Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
Find out more: ABOUT PIANODAO REVIEWS
The Joy of Graded Piano is a set of five new repertoire books from Yorktown Music Press, and heralds the return of one of the most iconic piano series.
The five books cover Grades 1-5, and aim to offer an enjoyable and well-rounded introduction to the riches of the piano repertoire.
24 Pieces for the Grade 5 Pianist
These pieces offer a broad range of music that will consolidate, challenge, and inspire developing players at this level.
For reference, the pieces shown in bold have all been set by one of the five accredited UK boards as exam syllabus pieces at this grade level.
- Friedrich Kuhlau: Allegro molto (from Sonatina No.4 in F Major)
- George Frideric Handel: Sarabande (from Suite in D minor)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: Adagio in F major
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Für Elise
- Franz Schubert: Waltz in B minor
- Robert Schumann: Of Foreign Lands and Peoples
- Fryderyk Chopin: Waltz in A minor (op.posth)
- Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: Sweet Dreams
- Louise Dumont Farrenc: Étude in A minor Op.50/2
- Edvard Grieg: Norwegian Air
- Amy Beach: Arctic Night
- Edward MacDowell: To a Wild Rose
- Erik Satie: Gymnopédie No.3
- Harry Thacker Burleigh: Through Moaning’ Pines
- Federico Mompou: Pajaro triste
- Sergey Prokofiev: Morning
- Grażyna Bacewicz: March
- Béla Bartók: An Evening in the Village
- Ola Gjeilo: Firefly
- Tan Dun: Staccato Beans
- Elena Cobb: Lavender Haze
- Valerie Capers: Sweet Mister Jelly Roll
- Rachel Portman: Apple Tree
- Ludovico Einaudi: Luminous
From core classics to contemporary favourites and recent discoveries, The Joy of Graded Piano showcases the strength and diversity of repertoire available for the world’s favourite instrument.
My sincere thanks go to the editorial and marketing team at Hal Leonard Europe, Yorktown’s distributors, for sharing my vision and commitment to the creation of this landmark series. We have carefully considered how we might deliver an outstanding set of physical music books, and to that end each of the publications have:
- colourful covers which build on the continuing appeal of the series
- clear, spacious engraving with a generous music font to help learners develop good reading ability
- luxury cream paper, supporting clarity (and especially important for neurodivergent players)
- carefully researched and engaging background notes for every piece
- practice tips to support effective learning and musical performance
- considered fingering suggestions throughout: the composer’s where available or else my own
- suggested realisations for ornamentation wherever needed
- ranging from 40 to 80 pages, the books have staple binding
Discover other grades in the series:
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