Hi Everyone! Winter Break is coming soon. I can't wait to post throughout the break! This is a list of my pick of the 7 piano sonatas by various composers. (Please remember these are in no particular order, there are 7 days and 7 songs).
7. Sonata No.11 in A Major K331 "The Turkish March" - Wolfgang Mozart
I played this song on the piano a few years ago. It is quite catchy, I especially like the a major section. You have almost certainly heard this before.
6. The Moonlight Sonata - Ludwig Van Beethoven
This sonata is absolutely beautiful. It begins simplistic with basic octaves in the left hand, and arpeggios in the right. It slowly progresses adding a beautiful melody, it continues to progress in complexity until it reaches its climax in the third movement. This piece shows the true brilliance that was in Beethoven's mind.
5. Sonata in B Flat - Franz Schubert
When scrolling through lists of classical music to do research for these posts, I often see Schubert pieces, however I had no idea who he was before this year. I have really enjoyed what I have heard so far, and I can see why composers like Schumann and Mendelssohn published Schubert's work after he died. They saw the music and felt it was too incredible to ignore. From listening to this piece, I can definitely recommend listening to it when you get a chance.
4. Grande Sonate G major - Pyotr Tchaikovsky
I really enjoy the theme he uses in the beginning. It sounds triumphant, a lot like hail to the chief. This is obviously a Tchaikovsky piece. I wouldn't recommend listening to this if you are trying to fall asleep :)
3. Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin
Chopin is known for his fast piano music, and this is no exception. The piece starts out with defying chords, and moves into fast but structured playing. Chopin then brings balance back by adding a slow sub theme, but shortly returns to a faster tempo with the original theme.
2. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor "Pathetique" Ludwig Van Beethoven
I have used movement two of this sonata before, in my post "7 Relaxing Classical Pieces You Should Try to Listen to This Week" This piece is very recognizable to all sorts of different audiences. It has been used as a soundtrack for movies, or even adapted for a pop song by: Billy Joel. I admire this piece, it is fun to listen to and has some memorable themes. (Like the one incorporated into movement 2).
1. Sonata in B Minor - Ferencz Liszt
Liszt shows an incredible mastery of dynamics in the beginning of this piece. He had a quiet, incredibly slow theme in the beginning. Liszt uses silence with rests between staccato octaves to give it an erie sound and fill his audience with suspense. I was reading the music and saw that it was going from lento and piano (incredibly slow and quiet) to allegro and forte (incredibly fast and loud). Even though I knew it was going to change it scared the living daylights out of me. Don't listen to this piece if you are planning on sleeping soon.
Thanks for reading this! I enjoy writing this series when I feel what I am writing about is a good idea. Please, if you have any suggestions for future posts in this series, just comment them. Other wise, let me know what you thought, and comment your favorite pieces!
Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, and my weekly piano performance of Christmas pieces.