100 Best Bets From Modern Piano Literature
100 Best Bets From Modern Piano Literature
100 Best Bets From Modern Piano Literature
An Annotated Bibliography
Nancy O'Neill Breth
This bibliography lists modern piano compositions that I find rewarding to teach
and play. The entries show composer (or editor), title, publisher, followed by a
brief description of the character or merits of the piece. For collections or suites, I
have singled out specific pieces that I consider particularly attractive.
The entries are roughly grouped by level. Ideas of what elementary, intermediate
and advanced mean differ from teacher to teacher. A piece that seems very
difficult to me may appear less so to someone else. Or vice versa. Nevertheless
teachers talk and think in levels, so I have placed the pieces in the following five
categories to provide at least a general sense of their difficulty levels.
method books.
Elementary Plus: suitable for students playing earliest classics and starting
the Anna Magdalena Bach notebook.
Intermediate:
Preludes.
Intermediate Plus: suitable for students playing Bach Inventions and easier
Advanced: suitable for students playing advanced Bach Preludes and Fugues
and more difficult classical sonatas.
A list like this is always a work in progress, but certain ommissions are deliberate.
Pieces that I cant confirm are still in print have been excluded. Also no works by
Bela Bartok are included because of the sheer volume of his great compositions for
pianists from beginner to virtuoso level. There are a few entries without comment.
These are pieces I havent tried yet, but that are included because of the strong
recommendation of respected colleagues.
Nancy ONeill Breth
September 2003
Elementary
Goldstein, Frances, et al., eds.
Contemporary Collection. Warner Bros. 37
short pieces, many by composers you are not
likely to find represented in other collections.
Exceptionally high quality overall. David
Kraehenbuehls Scherzo on Tenth Avenue uses
five-finger patterns of all types and unexpected
rests to create a jazzy effect. The same
composers Toccata Breve is as simple to play as
it is effective; and he explores the world of pedal
in Snowfall and Dream World. Fred Zillers Bells
is probably the easiest piece in the book, but
sounds impressive.
George, Jon. A Day in the Jungle. Warner
Bros. 12 great little pieces from a great
American composer. Full of humor and
imagination. Good recital pieces.
ELEMENTARY
Elementary Plus
Adventures in Time and Space: Studies for
Contemporary Music. Warner Bros. Short
melodic pieces concentrating on one or more
technical problems. These studies were planned
to aid the modern piano student in the technical
problems and stylistic aspirations found in
contemporary music. Gnessina, Bartok,
Mageau, Olson, Toch, Miaskovsky, others. The
table of contents lists each etude's goal. In Level
1-2 of this three-book series, recommended
pieces are Fife and Drum; As You Like It; Rain
Rain Go Away; Perfect Get-Together.
Agay, Denes, ed. The Joy of Easy Modern
Piano Pieces. Music Sales Corp. There are
many attractive pieces in this collection, but
even if there weren't it would be worth buying
for Tick-Tock Toccata by Herbert Haufrecht. See
also Elie Seigmeisters Street Games and Leo
Smits Little Fanfare.
Alexander, Dennis. A Splash of Color:
Romantic and Contemporary Solos for the
Intermediate Student. Alfred Publishing Co.
Book 1 contains showy pieces with a slight
Broadway/pop sound. Grey Granite is spare but
grand, like Copland. Blue Boogie and Violetta are
clever uptempo selections. Zinc Pink is
evocative. The slow numbers can be treacly.
Bolcom, William. Monsterpieces. Marks/Hal
Leonard. Ten attractive, accessible pieces with
great illustrations and straight-talking helpful
hints from the composer. Badminton; Big
Mountain; and The Bad Mister are my favorites.
Cowell, Henry. The Irishman Dances. Carl
Fischer. A swinging, athletic piece using both
open and filled-in fifths (clusters) in LH; modal;
polymetrical.
Diemer, Emma Lou. Space Suite. Plymouth
Music Co. Includes 12-tone technique, string
effects, changing meters, quartal chords. Space
Monkey; Space People Dancing; Radio Waves;
Toward Mars; Frequency Bands.
ELEMENTARY PLUS
ELEMENTARY PLUS
Intermediate
Adventures in Time and Space: Studies for
Contemporary Music. CPP/Belwin. Short
melodic pieces concentrating on one or more
technical problems. These studies were planned
to aid the modern piano student in the technical
problems and stylistic aspirations found in
contemporary music. Gnessina, Bartok,
Mageau, Olson, Toch, Miaskovsky, others. The
table of contents lists each etude's goal. In the
Level 4-5 book, try Dance; Etude 2; Bits &
Pieces. In the Level 5-6 book, try Etude 5 and
Etude 6.
Appleby, Martha, ed. Bravo Brazil. Kjos
West. Two volumes of Brazilian composers
works. I like Book 2 best. try Heitor Villa-Lobos,
Saci and A Lenda do Caboclo; Claudio Santoro,
Paulistana No. 1.
Binkerd, Gordon. Concert Set for Piano.
Boosey & Hawkes. Witch-Doctor; Mice.
Intermediate Boosey & Hawkes 20th-Century
Easy Piano Collection, The, York, ed. Boosey &
Hawkes. Pipe Tune and Bells (for the left hand)
by Alec Rowley; The Little Men and Rain by
Jasper Rooper.
Chagy, Robert. Israeli Sketches. Willis
Music Co. Eight pieces descriptive of Israeli
places and events. Kibbutz is a rousing dance
with changing metres. Tel Aviv is simple and
effective. Chassidic Dance and Jaffa Cafe are also
appealing.
Chatman, Stephen. Amusements. Frederick
Harris. My favorite in this series is Book 3:
Sneaky; Catnip Fit; Happy Cowgirl.
Cowell, Henry. Album of Piano Music. G.
Schirmer/AMP. In volume 1, see Exultation;
Aeolian Harp; Fabric; Tiger.
Creston, Paul. Five Little Dances. G.
Schirmer. Rustic Dance; Languid Dance.
Cuellar, Martin. Toccata. FJH. Latin flavor
show piece.
INTERMEDIATE
INTERMEDIATE
INTERMEDIATE
10
Intermediate Plus
Albright, William. Dream Rags. Peters. Try
these 1960's rags as an alternative to Joplin.
Onion Skin Rag is my favorite, except for the key
signature.
Barber, Samuel. Excursions, op. 20. G.
Schirmer. Barber: These are Excursions in
small classical forms into regional American
idioms. Their rhythmic characteristics, as well as
their source in folk material and their scoring,
reminiscent of local instruments, are easily
recognized. All four pieces are wonderful.
Barber, Samuel. Nocturne, Op. 33. G.
Schirmer. Full of Chopinesque figuration over a
typical rolling Nocturne bass line, this piece
builds to a passionate climax and then ends
wistfully. Its rollercoaster of emotions makes it
great for teens.
Berg, Alban. Klavierstuck in B Minor. See
Hinson, The Century of Invention.
Benjamin, Arthur. Scherzino. See The Boosey
& Hawkes 20th-Century Piano Collection.
Bolcom, William. Complete Rags for Piano.
Hal Leonard. Try these 1960's rags as an
alternative to Joplin.
Camargo-Guarnieri, M. Dansa Negra. Hal
Leonard. Brilliant piece; complex rhythms and
counterpoint.
Copland, Aaron. Piano Album. Boosey &
Hawkes. Eleven pieces including selections from
Four Piano Blues, Rodeo, Our Town, and others.
Young Pioneers especially recommended for
young students.
Copland, Aaron. The Cat and the Mouse:
Scherzo Humoristique. Boosey & Hawkes,
Alfred, MMP. The title says it all.
Copland, Aaron. Three Moods. See The
Boosey & Hawkes 20th-Century Piano Collection.
INTERMEDIATE PLUS
INTERMEDIATE PLUS
Villa Lobos, Heitor. Piano Music Of VillaLobos. Dover. Ciclo Brasileiro: Dansa do Indio
Branco.
Weill, Kurt. Tango-Ballade. See Hinson, The
Century of Invention.
INTERMEDIATE PLUS
10
Advanced
Berg, Alban. Piano Sonata. Warner Bros. A
masterpiece. Lush harmonies, highly expressive,
dramatic.
The Boosey & Hawkes 20th-Century Piano
Collection. Boosey & Hawkes. Coplands
Three Moods; Arthur Benjamins Scherzino.
The Carnegie Hall Millennium Piano Book.
Boosey & Hawkes. There is no editor listed,
but Ursula Oppens contributes notes to each
piece and a CD. I havent tried teaching these
yet, but am interested in Frederic Rzewskis The
Days Fly By, Chen Yis Ba Ban, Louis
Andriessens Image de Moreau, and Tan Duns
Dew-Fall-Drops.
Dello Joio, Norman. Capriccio on the
Interval of a Second. Marks.
Ginastera, Alberto. Suite de Danzas Criollas.
Boosey & Hawkes. No. 1 is a beautiful slow
dance with colorful soft tone clusters and a
gentle rocking rhythmic figure in bass. Not
difficult, but not for the small hand. The Suite
bears a strong resemblance to Ginastera's
Sonata No. 1.
Johnson, Hunter. Sonata. Theodore Presser.
Improvisatory, blues-influenced style.
Kodaly, Zoltan. Marroszek Dances. Warner
Bros. Smashing theme and variations set. The
lyrical sections are deeply affecting, and the
Hungarian dances are wild.
Liebermann, Lowell. Gargoyles. Theodore
Presser. Like their namesake, these four pieces
are not beautiful, but are dramatic and riveting.
ADVANCED