THE

TOP TEN

MOST

BEAUTIFUL

PIECES T

PLAY ON

PIANO
 INTRODUCTION

ADAGIO FOR STRINGS

BARBER

CLAIR DE LUNE

NO. 3 FROM SUITE BERGAMASQUE

DEBUSSY

ANDANTE GRAZIOSO

THEME FROM PIANO SONATA NO. 11 IN A MAJOR, K33

MOZART

LASCIA CH’IO PIANGA

FROM RINALDO, HWV 7

HANDEL

MISERERE

ALLEGRI

MOONLIGHT SONATA, OP. 27, NO. 2

BEETHOVEN

NIMROD

FROM ENIGMA VARIATIONS, OP. 36

ELGAR

NOCTURNE IN E♭ MAJOR, OP. 9, NO. 2

CHOPIN
 Hear the Music

Click below to listen to all the tracks in this collect

Click here
 THE TOP TEN
MOST

BEAUTIFUL
PIECES TO

PLAY ON

PIANO

Music is a magical thing. Its ability to stir up powerful emotions th

harmonic gesture or melodic inflection is a mysterious and w

phenomenon. In this volume we’ve collected the most moving pieces to

piano, covering a wide range of moods and eras.

Some were written with other forces in mind, for example, the ha

spiritual ‘Miserere’ by Allegri, written for the Sistine Chapel in Rome,

tender ‘Lascia Ch’io Pianga’, which enchanted London opera audienc

centuries ago, and the collection’s closing work by Max Richter, a beauti

originally written for strings. Elsewhere we have piano music thro

through; a gentle nocturne by Chopin, and two separate ‘moonlight’ w

Beethoven and Debussy. Regardless of their original form, these c

possess a quality that can be hard to define in words, so all that’s left

turn the page and play…

 ADAGIO FOR STRINGS

COMPOSER: Samuel Barber

COMPOSED: 1938

A sombre start to our collection, this Adagio For directly to them, and what th

Strings by Samuel Barber is exquisitely written and the dark era of the Great Depr
ADAGIO FOR STRINGS

Samuel Barber
 CLAIR DE LUNE
NO. 3 FROM SUITE BERGAMASQUE

COMPOSER: Claude Debussy

COMPOSED: c. 1890–1905

Where would French music be without the great inspiration came from the Fre
 CLAIR DE LUNE

NO. 3 FROM SUITE BERGAMASQUE

Claude Debussy
 ANDANTE GRAZIOSO
THEME FROM PIANO SONATA NO. 11 IN A MAJOR

COMPOSER: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

COMPOSED: 1783/4

In the early 1780s the brilliant Wolfgang Amadeus This Andante comes from his

Mozart was riding high as a piano star in the world’s the one that ends with the fam
 ANDANTE GRAZIOSO

THEME FROM PIANO SONATA NO. 11 IN A MAJOR

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

 LASCIA CH’IO PIANGA
FROM RINALDO, HWV 7

COMPOSER: George Frideric Handel

COMPOSED: 1711

As one of Handel’s best-loved opera arias, Lascia stage. Staging exotic operas

Ch’io Pianga was too good not to feature in this sung in a language that

collection, so we’ve included this arrangement for understand was something t

solo piano. A word of warning about the speed: the worked – but, luckily for Hand

melody in minims combined with the tempo indication staging had something to do

of largo might encourage you to play the piece much course the beauty of the

too slowly; imagine the beat as crotchets at a walking

LASCIA CH’IO PIANGA

FROM RINALDO, HWV 7

George Frideric Handel

 MISERERE

COMPOSER: Gregorio Allegri

COMPOSED: 1638

In its original form scored for unaccompanied choir, The sombre text, Have mercy

Allegri’s ‘Miserere’ is one of the most performed from Psalm 51. One of the mo

works of a cappella vocal music that there’s ever all, it’s traditionally sung during

been written, which is surprising when you think that acts of worship. When playin
MISERERE

Gregorio Allegri
 MOONLIGHT SONATA,

OP. 27, NO. 2

COMPOSER: Ludwig Van Beethoven

COMPOSED: 1801

Ludwig Van Beethoven was famously unlucky in love; The name ‘Moonlight Sonata

he had several fleeting passions with women over the possibly helping its popula

years, none of which ever came to anything. One was

MOONLIGHT SONATA,

OP. 27, NO. 2

Ludwig Van Beethoven

 NIMROD
FROM ENIGMA VARIATIONS, OP. 36

COMPOSER: Sir Edward Elgar

COMPOSED: 1899

This unforgettable and quintessentially English tune Elgar later revealed that it rep

comes from the work that really established the the character and temperam
 NIMROD

FROM ENIGMA VARIATIONS, OP. 36

Sir Edward Elgar

 NOCTURNE IN E ♭ MAJOR,

OP. 9, NO. 2

COMPOSER: Frédéric Chopin

COMPOSED: 1832

This is music of exquisite beauty and delicacy, the dedicate this beautiful Nocturn

living image of Frédéric Chopin himself, a Polish director of the family firm.
NOCTURNE IN E ♭ MAJOR,

OP. 9, NO. 2

Frédéric Chopin
 NUVOLE BIANCHE

COMPOSER: Ludovico Einaudi

COMPOSED: 2004

The music of Ludovico Einaudi has in recent decades often performs live in concer

become nothing less than a worldwide sensation. across the globe. Managing to

Born in Turin in 1955, some early experience of and hear, and rich in emotion

writing his own music on guitar led him to study at become a phenomenal success

the Verdi Conservatory in Milan; after studying

NUVOLE BIANCHE

Ludovico Einaudi
 ON THE NATURE

OF DAYLIGHT/WRITTEN

ON THE SKY
FROM SHUTTER ISLAND

COMPOSER: Max Richter

COMPOSED: 2004

Bringing the composition styles of the classical No stranger to collaborating

tradition together with new forms of music- making Max Richter has seen his wo

such as punk rock and ambient music has in recent fifty films. One of them is

years been the central approach of the German-born Shutter Island directed by
ON THE NATURE OF DAYLIGHT/

WRITTEN ON THE SKY

FROM SHUTTER ISLAND

Max Richter
Did you enjoy The Top Ten Classical Piec

Beginner Pianist Should Learn

Then recommend it to a friend!

 Also Available...

Visit www.musicroom.com
Copyright © 2017 Wise Publica ons
This edi on © 2017 Wise Publica ons
(A Division of Music Sales Limited, 14-15 Berners Street, London, W1T 3L

Source ISBN: 978-1-78558-400-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-78323-931-3
Version: 15-05-2017

Compiled by Naomi Cook. Notes wri en by Sandy Burne .

Photographs courtesy of:

Page 5: Jack Mitchell/Ge y Images
Page 10: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Ge y Images
Page 17: Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collec on/Ge y Images
Page 20: Ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Ge y Images
Page 24: Leemage/UIG via Ge y Images
Page 29: Hulton Archive/Ge y Images
Page 35: Herbert Lambert/Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collec on/Ge y Ima
Page 38: Hulton Archive/Ge y Images
Page 52: Yulia Mahr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form o
electronic or mechanical means, including informa on storage or retrieva