Twentieth Century Piano Masterpieces (BA 6555): BA 6555

Author: Topel
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Generally, music from the 19th century is referred to as Romantic music. In the late 19th century, the development of various musical forms pointed toward the all-encompassing term we are familiar with today—"contemporary music." The Barenreiter's Collection of Piano Works (works from the early 20th century) collects works from the late Romantic period to the mid-20th century, a period of diverse and exciting styles. This anthology, arranged chronologically (works are ordered by the composers' birth dates), provides masterpieces by renowned composers in easy to medium difficulty, aiming to give readers an impression of some important styles during this volatile period in music history. We can already see signs of the alienated Romantic piano tones in the late works of Franz Liszt, while Claude Debussy rediscovered the importance of piano tone color variation. However, almost simultaneously, other works were created with little innovation in the use of musical material, such as the works of Jean Sibelius. Comparing the creation dates of each work can highlight the stylistic diversity of musical composition during this period. In addition to the essential works of this era, readers can also discover interesting or enjoyable pieces on their own. These shorter works add much-needed variety to piano teaching. The editor has not imposed any subjective elements on the scores, and the few fingerings provided are merely suggestions to assist performance. The current collection is a supplement to Michael Topel's Romantic Piano Works (BA6538). Like the previous piano works, this collection places special emphasis on geographical diversity in the selection of works. Together, these two collections of piano works show the diversity of piano composition from the early Romantic period to the mid-20th century. The two collections of Sonatinas (BA6545 and BA6549) edited by Claus Walter for Barenreiter pave the way for playing sonatas and larger-scale works, and this 20th Century Piano Masterpieces can serve as an excellent guide.