Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Bumper books of piano repertoire have long been a popular feature of the music publishing landscape. They can also prove hugely useful, as illustrated by a student I currently teach who is putting together a complete Grade 7 programme using only the free music compendium that arrived (in a polythene bag, alongside the instruction manual) with his Yamaha piano.
One of the enjoyable quirks of such anthologies is that they often include some unexpected rarities alongside the usual chestnuts, and this is a strength that The Willis Music Company have particularly played to with their latest venture into this market. Masterpieces for the Modern Pianist claims, and succeeds, in offering:
“a unique classical piano solo collection of over 70 timeless favourites and featuring undiscovered gems!”
Read on for the complete list and review of this remarkable fresh arrival…
The Masterpieces
This new selection has been put together by Charmaine Siagian and Sonya Schumann, whose previous comb-bound compilation (with Phillip Low) The Classical Piano Solos Collection (available here) offers an attractive partner, and with which this latest tome largely avoids duplication.
Flicking through Masterpieces for the Modern Pianist, familiar pieces such as Für Elise, Clair de Lune and the Rondo alla Turca quickly make their presence known, but among the 73 pieces, I found several others that are new to me, even introducing a few composers previously not encountered.
Here’s the complete list, as promised:
- Albéniz, Isaac: Prelude
- Bach, C.P.E: Solfeggietto
- Bach, J.S: Air (Goldberg Variations)
- Bach J.S: Italian Concerto (1st mvt)
- Bach, J.S: Prelude in C major
- Bartók, Béla: Bagatelle
- Beach, Amy: Scottish Legend
- Beethoven, Ludwig van: Für Elise
- Beethoven, Ludwig van: Moonlight Sonata (3rd mvt)
- Beethoven, Ludwig van: Pathétique Sonata (2nd mvt)
- Bonis, Mélanie: Gai Printemps
- Bonis, Mélanie: Madrigal
- Boulanger, Lili: D’un jardin clair
- Burgmüller, Friedrich: Ballade
- Carreño, Teresa: Berceuse
- Casella, Alfredo: Galop
- Castro, Riccardo: Valse Mélancolique
- Cervantes, Ignacio: Adiós a Cuba
- Chaminade, Cécile: Arabesque
- Chopin, Frédéric: Mazurka in A minor (Op17/4)
- Chopin, Frédéric: Waltz in D flat major (“Minute”)
- Cimarosa, Domenica: Sonata in E flat major
- Clementi, Muzio: Sonatina in C major (Op.36/3, 1st mvt)
- Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel: My Lord Delivered Daniel
- Couperin, Françoise: Le Bandoline
- Couperin, Françoise: Benevolent Cuckoos
- Dandrieu, Jean-Françoise: Lament
- Daquin, Louis-Claude: Le Coucou
- Debussy, Claude: Arabesque No.1
- Debussy, Claude: Clair de lune
- Dett, Nathaniel: Juba
- Ellmenreich, Albert: Spinning Song
- Farrenc, Louise: Etude in F sharp minor
- Fauré, Gabriel: Romance sans paroles No.3
- Fragoso, Antonio: Aria
- Franck, César: Danse lente
- de Gambarini, Elisabetta: Grazioso
- Gonzaga, Francisca: Heloisa
- Granados, Enrique: Vals Poetico No.2
- Grieg, Edvard: Arietta
- Gurlitt, Cornelius: Scherzo in D minor
- Haydn, Franz Joseph: Scherzando
- Heller, Stephen: Petite Tarantelle
- Hopekirk, Helen: Sarabande
- Johnson, Francis: The Arrival
- Joplin, Scott: The Entertainer
- Kuhlau, Friedrich: Sonatina in A major (Op.60/2, 1st mvt)
- Lang, Josephine: Arabesque
- Liszt, Franz: Consolation No.3
- Martines, Marianna: Allegro in A major
- Mendelssohn, Felix: The Gondolier
- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Rondo alla Turca
- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Sonata in C (K.545, 1st mvt)
- Paderewski, Ignacy: Minuet in G
- Petzold, Christian: Minuet in G
- Petzold, Christian: Minuet in G minor
- Ponce, Manuel: Intermezzo
- Prokofiev, Sergei: Visions Fugitive No.1
- Rachmaninov, Sergei: Prelude in C sharp minor
- Ravel, Maurice: Prélude
- Rebikov, Vladimir: The Limping Witch Lurking in the Woods
- Rosas, Juventino: Flores de Romana
- Satie, Erik: Gnossienne No.1
- Scarlatti, Domenico: Sonata in A major (K.113)
- Schumann, Clara: Impromptu (Le Sabbat)
- Schumann, Clara: Notturno
- Schumann, Robert: Chopin
- Schumann, Robert: From Faraway Lands
- Schumann, Robert: Song of the Reaper
- Scriabin, Alexander: Prelude in B major
- Sinding, Christian: Rustle of Spring
- Taki, Rentarō: Minuet and Trio
- Wiggins, Thomas: Water in the Moonlight
There is music here to suit most tastes and levels, including pieces that have appeared on UK graded lists from Grade 1 to Grade 8.
They are grouped into four sections, organised chronologically (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Early 20th Century), each of which spreads out its wares in approximate order of difficulty, facilitating the practical discovery of suitable music by each player.
There is undoubtedly an inclusive mixture of material (which is perhaps one way this selection commendably distinguishes itself from similar books of yesteryear), and most of the great names of the repertoire are featured at least once (but alas: no Handel, Schubert or Tchaikovsky).
The editors tell us that in addition to popular works, the collection includes,
“…other remarkable works, including pieces by 12 women, a blind African American wunderkind… and several others that were overlooked simply because the world they were born into was, perhaps, not quite ready for them yet. We hope a few of these less familiar names and pieces will be welcomed into many a repertoire and further encourage curiosity and study.”
Siagian and Schumann apparently opted not to include jazzy pieces (the sole exception is The Entertainer), 20th century modernism, or more contemporary music.
Indeed, in their Preface they cite 1927 as their cutoff year due to later works not being in the public domain. This focused scope enhances a coherent sense of definition and purpose within the material, but could be regarded as a little ironic given the title of the collection!
The Publication
As equally impressive, the publication itself is tastefully presented, with a simple but striking cover in thick, matt card.
Comb binding is never my preference, but here it seems sturdy and has the obvious advantage that the pages lie flat on the music stand.
The 272 pages within are clearly printed on white paper. The music editing, without yet having played the entire collection, seems good. Baroque pieces include minimal editorial dynamics. The editors further note,
“Although this collection is not intended to be a scholarly edition, much care was taken for performance practice and notation accuracy. Every piece has been reedited and reengraved, and fingerings and articulation have been added at the editors’ discretion.”
Helpfully, the collection includes a Table of Contents which is alphabetical by title, as well as an index at the back, which is alphabetical by composer. Also at the rear of the book, they have included J.S. Bach’s written out ornamentation table, both as a photograph of the original and with a modern engraving.
Completing this overview of the publication itself, I am pleased to see that at the front of the book the editors have included short biographies for all the composers whose music is featured within. These paragraphs make for interesting reading, and offer a great starting point for learning about the musicians behind the music.
Closing Thoughts
Masterpieces for the Modern Pianist takes a well-established concept and gently polishes it for today’s players. From repertoire selections to editorial execution and production quality, it seems to me that this anthology notably improves on those that have preceded it.
Bumper books of this kind aren’t normally my sort of thing, but for those wanting a generous and varied mix of classical piano music, affordably priced and presented with superb accomplishment, this is definitely the one to go for. There’s enough great music here to keep any enthusiastic piano player engrossed for many months to come!
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