Classic Piano Music CDs

Writing for the piano can be tricky, to say the least. Usually, the questions that go through an over-tired composer’s mind are, “What’s my style of writing? How can my piano compositions express me? How can me be me? Why me speak like this?” The answers to some of these questions can be found in the rest of this article (and in a good night’s sleep).

Examining and listening to a variety of composers can help you in finding a style of your own. Composers with unique styles include J.S. Bach, who wrote music in a highly contrapuntal way, and in an era where music had energy and vitality (Baroque era).

Mozart’s piano works were written in the classical period, which focused on refinement and beauty in music form. Beethoven expanded these forms and opened the door to the lush Romantic era. He also wrote his thirty-two piano sonatas, often referred to as the New Testament of piano music (Bach’s forty-eight preludes and fugues were considered the Old Testament).

Chopin was arguably the most influential piano composer of the past. His style was unmistakably original and his understanding of piano technique remains unequalled to present day.

The twentieth century included important piano repertoire from impressionist composers. Wonderful examples of this style of music can be found in the piano works of Debussy and Ravel.

Listening is an important element in understanding piano writing style. Here is a wide selection of piano music from different eras, as played by some of the top artists in music recording history.

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Horowitz Plays Scarlatti

Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Rosalyn Tureck 2

Bach: Piano Works

Concertos italiens

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart:The Complete Piano Sonatas and Variations

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17, 18, 26

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)