| Contents |
Pre-history: from harpsichord to piano. Johann Sebastian Bach. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 ; Italian concerto, BWV 971 ; Sonata for violin and harpsichord in E major, BWV 1016 -- Domenico Scarlatti. Sonata in E major, K 380, and an overview of other sonatas -- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Freie fantasie in F sharp minor, Wq. 67, H. 300 -- From Haydn to Schubert: music for the developing 'fortepiano'. Joseph Haydn. Variations in F minor, 'Un piccolo divertimento', Hob. XVII:6 ; Piano sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:52 ; Piano trio in G major, Hob. XV:25, 'Gypsy rondo' -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sonata for two pianos in D major, K 448 ; Sonata for piano and violin in B flat major, K 454 ; Piano quartet in G minor, K 478 ; Piano concerto in A major, K 488 ; Rondo in A minor, K 511 -- Ludwig van Beethoven. Sonata for piano and violin in F major, op. 24, 'Spring' ; Piano sonata in F minor, op. 57, 'Appassionata' ; Piano concerto no. 4 in G major, op. 58 ; Piano concerto no. 5 in E flat major, op. 73, 'Emperor' ; Piano trio in B flat major, op. 97, 'Archduke' ; Piano sonata in A flat major, op. 110 -- Franz Schubert. Piano quintet in A major, D 667, 'Trout' ; Piano trio no. 2 in E flat major, D 929 ; Rondo for piano duet in A major, D 951 ; Piano sonata in A major, D 959 -- From the Mendelssohns to Dvořák: the growing power of the nineteenth-century piano. Fanny Mendelssohn. Das Jahr -- Felix Mendelssohn. Variations Sérieuses in D minor, op. 54 ; Piano trio no. 1 in D minor, op. 49 -- John Field. Nocturne no. 14 in C major (and others) -- Maria Szymanowska. Études (and other pieces) -- Frédéric Chopin. Ballade no. 1 in G minor, op. 23 ; 24 preludes, op. 28 ; Mazurka in B flat major, op. 7 no. 1 (and others) -- Robert Schumann. Kinderszenen, op 15 ; Piano concerto in A minor, op. 54 ; Piano trio no. 1 in D minor, op. 63 -- Clara Schumann. Piano concerto in A minor, op. 7 -- Franz Liszt. Piano sonata in B minor, S. 178 ; Nuages Gris, S. 199 -- Bedřich Smetana. Piano trio in G minor, op. 15 -- Johannes Brahms. Piano concerto no. 1 in D minor, op. 15 ; Piano quintet in F minor, op. 34 ; Sonata for piano and violin in G major, op. 78 ; Piano pieces, op. 118 -- Camille Saint-Saëns. Piano trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 92 -- Mily Balakirev. Islamey: oriental fantasy, op. 18 -- Georges Bizet. Jeux d'Enfants, op. 22, for piano duet -- Modest Mussorgsky. Pictures at an exhibition -- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Piano concerto no. 1 in B flat minor, op 23 ; The seasons, op. 37a -- Antonín Dvořák. Piano quintet in A major, op. 81 -- From Grieg to Ravel: into the twentieth century. Edvard Grieg. Piano concerto in A minor, op. 16 ; Lyric pieces -- Gabriel Fauré. Piano quartet no. 1 in C minor, op. 15 ; Dolly suite, op. 56, for piano duet -- Leoš Janáček. On an overgrown path, book 1 -- Isaac Albéniz. Iberia -- Claude Debussy. Images, series 1 ; Preludes, book 2 ; Sonata for cello and piano -- Erik Satie. Gymnopédies -- Ferruccio Busoni. Fantasia after Johann Sebastian Bach, BV 253 -- Enrique Granados. Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor -- Amy Beach. Sketches, op. 15 -- Alexander Scriabin. Piano sonata no. 5, op. 53 -- Sergei Rachmaninoff [Rachmaninov]. Piano concerto no. 2 in C minor, op. 18 ; Piano concerto no. 3 in D minor, op. 30 -- Maurice Ravel. Miroirs ; Trio for piano, violin and cello in A minor ; Piano concerto in G major -- From Ives to Gubaidulina: 'stand up and take your dissonance like a man!'. Charles Ives. Piano sonata no. 2, 'Concord' -- Arnold Schoenberg. Five pieces for piano, op. 23 -- Béla Bartók. Eight improvisations on Hungarian peasant songs, op. 20/Sz 74 ; Contrasts: Trio for clarinet, violin and piano, Sz 111 -- Alban Berg. Piano sonata, op. 1 -- Sergei Prokofiev. Piano sonata no. 7 in B flat major, op. 83 -- Francis Poulenc. The story of Babar the elephant -- Dmitri Shostakovich. Piano trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 67 ; Piano concerto no. 2 in F major, op. 102 -- Olivier Messiaen. Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus -- John Cage. Sonatas and interludes -- György Ligeti. Musica ricercata -- Pierre Boulez. Douze notations -- Luciano Berio. Wasserklavier -- György Kurtág. Játékok, selected pieces -- Tōru Takemitsu. Rain tree sketch II -- Sofia Gubaidulina. Chaconne -- The jazz influence. Ragtime and 'syncopated' piano music. Scott Joplin. Maple leaf rag (and other pieces) -- Billy Mayerl. The jazz master (and other pieces) -- Jazz piano, jazz pianists. Fats Waller. Handful of keys (and James P. Johnson, Willie 'The Lion' Smith and stride piano) -- Art Tatum. Tiger rag (and other pieces) -- Bebop pianists: Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and others -- Bill Evans. Waltz for Debby (and other pieces) -- Women jazz pianists in a man's world: Mazie Mullins, Lovie Austin, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Mary Lou Williams, Hazel Scott and Marian McPartland -- Jazz goes classical. George Gershwin. Rhapsody in Blue -- Igor Stravinsky. Piano-rag music -- Conlon Nancarrow. Studies for player piano 3a-e -- Frederic Rzewski. Winnsboro cotton mill blues -- Today's piano styles: minimalism and historical awareness. Arvo Pärt. Für Alina -- Philip Glass. Mad rush -- Judith Weir. The art of touching the keyboard -- Thomas Adès. Three Mazurkas -- Tomorrow's world: where is music heading? |
| Abstract |
An astonishingly versatile instrument, the piano allows just two hands to play music of great complexity and subtlety. For more than two hundred years, it has brought solo and collaborative music into homes and concert halls and has inspired composers in every musical genre--from classical to jazz and light music. Charting the development of the piano from the late eighteenth century to the present day, the author takes the reader with her on a personal journey through 100 pieces including solo works, chamber music, concertos, and jazz. Her choices include composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Gershwin, and Philip Glass. Looking at this history from a modern performer's perspective, she acknowledges neglected women composers and players including Fanny Mendelssohn, Maria Szymanowska, Clara Schumann, and Amy Beach. |
