“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” – Kahlil Gibran.
Music is the food for our souls. Be it a serene rainy day or a bus ride to the office, music always finds its way to calm our senses down and fill our hearts with joy.
Music keeps our company as a true friend through heartbreaks and joyous celebrations.
The piano is such a graceful instrument that almost every great composer ever lived on this earth composed a piece for it. Our music taste may not match, but we can all agree that our lives are incomplete without such great piano pieces.
11 Most Beautiful Piano Pieces Ever Written
1. Moonlight Sonata – Beethoven
I would be surprised if you didn’t know the name before. Moonlight Sonata is one of the piano’s most iconic pieces ever written.
The great composer Ludwig Van Beethoven composed this iconic piece in 1801 and dedicated it to Julie Guicciardi, his pupil countess.
Although technically, this three-movement piece is written in the form of Sonata, it resembles more with an improvised and free-flowing fantasy. The great composer Hector Berlioz described this piano piece as a ‘lamentation’.
If you haven’t heard this piece before, you don’t know what you are missing out on.
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2. Piano Concerto – Clara Schumann
The Piano Concerto was composed by Clara Wieck, famously known as Clara Schumann. Composed in A minor, Op. 7, this amazing piece is her only finished piano composition.
Can you imagine a woman composing one of the greatest piano compositions of all time? Such was her brilliance.
She composed this great piano piece of 1 movement when she was just 14, and later she completed it with two more movements. The length of this composition is around 20 minutes.
If you are a fan of Chopin‘s compositions, you will fall in love with this piece.
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3. Nocturne in E flat major (Op. 9, No. 2) – Chopin
You may have already heard this great piano piece, but can you believe that Frederic Chopin composed this incredible music when he was just 20?
Maybe his young-adult years inspired this youthful composition. Chopin wrote this piece in E flat major, and it is in a rounded binary form (A, A, B, A, B, A) with the passage that brought this piece to an end.
The nocturne opens with a smooth melody, with quiet dynamics, containing graceful upward leaps which become increasingly wide as the piece ends.
Personally, this is one of my favorite pieces, and I would definitely suggest this one wind off after a busy day.
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4. Scenes from Childhood – Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, the husband of Clara Schumann, wrote this incredibly soothing ‘Kinderszenen’ or famously known as Scenes from Childhood, in 1838.
According to the composer, this piece is cheerful, gentle, and more melodic than his earlier compositions.
This piano piece originally consisted of 30 movements, but later, he narrowed it down to 13 movements.
There is actually a funny story related to the song. Robert Schumann once told her wife that she actually inspired the 30 little pieces. Every time she called him a child, he wrote a movement on it.
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5. The Well-Tempered Clavier – J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach is my favorite composer. The Well-Tempered Clavier, written in 1722, is considered his finest piano composition.
Interestingly, this piece was composed for Harpsichord Clavichord or Organ.
This piano piece is originally a combination of preludes and fugues in 24 major and minor keys.
Bach wrote the first book as a guiding medium for young pianists and composers. Nearly twenty years later, in 1722, he wrote the final version as a book called the Well-Tempered Clavier.
This is simply one of the most soothing piano pieces you will ever listen to.
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6. Piano Concerto No. 20 – Mozart
This composer needs no introduction. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest pianists of all time. The Piano Concerto No. 20 is the finest piece of music he ever wrote for the piano.
This piece was originally written in 1785 and was played for the first time in Mehlgrube Casino in Vienna by the pianist himself.
This musical composition is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Concerto No. 20 starts with a restless and melancholic tone to utterly joyous D major in the final act.
Interestingly, this composition was one of the most favorite concertos of Beethoven.
Well, it takes a genius to understand another genius.
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7. Sonata Pathetique – Beethoven
If you feel gloomy and cheerful altogether, then you can only understand this music. It is restless and calming at the same time.
Besides Moonlight Sonata, Sonata Pathetique is the most prominent piece from Beethoven. This particular piece evokes mixed feelings among listeners.
If you are feeling gloomy and cheerful at the same time, Sonata Pathetique will perfectly gel up with your mood.
Sonata Pathetique, originally known as Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, was written by Beethoven in 1798.
Can you believe that when he wrote this timeless piece, he was only 27?
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8. Piano Sonata No.11 (including ‘Rondo alla Turca’) – Mozart
This list would be incomplete without the Piano Sonata No. 11, composed by none other than legendary classical piano composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1784.
This beautiful Sonata is originally based on A major and listed as 331/300i in the Köchel catalog. It comprises three movements.
I would like to ask you to leave whatever you are doing right now and plug this piano piece into your music player.
The third movement of this piece, Rondo Alla Turca, is so popular that it has been used as a separate entity for numerous films and song compositions.
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9. Piano Sonata in B minor – Liszt
Let me tell you a funny story about this great piece.
Liszt composed this monumental Piano Sonata in B minor in 1854. Upon completion, he performed this piece for the first time in a soiree. Johannes Brahms, another great composer, was on the guest list.
When Liszt struck the final note, he promptly looked towards his fellow composer Brahms, only to discover him taking a nap.
This story may sound awkward, but you won’t necessarily fall asleep listening to this composition. Usually, sonatas consist of three movements, but Liszt didn’t play by the rules and stretched it unusually long.
This musical piece slowly rose to fame and is now considered one of the greatest compositions in Piano history.
A must for piano enthusiasts.
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10. Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor – Rachmaninov
Considered a modern-world piano sensation, Rachmaninov wrote this composition in December 1900. This piano piece is a landmark of orchestral piano symphonies. The first movement is a perfect blend of solo piano pieces and vibrant orchestral themes.
Piano Concerto No. 2 is a celebration of his coming out of clinical depression and writers’ block. Apparently, Rachmaninov dedicated this piece to his doctor.
It is considered as one of the hardest pieces to play on an 88 keys piano, and even the professionals crack when it comes to playing the third movement.
Listen here:
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11. Clair de Lune – Debussy
Although Clair de Lune means moonlight in French, this piece has stark differences from Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Debussy was an impressionist pianist, and all of his works are impressions of love.
Unlike Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, this is a very simple composition, but it took Debussy 15 years to write the third movement. Give this a try already; you will understand what you were missing.
Listen here:
Piano Genres for Every Mood
There is always a competent piece perfect for every mood. Different piano genres evoke various kinds of information.
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Jazz
Whether it’s a fun night out at the local bar with your folks or a romantic date with your loved one, the spontaneity of jazz is always there to lighten up the situation and surely makes it a memorable experience.
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Classical
A dedicated piano enthusiast like you won’t miss the opportunity to devour some great pieces from time to time. Classical piano pieces are the perfect companions on a lonely day.
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Rock/Pop
If your date is into piano and you don’t want to plan something exciting for them, a Rock/Pop piano concert is the perfect option for you. Set the tone right with the spontaneous and exciting pieces.
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Blues
There is nothing more romantic than pianists devouring themselves into the instrument under the limelight. Blues evokes emotions and a rumination of our memories while sipping your favorite wine can be the ideal weekend for you.
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Gospel
Be it the church or a holy ceremony, gospel music with a beautiful harmony always makes us feel connected to the wonderful thing called life. Gospel music truly helps our agitated hearts to calm down.
FAQs
What are the most beautiful piano pieces?
Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven and The Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach are considered the most technically sound and moving piano piece.
What is the most calming piano piece?
Piano pieces of Bach are considered soothing to the ears. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg, and the piano pieces by Ludovico Einaudi and Philip Glass are the most calming.
Who is the best pianist in history?
Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, and Chopin are considered the most influential composers and the best pianists.
Who are the best modern pianists?
Louis Lortie, Tigran Hamasyan, Ethan Iverson, Lang Lang, Philip Glass, and Ludovico Einaudi are considered the greatest composers of modern times.
Conclusion
The piano is like an oasis in our lives. All the great pieces are like a piano fan’s bridge over troubled water.
Stop reading, turn off your smartphone and listen to these wonderful creations. Let there be a musical trance in your life!
