classical piano music

over the years i have struggled with quite a few piano pieces. i have decided to create a canon of those pieces that have remained particularly memorable to me and sort them chronologically.

the original plan was to record every piece myself. after a few pieces, i gave up on it, as it seemed incompatible with my life expectancy. instead, i chose some fabulous recordings by professional pianists. some of my more modest recordings can be found to the right.

the first column shows the publication dates. note that these may differ significantly from the date of composition.

as an amateur, i find it extremely helpful to use sheet music with fingering. i prefer them to the more common editions.

and now, off to practice ...

list of my favorite piano pieces

1722	bach	the well-tempered clavier	bwv.846	praeludium & fuga I	c-dur
			bwv.847	praeludium & fuga II	c-moll
			bwv.848	praeludium & fuga III	cis-dur
			bwv.849	praeludium & fuga IV	cis-moll
			bwv.850	praeludium & fuga V	d-dur
			bwv.851	praeludium & fuga VI	d-moll
1723	bach	fünfzehn inventionen (zweistimmig)	bwv.772-bwv.786	fünfzehn inventionen (zweistimmig)		2023
1723	bach	praeludium in c-moll	bwv.999		c-moll
1757	scarlatti	sonata in d-dur	k 430 (l 463)		d-dur
1766	c.p.e.bach	solfeggietto	wq 117/2, h.220		c-moll
1779	haydn	klaviersonate nr.48 in c-dur	hob.xvi/35	1.allegro con brio	c-dur
				2.adagio	f-dur
				3.finale: allegro	c-dur
1781	mozart	12 variations 'ah! vous dirai-je, maman'	kv.265		c-dur
1783	mozart	sonata in c-dur	kv.330	1.allegro moderato	c-dur	2021
				2.andante cantabile	f-dur	2021
				3.allegretto	c-dur
1784	mozart	sonata in d-dur	kv.331	1.andante grazioso	a-dur
				2.menuetto, trio	a-dur
				3.allegretto, 'alla turca'	a-moll	2007
1784	mozart	sonata in f-dur	kv.332	2.adagio	b-dur	2023
1785	mozart	fantasie in d-moll	kv.397	andante	d-moll
1785	mozart	fantasie in c-dur	kv.475	adagio	c-dur
1786	mozart	rondo nr.1 in d-dur	kv.485	allegro	d-dur
1788	mozart	sonata in c-dur 'facile'	kv.545	1.allegro	c-dur	2008
				2.andante	g-dur
				3.rondo, allegro	c-dur
1795	beethoven	rage over the lost penny	op.129	allegro vivace	g-dur	2022
1796	beethoven	sonata in f-moll	op.2 nr.1	1.allegro	f-moll
				2.adagio	f-dur
				3.allegretto	f-moll
				4.prestissimo	f-moll
1799	beethoven	sonata in c-moll 'pathetique'	op.13	1.grave	c-moll
				2.adagio cantabile	as-dur
				3.rondo, allegro	c-moll
1801	beethoven	sonata in cis-moll 'mondschein'	op.27 nr.2	1.adagio sostenuto	cis-moll
				2.allegretto	des-dur
				3.presto agitato	cis-moll
1801	beethoven	sonata in d-dur 'pastorale'	op.28	1.allegro	d-dur
				2.andante	d-moll
				3.allegro vivace	d-dur
				4.allegro, ma non troppo	d-dur
1805	beethoven	sonata in c-dur 'waldstein'	op.53	1.allegro con brio	c-dur
				2.adagio molto	f-dur
				3.allegretto moderato - prestissimo	c-dur
1810	beethoven	bagatelle nr.25 in a-moll 'für elise'	woo 59	poco moto	a-moll	2007
1817	schubert	scherzo in b-dur	d.593 nr.1	allegretto	b-dur	2007
1817	chopin	polonaise in g-moll	op.posth.s1 no.1	allegro, ma non troppo	g-moll
1820	kuhlau	sonatine in c-dur	op.20 nr.1	1.allegro	c-dur	2021
				2.andante	f-dur
				3.rondo, allegro	c-dur
1827	schubert	impromptus, erste sammlung	op.90 nr.1	allegro molto moderato	c-moll	2023
			op.90 nr.2	allegro	es-dur
			op.90 nr.3	andante	ges-dur
			op.90 nr.4	allegretto	as-dur
1828	schubert	moments musicaux Nr.3	op.94 nr.3	allegro moderato	f-moll
1828	schubert	impromptus, zweite sammlung	op.142 nr.4	allegro scherzando	f-moll
1828	schubert	sonate in a-dur	d.959	3.scherzo+trio, allegro vivace	a-dur
1829	chopin	deux valses - valse in h-moll	op.69 nr.2	moderato	h-moll	2022
1830	chopin	Nocturne in cis-moll	op.posth.p1 no.16	lento con gran espressione	cis-moll
1831	mendelssohn bartholdy	rondo capriccioso	op.14	andante	e-dur	2008
1832	chopin	nocturne in es-dur	op.9 nr.2	andante	es-dur	2009
1832	mendelssohn bartholdy	lieder ohne worte	op.19 nr.2	andante espressivo	a-moll	2023
			op.19 nr.5	piano agitato	fis-moll	2023
1833	chopin	etude in c-dur 'waterfall'	op.10 nr.1	allegro	c-dur
		etude in a-moll 'chromatique'	op.10 nr.2	allegro	a-moll
		etude in e-dur 'tristesse'	op.10 nr.3	lento, ma non troppo	e-dur	2011
		etude in c-moll 'revolutionsetude'	op.10 nr.12	allegro con fuoco	c-moll	2008
1834	chopin	fantasie impromptu in cis-moll	op.66	allegro agitato	cis-moll	2009
1835	chopin	deux valses - valse in as-dur 'l'adieu'	op.69 nr.1	lento	as-dur	2010
1836	schumann	grand sonata nr.1	op.11	1.un poco adagio - allegro vivace	fis-moll
				2.senza passione, ma espressivo	a-dur
				3.scherzo e intermezzo	fis-moll
				4.allegro und poco maestoso	fis-moll
1837	chopin	etude in as-dur 'aeolian harp'	op.25 nr.1	allegro sostenuto	as-dur	2023
		etude in f-moll 'the bees'	op.25 nr.2	presto	f-moll
1837	chopin	piano sonata nr.2 - march funebre in b-moll	op.35	3.lento	b-moll
1838	chopin	polonaise in a-dur 'military'	op.40 nr.1	allegro con vrio	a-dur	2010
1838	liszt (schubert)	la sérénade	559a/1	moderato. tempo rubato	d-moll
1838	schumann	kinderszenen	op.15 nr.1	von fremden ländern	g-dur	2007
			op.15 nr.7	träumerei	f-dur	2008
1839	chopin	prélude in e-moll	op.28 nr.4	largo	e-moll
		prélude in a-dur	op.28 nr.7	andantino	a-dur	2010
		prélude in des-dur 'regentropfen-prélude'	op.28 nr.15	andantino (Sostenuto)	des-dur	2010
1839	schumann	arabeske in c-dur	op.18	leggiero e teneramente	c-dur
1842	chopin	polonaise in as-dur 'heroic'	op.53	maestoso	as-dur
1842	chopin	nocturne in f-moll	op.55 nr.1	andante	f-moll	2009
1847	mendelssohn bartholdy	6 kinderstücke	op.72 nr.6	vivace	f-dur
1847	chopin	valse in des-dur 'minute'	op.64 nr.1	molto vivace	des-dur	2007
		valse in cis-moll	op.64 nr.2	tempo giusto	cis-moll	2010
1848	liszt (schumann)	widmung	s.566	innig, lebhaft	as-dur	2023
1848	heller	30 etudes progressives	op.46 nr.7	vivace	e-moll
1850	liszt	liebestraum nr.3	s.541/3	poco allegro, con affetto	as-dur	2007
1851	liszt	la campanella	s.141	allegretto	gis-moll
1851	liszt	ungarische rapsodie nr.2	s.244/2	lento a capriccio	cis-moll
1857	liszt	etude de concert nr.3 un sospiro	s.144	allegro affettuoso	des-dur	2007
1860	liszt (schubert)	gretchen am spinnrade	s.375/2 d.118	non troppo allegro	d-moll	2021
1860	liszt	mephisto walzer nr.1	s.514	allegro vivace (quasi presto)	a-dur
1867	brahms	16 walzer	op.39 nr.15		as-dur	2021
1867	tschaikovsky	souvenir de hapsal	op.2 nr.3	3.chant sans paroles, allegretto grazioso e cantabile	f-dur
1868	tschaikovsky	romance in f minor	op.5	andante candabile	f-moll
1874	mussorgsky	pictures at an exhibition		promenade	b-dur	2007
				1.gnomus	es-moll
				promenade	as-dur
				2.il vecchio castello	gis-moll
				promenade	h-dur
				3.tuileries (dispute d'enfants après jeux)	h-dur
				4.bydlo	gis-moll
				promenade	d-moll
				5.ballett der unausgeschlüpften küken	f-dur
				6.„samuel“ goldenberg und „schmuÿle“	b-moll
				promenade	b-dur
1876	tschaikovsky	the seasons	op.37b nr.2	2.february, allegro giusto	d-dur	2007
			op.37b nr.10	10.october, andante doloroso e molto cantabile	f-dur	2014
1878	tschaikovsky	album for the youth	op.39 nr.8	8.waltz, allegro	es-dur
1878	tschaikovsky	12 morceaux de difficulté moyenne	op.40 nr.10	10.danse russe, andantino	a-moll	2012
1880	brahms	rapsodia in g-moll	op.79 nr.2	molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro	g-moll	2007
1889	macdowell	etude de concert	op.36	allegro con fuoco	fis-dur	2012
1893	rachmaninoff	prélude in cis-moll	op.2 nr.3	lento	cis-moll	2008
1894	dvorak	humoresque in ges-dur	op.101 nr.7	poco lento e grazioso	ges-dur	2021
1903	rachmaninoff	prélude in b-dur	op.23 nr.2	maestoso	b-dur
		prélude in g-moll	op.23 nr.5	alla marcia	g-moll	2013
1905	debussy	suite bergamasque - clair de lune	l.75	andante tres expressif	des-dur
1906	albeniz	iberia	book 1	1.evocation, allegretto expressivo	as-moll
				2.el puerto, allegro commodo	des-dur
				3.el corpus en sevilla, allegro gracioso	fis-moll
1908	debussy	children's corner	l.113	1.doctor gradus ad parnassum	c-dur	2007
				2.jimbo's lullaby	b-dur
				3.serenade for the doll	e-dur
				4.snow is dancing	f-dur	2008
				5.the little shepherd	a-dur
				6.golliwog's cake walk	es-dur	2008
1910	rachmaninoff	prélude in gis-moll	op.32 nr.12	allegro	gis-moll	2007
1911	rachmaninoff	études-tableaux in d-moll	op.33 nr.5	moderato	d-moll
1916	calvo	intermezzo n°2 - lejano azul			b-moll
1921	casella	11 pezzi infantile	op.35 nr.4	4.bolero, allegro spagnuolo	c-dur
1922	shostakovich	three fantastic dances	op.5 nr.1	allegreto	c-dur
			op.5 nr.2	andantino	g-dur
			op.5 nr.3	allegretto	c-dur
1931	rachmaninoff (rimsky-korsakov)	flight of the bumblebee	transcription	presto	c-dur	2021
1932	khachaturian	toccata in es-moll	op.11	allegra marcatissimo	es-moll
1933	shostakovich	24 preludes	op.34 nr.2	allegretto	a-moll	2001
			op.34 nr.7	andante	a-dur	2001
			op.34 nr.13	moderato	fis-dur	2001
			op.34 nr.14	adagio	es-moll	2001
			op.34 nr.20	allegretto furioso	c-moll	2001
1935	howe (bach)	sheep may safely graze	transcription		b-dur
1938	prokofiev	romeo and juliet: ten pieces for piano	op.75 nr.1	national dance, allegro giocoso	d-dur
			op.75 nr.4	juliet as a young girl, vivace	c-dur
			op.75 nr.6	montagues and capulets, allegro pseante	e-moll	2007
1953	tscherepnin	zwölf präludien	op.85 nr.9	allegro	b-dur	2007
1959	khachaturian	sonatina in c-dur		1.allegro giocoso	c-dur
				2.andante con anima, rubato	c-dur
				3.allegro mosso	c-dur

useful links
imslp petrucci music library

timeline
bach	1685-1750
scarlatti	1685-1757
c.p.e. bach	1714-1788
haydn	1732-1809
clementi	1752-1832
mozart	1756-1791
beethoven	1770-1827
kuhlau	1786-1832
schubert	1797-1828
mendelssohn bartholdy	1809-1847
chopin	1810-1849
schumann	1810-1856
liszt	1811-1886
heller	1813-1888
brahms	1833-1897
mussorgski	1839-1881
tschaikowsky	1840-1893
dvorák	1841-1904
grieg	1843-1907
albeniz	1860-1909
macdowell	1860-1908
debussy	1862-1918
rachmaninoff	1873-1943
howe	1882-1964
calvo	1882-1945
casella	1883-1947
prokofiev	1891-1953
korngold	1897-1957
gershwin	1898-1937
tscherepnin	1899-1977
khachaturian	1903-1978
shostakovich	1906-1975