From the category archives:

Classical Piano

Classical piano music is an enigma in a world full of techno-laden pop slop. A capsule of a bygone era, the music style lives on with ferocious tenacity. The legacy lives on.

Generally speaking the age of this style of music spans between 1750 and 1820.

During this time master composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Haydn were at the peak of their game. Many liken this age to the golden age of art and literature.

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Classical piano music is a written tradition. Music notation is the preferred correspondence when dealing with the medium. Most other musical styles are passed on through orally or through a recording, while classical piano music must be transcribed and passed along by paper.

This sense of tradition and posterity translates even to how it is played.

The original composers of the genre had specific visions for how and where the music should be performed. The effect of the music was important.

To really appreciate the complexity of classical piano music you experience it live.

No record, CD, or MP3 will ever be able to capture the mood of this style of music as vividly as a live performance. Most people think such a concert is boring. Nothing could be further from the truth. Concertos and solos can be surprisingly stirring, even moving people to tears.

Improvisation is a cornerstone of the genre and even played a part in some of the most famous and revered works of the time. This sense of play and fun can fill a concert hall with action, drama, suspense and joy.

Who knew that listening to a symphony could be as exciting as watching a football game?

Classical music is a rich tapestry of complex relationships. Composers wanted to create a link between the emotional and intellectual content of their work. This happened through musical development where they created many of the musical phrases and devices that we take for granted in the music of today.

Some of the Composers of the Classical Era

Franz Joseph Haydn was considered one of the first most prominent figures of the classical era. He was considered by many to be the father of the symphony. Haydn’s music was bright and had a bit of humor mixed in.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most famous composers of the classical era. He created over 600 compositions for classical piano music and is a standard part of many concerts and symphonies.

Ludwig Van Beethoven is by far the most widely-known and regarded classical composer of all time. He is considered by many to be the first ever “rock-star”. He is responsible for some for some of the most sweeping piano classical music ever written.

Other famous composers from this era are Chopin and Bach. In fact, my favorite classical piece is “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach.

To sum it all up, piano classical music has a rich history full of intrigue and has been celebrated by kings, queens, princes and emperors all over the world. Learning to appreciate the genre will give you a better ear for music that can greatly affect your performance as a musician.

Just as a writer gains more skills in his bag of tricks by reading others work, so does the musician who listens to complexly structured music.

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Beethoven Piano Music – The Story of “Ode to Joy”

by Tania Gleaves on August 12, 2010

Beethoven piano music is known to anyone who has ever taken piano lessons. Ludwig von Beethoven changed the world of music with his compositions for orchestra and piano.

Born in 1770, the German composer first learned music from his father, who was exacting and hard.

Rumor has it that sometimes Beethoven’s dad would come home after a long night of drinking with his friend and get Beethoven up, forcing him to practice the piano the rest of the night!  (That’s no way to raise kids or learn piano!)

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Anyway, Beethoven obviously learned what his dad wanted him to learn, because when he was only 16, he had a chance to play for the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was one of the first that got to know Beethoven piano music and predicted that the young German would “astonish the world” with his talent.

Mozart was certainly right!

Beethoven really lived a tragic life, though. His hearing began to fail while he was still in his twenties. It must have been heartbreaking to be losing his hearing when he had such an obvious passion for music.

The result was that he became depressed and morose in personality as he grew older, and even contemplated taking his own life.

In order to communicate with people, Beethoven kept books in which he and his acquaintances wrote down their conversations. These records are still used to help musicians get a feel for how the composer intended for his music to be played.

“Ode to Joy”

One piece of Beethoven piano music that has been loved by many down through the years is his “Ode to Joy”. This song is from the final movement of his beautiful ninth symphony.

The tune has been familiar for a century or more as a Christian hymn entitled “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”. The words of the hymn were written by Henry van Dyke.

Then in the peace and love days of the early Seventies, the Spanish singer, Miguel Rios, released a version called “Song of Joy” that spoke of a coming day of harmony and peace among all of mankind. It’s certainly a shame that almost 40 years later, we don’t seem to be much closer to seeing that day. Let the dream live on, though!

The song, “Ode to Joy”, is often included in beginner piano courses, because it is a fairly simple tune.

It’s also useful because it is so familiar. A beginner should know how the tune should sound so they can hear if they are playing it right.

Well known songs need to be included in the lessons, instead of just random notes thrown together for practice purposes. It will make the lessons more enjoyable for the learner, and make you sound like you know what you are doing early in your piano course.

Classical music will never really go out of style. The rhythm and meter of a song like “Ode to Joy” has a timeless beauty and appeal.  It truly is one of the most beloved Beethoven piano music compositions of all.

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Chopin – A Look At The Man Behind The Music

July 10, 2010

Frederic François Chopin (1810-1849) is one of the most popular piano composers of all time who earned the prestigious title of “genius” as a teen. His music included a wide variety of emotions and skills that ranged from waltzes and nocturnes to ballads and etudes. As a Poland native, he [...]

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Mozart Piano and The Genius Behind It

July 10, 2010

A Brief History Of Mozart, The Genius
There would probably be no Mozart piano as we know it without the contributions of Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91). Over time, the name Mozart has become synonymous with classical piano and for very good reason. Within a relatively short life span of only 35 years, Mozart wrote [...]

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Bach Piano Music – The Beauty of Baroque

July 3, 2010

Bach piano pieces capture the heart of anyone who hears them. (By the way, I wonder what Johann Sebastian Bach would think of the Internet? Isn’t it cool to think that the master of the Baroque style of  music would have an official page on the World Wide Web?)
Anyway, Bach was born [...]

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