want to learn.

[db05]

Why not get a book with a variety of moderately easy pieces?