We celebrate the best pieces of piano music – do you agree with our choices? <\/p>
Given the sheer volume of existing piano repertoire, we\u2019ve decided to cheat, just a little: strictly speaking, this is more about the best collections<\/em> of piano music, rather than individual works. <\/strong><\/p>\n And naturally, we\u2019re kicking ourselves for leaving out many, many fantastic pieces and composers.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, having sifted through four hundred-odd years of piano history, we\u2019ve made our choices. See whether you agree with them.<\/p>\n The basic essentials of the pianist\u2019s repertoire, the two books of Bach\u2019s 48 Preludes and Fugues (The Well-Tempered Clavier<\/a><\/strong>) were completed in 1742, though they were not published in Bach<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s lifetime. Intended as a work for students to play in all keys and in a wide range of styles and textures, they are now an indispensable part of every aspect of a pianist\u2019s training. Schumann<\/strong><\/a> encouraged his readers to \u2018let the Well-Tempered Clavier be your daily bread\u2019.<\/p>\n Written between 1795 and 1822, these us on a journey from Haydn<\/a><\/strong> (to whom the first three are dedicated) to the future of music (the last three), constituting the first body of serious, substantial piano music suitable for large concert halls. They \u2018gradually became the basis of the public repertoire for any pianist with pretensions to serious musicianship\u2019, as wrote pianist Charles Rosen.<\/p>\nBest piano music<\/h2>\n
1. Bach\u2019s 48 Preludes and Fugues (The Well-Tempered Clavier).<\/h3>\n
2.<\/strong> Beethoven<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s 32 Piano Sonatas<\/h3>\n
3. Schubert\u2019s Impromptus<\/h3>\n