Don't throw out your old exam books!!!

[Spatula]

Dude!

Bernhard I owe you a biggie!
I was just cleaning out my closet today trying to find some old books to sight read.  And I come across the old school RCM repertoire and study books.  The beauty of these pieces is that they can be reasonably mastered in about 2 hours to maybe 3 days with dynamics and everything.  You can perform these pieces in about 1 week to 2 weeks!  And if you play them with an excellent touch, most people will think those are advanced pieces! 

Here are some of the simplest but most beautiful pieces of music I think have ever been written from easiest to harder pieces (graded using the RCM scale) :

Menuetto in C Major I KV 6 – Mozart (Grade 2)

Minuet in D Minor HWV 462 – Handel (Grade 2)

Elegy Op 132 No 2 – Reinecke (Grade 2)….very beautiful theme

March of the Goblins – Berlin (Grade 2)

Sonatina in G Major Op 151 No 1 2nd Movement – Diabelli (Grade 2)

Wild Horseman Op 68 No 8 – Schumann Album for the Young (Grade 2)

Boats at Anchor – J. Last  (Grade 2) …I did this for a music festival

Russian Cradle Song (Grade 4) Can’t remember composer 

Intrada – Graupner (Grade 5)

Sonatina in C Major Op 157 No 4 2nd Movement (Grade 5) – Spindler

A Slow Waltz Op 39 No 23 - Kabalevsky  (Grade 5) … another delightful piece that suits peaceful and nostalgic moments of life
 
Hurdy Gurdy – Dances of the Dolls No 6 - Shostakovich (Grade 5)

In the Forest Op 51 No 4 - Rebikov (Grade 5)

Study for the Left Hand Vol 1 No 6 – Bartok (Grade 5)

Ivan (Grade 5) Russian Composer

Farewell Op 100 No 12 – Burgmüller (Grade 6)

Little Willy and the Wind Op 46 No 8 – Niemann (Grade 6) …fun little piece

Study Op 125 No 10 – Heller (Grade 6)

Little Tarantella Op 46 No 7- Heller (Grade 7)

Fantastic Dance Op 124 No 5 – Schumann (Grade 7) …awesome piece!

Study Op 27 No 1 – Heller (Grade 7)

Study Op 47 No 15 – Heller (Grade 7)

Study Op 45 No 15 – Heller (Grade 8 )

Fantasia in D minor Wq 117 No 12 – CPE Bach (Grade 7)

The Merry Go Round Op 36 No 2 – Gade (Grade 8 ) – super fun piece if you have a whimsical imagination

Over Hill and Dale Op 17 No 5 – Reger (Grade 8 ) – another fun piece to do, much like Willy and the Wind

By the way, can you help me identify those two pieces and their author if I have them right?  They’re really good pieces: Ivan (Grade 5) Russian Composer, Russian Cradle Song (Grade 4) Can’t remember composer 

What the heck! You could easily learn 25+ songs in about 2 weeks!

Well, just like how Bernie ends his long lists:

This is just the tip of the ice berg

Best Playing Wishes,

Spatula


 

[Spatula]

What other good stuff by Kabelevsky?

[Spatula]

just answered my own question:

https://www.karadar.net/Dictionary/kabalewsky.html

[Spatula]

Anyone else can add to this list (hint bernie hint)

[bernhard]

  The beauty of these pieces is that they can be reasonably mastered in about 2 hours to maybe 3 days with dynamics and everything.  You can perform these pieces in about 1 week to 2 weeks!  And if you play them with an excellent touch, most people will think those are advanced pieces! 

Exactly!

People are forever fixated on some super virtuoso repertory, while 90% of the piano repertory consists of technically manageable and yet superb music  - which if played with musicality is just wonderful (and usually sounds much more difficult than it is). So it is really easy to amass a substantial and very satisfying repertory in a couple of months (and practise sight reading at the same time!).

May I suggest you add your list to this thread:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4140.msg38111.html#msg38111

As for “Ivan”, there is a Khatchaturian piece called “Ivan sings”, is that the one? (thirds on the LH, and the RH goes C – G – G – Ab – G – Ab – F, etc., in Cm)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Spatula]

Sure thing Captain Bernie-Sempai ...

I'll add the link...and yeah I think its called Ivan Sings.... I learned it in one day when I was only at a grade 5 RCM level sight reading, but I really liked it. 

[betricia]

The threads on this site are brilliant but I think I have gone through several links and forget where I started.    I have been looking up suggestions for repertoire and have printed off masses of stuff but I do have one question.  My question (which is no doubt one which has been asked before so sorry about this) is when I follow a link and get the message "This page not available", what can I do please?
Thanks
Patricia