[Classical] A collection of piano pieces with cool arpeggios
Are you familiar with the musical term arpeggio?
It refers to playing the individual notes that make up a chord—what we commonly call a chord or code—one by one, and if you play guitar, it’s a familiar term.
On piano, arpeggios are basically the same and are a technique you can use for accompaniment in singing and playing, but they’re also something you can’t avoid when performing classical piano pieces.
In this article, we introduce a selection of classical piano works that use arpeggios strikingly—whether in the right hand’s main melody or the left hand’s accompaniment.
Focusing primarily on solo piano pieces, but also including piano concertos, we invite you to savor the intense, cool, and beautiful appeal of arpeggios!
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[Classical] A Collection of Piano Pieces with Cool Arpeggios (11–20)
Polonaise No. 6 in A-flat major, Op. 53 “Heroic Polonaise”Frederic Chopin
Frederic Chopin’s Polonaise No.
6 in A-flat major, Op.
53—better known as the “Heroic Polonaise”—features arpeggios throughout its accompaniment, but the most striking occurs at the start of the middle section, where both hands strum an arpeggio as if heralding the hero’s entrance.
After this arpeggio, which heightens the listener’s anticipation, a series of left-hand octaves requiring advanced technique begins.
As you listen, be sure to focus on that arpeggio as a cue for the change in scene and mood.
Finale, Op. 40 No. 8 (Kapustin: Eight Concert Etudes)Nikolai Kapustin
Nikolai Kapustin is a Russian composer and pianist born in 1937.
He is known for his unique style that fuses classical music and jazz, and is regarded as one of the most prolific composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Composed in 1984, his Eight Concert Etudes, Op.
40, is one of Kapustin’s signature works.
Structured in sonata form, it is characterized by powerful, propulsive jazz elements.
Incorporating features from a wide range of genres—including swing, boogie-woogie, rock, and Latin rhythms—it maintains a captivating variety throughout.
It is recommended for those interested in music that blends the structural rigor of classical music with the idiom of jazz.
Piano Concerto No. 2Sergei Rachmaninov
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.
2 is hailed not only as the most beautiful of his piano concertos, but as one of the most beautiful among piano concertos of any era.
Following the opening chords that evoke the bells of the Russian Orthodox Church comes a succession of fiercely surging arpeggios—truly breathtaking! Moreover, because some of the chords were written to suit Rachmaninoff’s own large hands, it is impossible to play all the notes at once unless you have an exceptionally wide reach, making arpeggiation unavoidable in certain passages.
It can be fascinating to notice how different pianists choose to voice and execute these chords.
Play of WaterJoseph Ravel
Maurice Ravel’s Jeux d’eau brilliantly renders on the piano a variety of watery images—ripples spreading as a single drop falls onto a still surface, currents flowing with undulations—through a light, continuous arpeggio texture.
It is a highly evocative and beautiful work that gives the sensation of paintings or moving images appearing before your eyes.
Ravel composed the piece while studying at the Paris Conservatoire and dedicated it to his teacher at the time, Gabriel Fauré.
Although it was initially criticized for its abundant dissonances, today many piano enthusiasts are captivated by its enigmatic sound world.
Arabesque No. 1Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy’s early work, Two Arabesques.
The term “arabesque” means “in the Arabic style” and refers to the curvilinear patterns seen in Islamic art.
Arabesque No.
1, which makes extensive use of arpeggios, is a piece that seems to render in sound the very beauty of intertwining curves.
The rising and falling left-hand arpeggios and the right-hand melody with a completely different rhythm interweave naturally and beautifully, spinning a soothing tapestry of music.
It is also one of the most popular pieces among adults who are beginning to learn the piano.