A web magazine to help you enjoy the piano even more

[Classical] A collection of piano pieces with cool arpeggios

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.
Representative, Elysion Philharmonic Orchestrasai-kisaragi
Heisei College of Music, Composition Course. Studied composition and conducting under Keizo Ideta, piano under Chinami Kira, and arts management under Takuma Konishi. With a focus on community and music, I work to revitalize my hometown of Saga Prefecture. While performing as a double bassist with wind ensembles and orchestras across Kyushu, I participated on double bass in the “Orchestra Without Borders” orchestra camp of the professional game and anime music ensemble Eminence Orchestra, held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in September 2012. During CAPCOM’s Kyushu Tour in 2016, I not only performed as an orchestra member but also served on the production staff. I currently serve as the managing representative for the game and anime performance groups Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra (Saga Prefecture) and Fukuoka Game Music Wind Orchestra (Fukuoka Prefecture), and handle conducting, arranging, and public relations.

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!

[Classical] A Collection of Piano Pieces with Awesome Arpeggios (21–30)

Fantasy in C major, Op. 15, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”Franz Schubert

Schubert / Fantasy in C major “Wanderer Fantasy,” D 760, Op. 15 / Atsushi Imada

Fantasy in C major, Op. 15, D.760 “Wanderer Fantasy”Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert’s Fantasia in C major, Op.

15, D.

760 is also known as the Wanderer Fantasy because the second movement quotes the melody from his song Der Wanderer.

It consists of four movements and features arpeggios throughout, with the left-hand arpeggios in the fourth movement considered especially difficult.

The piece was later arranged by Franz Liszt and published in versions for piano and orchestra (as a piano concerto) and for two pianos.

It’s fun to compare the versions and hear how the treatment of arpeggios changes in each.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

[Classical] A Collection of Piano Pieces with Cool Arpeggios (31–40)

12 Etudes, Op. 25 No. 1 in A-flat major “Aeolian Harp”Frederic Chopin

Chopin – Étude Op. 25 No. 1 “Aeolian Harp” – Classical Piano – CANACANA

12 Etudes, Op. 25 No. 1 in A-flat major “Aeolian Harp”Frederic Chopin

Watch “12 Études, Op. 25 No. 1 in A-flat major ‘Aeolian Harp’ — Frédéric Chopin” on YouTube

Also known as the “Aeolian Harp” and “Shepherd’s Flute,” Frederic Chopin’s Étude Op.

25, No.

1 in A-flat major is considered relatively approachable to perform among Chopin’s technically demanding études.

It is a very gentle and beautiful work in which a melodic line emerges and resonates within smooth arpeggios.

Its soothing character can make you forget it’s an étude at all! Enjoy listening as the airy, floating arpeggios and shifting harmonies unfold.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

In conclusion

How was it? I put together a selection of piano pieces where arpeggios really shine! What pieces with striking, effective use of arpeggios have in common—whether fast and fiery or beautifully smooth—is that they create a flowing groove throughout the entire work.

If you’re an aspiring pianist, mastering arpeggios through repeated practice will undoubtedly elevate the expressiveness of your performance.

If you play the piano, find a favorite piece and add it to your repertoire.

Thank you for reading.