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Musicians

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

by Tania Gleaves on February 19, 2010

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Beethoven Piano Beethoven Piano Music   The Story of Ode to Joy

Beethoven music always intrigued you? Want to play Beethoven piano masterpieces?

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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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piano man billy joel Piano Man by Billy Joel   Music that Captures the Imagination

Always been fascinated with the song Piano Man by Billy Joel? Want to learn how to play it yourself?

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Piano Man by Billy Joel is considered the signature song of this popular star.

Billy Joel wrote the song during the early seventies while he was establishing his career in music. The song, with its poignant look at real life, was his first big hit.

Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1949. He was intrigued by classical European music from a young age, so his mother encouraged him to take piano lessons. By his early teens, he had become interested in a career in music.

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Some of the artists that inspired him musically were Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, and the Beatles – which shows just how broad Joel’s interests in music have been. While still in high school, he was performing professional gigs to help his divorced mother make ends meet. His first recording was in 1968 as part of a band called “The Hassles.”

Billy’s own personal hassles prompted him to move to the West Coast, where he became a Los Angeles night club performer. It was in this setting that he fictionalized the people in the bar into the lyrics of the his signature song.

Piano Man by Billy Joel captures the imagination and hearts of people everywhere with its slice of life lyrics and lilting tune.

The song begins as a sort of piano pop piece, with a jazz flavor, but also include a Bob Dylan-inspired harmonica solo.

The tune is so catchy that listeners often find themselves singing along after they’ve heard it a few times. In fact, when Joel performs the song at concerts, he doesn’t sing the chorus. He holds the mic toward the audience and lets them sing the familiar words.

Piano Man by Billy Joel is a great song for learning to play the piano.

It has a simple, familiar sound that catches your interest and sounds great when you’re performing for your friends. With the wonders of modern technology, you can even learn songs like this without a teacher. You can teach yourself, via piano lesson websites or CD-Rom or online instruction.

Now, before you start to object that you could never learn a hard song like this one, realize that, no, it won’t be the first lesson you have. You will need to get familiar with the keyboard and some basic simple movements first. Then you’ll have to practice what you are learning. And practice some more.

Having a desire to learn a skill like piano playing goes a lot farther than just plunking down money for a teacher. If you have a passion, like Billy Joel did as a young boy listening to classical music, half the battle is over.

And while regular practice is essential, it is not necessary to spend hours at a time working at piano playing to master it. In fact, spending too much time all at once can be counter productive, because it can lead to burn out. Aim for about 30 minutes every day.

Before you know it, you’ll be playing great songs like Piano Man by Billy Joel.

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Chopin – A Look At The Man Behind The Music

February 3, 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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Bach Piano Music – The Beauty of Baroque

December 14, 2009

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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Piano Songs Every Pianist Likes To Play

November 17, 2009

Piano songs come in all sorts and styles. Every pianist loves to play some now and then, even if you prefer classical pieces. And although a song usually contains vocal parts, many have been rearranged for performance on piano only.
Let’s take a closer look at some great composers of songs you can [...]

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Piano Man Lyrics Inspire the Imagination

October 30, 2009

The Piano Man lyrics still inspire the imagination. Billy Joel certainly created a masterpiece when he penned this song.
This soft rock classic dates back to 1972. At the time, Joel was performing in a Los Angeles bar, reportedly called “The Executive Room”, and became friends with the crowd who came to [...]

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Mozart Piano and The Genius Behind It

September 7, 2009

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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Piano Man Billy Joel Sings About Life

August 27, 2009

Piano man Billy Joel is one of pop music’s great pianists and songwriters. He has captured the heart of many others how like to play piano. And rightly so.
Just ask yourself:
Wouldn’t you just love to be able to sit down at the piano and play a song like “Piano Man”? [...]

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