Best piano piece in A minor

[lallino]

I am always being fascinated by the different colours of each key and tonality, and how some pieces would lose out if played in a different key (while others could even benefit). I believe this could be felt by any music lover, even those without perfect pitch. I would be curious to know what people believe is the best piano piece in A minor (including separate movements). If there is interest I could run further similar polls.

[thalbergmad]

Has to be the Schumann Piano Concerto.

Nothing else even comes close.

Thal

[ahinton]

Has to be the Schumann Piano Concerto.

Nothing else even comes close.

The Grieg ditto all too often comes all too close to it; so much so that I've occasionally wondered if somehow they desere one another.

That said, it's a piano and orchestra piece so I'm not sure that it really qualifies here.

My only piano piece in that key is called Étude en forme de Chopin and it's a transcription of all three Chopin études in that key studded with numerous brief interjections en passant from other Chopin études woven into the texture but, in view of the thread title, I should perhaps have declined to mention it as it's arguably off-topic...

Best,

Alistair

[mjames]

This thread is a joke right?

You're just mocking people, right?

Please let this be a joke.

[ahinton]

This thread is a joke right?

You're just mocking people, right?

Please let this be a joke.

If it is, it's lost on me; I find nothing at which to laugh in it.

Best,

Alistair

[mjames]

If it is, it's lost on me; I find nothing at which to laugh in it.

Best,

Alistair

Not only are polls like this stupid, he also pretty much insulted Schubert by comparing a great multi-movement work of his to two miniature sketches.

 

[ahinton]

Not only are polls like this stupid, he also pretty much insulted Schubert by comparing a great multi-movement work of his to two miniature sketches.

Unlike any joke that may or may not have been intended by this thread, that much was not lost on me, although I preferred to refain from mentioning that fact; had it only been "Best piano piece in A flat minor" instead, the choices with which people who wished to do so could participate in this stupidity would at least have been greatly and mercifully reduced...

Best,

Alistair

[lallino]

ok got it, let's end it here. It was not a joke, it was a (yes, very silly) little game. We take things too seriously in this forum, probably much more than in schubert's time. And by the way, the length of a work has little to do with the fact whether a piece is a masterpiece. I know of some sonate which are far from specials, the same as they are preludes from bach, chopin, debussy which are masterpieces.

It was an attempt to trigger a discussion about the choice of a particular key (from the 12 available), as I was explaining in my introduction.

[mjames]

And by the way, the length of a work has little to do with the fact whether a piece is a masterpiece. .

You're right.

You're still comparing a great multi-movement work to a sketch and *** fur elise

Btw, with threads like these; no ones going to take you seriously. So rest assured.

[thesixthsensemusic]

Mozart's piano sonata KV 310 comes to mind here.

Of the 3 named by the TO I prefer the Schubert sonata. I plainly dislike Für Elise because I heard it waaaaay too often. Chopin's Waltz is nice but also much smaller in scope compared to the Schubert sonata.

[j_menz]

It was an attempt to trigger a discussion about the choice of a particular key (from the 12 available)

What's wrong with the other 12?

[chickenfried1]

11, learn to count.

[draganpower]

I know you wanted to end it but I wanted to share. It so happens I am learning Mozart's Sonata K310 and it is absolutely stunning and one of the few he composed in the minor key

[lallino]

I agree. I used to play it many years ago. There is so much to learn (and enjoy) from it. The last movement was my favourite. Good luck!

[j_menz]

11, learn to count.

Discounting enharmonic equivalents, there are 24 standard keys. The OP referenced 12.

Learn to think. 

[lallino]

Please let die this post of natural death... The sense of the OP, which I had probably not made obvious, was the choice of a composer to use one key rather than another. If as a composer you have a musical idea in your mind, what drives your decision to use, for example, A minor, as opposed to any of the other 11 keys.

I will start a new post in the future.

[pianoplunker]

Please let die this post of natural death... The sense of the OP, which I had probably not made obvious, was the choice of a composer to use one key rather than another. If as a composer you have a musical idea in your mind, what drives your decision to use, for example, A minor, as opposed to any of the other 11 keys.

I will start a new post in the future.

A big factor in which key to use has to do with the instruments and the ranges of the instruments in a key.

[lisztmusicfan]

Another good one is the short and sweet "chopin waltz in a minor" or any other pice in th world, if you transpose it to a minor.

[cometear]

Discounting enharmonic equivalents, there are 24 standard keys. The OP referenced 12.

Learn to think. 

You said "What about the other 12?" This excludes A minor, meaning there are 11 other minor keys and, in fact, not 12. So you were incorrect but like you said before there are really 24 keys, or 23 excluding A minor.