Beautiful Melodies: A Collection of Masterpieces and Moving Piano Songs
If you love the sound of the piano, this is for you!
In this article, we’ll introduce moving songs featuring the piano.
The piano is said to be the most versatile instrument, capable of covering everything from low to high registers all on its own.
Because producing sound on the piano is simpler compared to other instruments, its range of expression is very broad—you could say it’s an instrument that clearly reveals the performer’s unique world.
We’ll showcase wonderful masterpieces in rock and pop that make use of the piano!
We’ve carefully curated these selections, so please enjoy!
- Poignant and beautiful! A collection of recommended piano pieces
- [Intermediate Level] Cool Piano Pieces You Can Play [Great for Recitals Too]
- [Classical Piano Masterpieces] A carefully selected collection of moving pieces that will bring you to tears
- A gentle song. A classic that calms the heart. A song that makes you feel kind.
- Today's Piano: Masterpieces and Popular Pieces Woven with Delicate Tones
- [Classical] Introducing Recommended Moving/Touching Pieces
- [Piano × J-POP] Tearjerker! A Selection of Moving/Touching Songs
- [For Adults] Recommended for Piano Recitals! A Curated Selection of Impressively Sounding Masterpieces
- Songs that play during moving scenes. A collection of classic tracks that evoke deep emotion.
- [Classic and Contemporary Hits] Emotionally Stirring, Heart-Touching Songs
- J-POP to Play on Piano | A Curated Selection of Beautiful, Soul-Cleansing Ballads
- [Intermediate Level] A curated selection of piano masterpieces featuring strikingly brilliant melodies!
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
[Beautiful Melodies] A Collection of Masterpieces and Moving Piano Songs (21–30)
I stopped being alone.Yano Akiko
The theme from “My Neighbors the Yamadas” is performed here in a lovely piano arrangement.
I’ve previously introduced an orchestral version, but when this gentle depiction of everyday life is rendered on piano, it becomes even more immersive, like being drawn into a world of memories.
Everyday life is something everyone has, and it’s unique to each person—not measured by anyone else’s standards.
Yet when the everyday life that must have been mine is shown as images, a quiet feeling of “this is somehow nice” arises.
This piano version touches many people’s heartstrings and will surely brighten the listeners’ everyday lives.
First LoveUtada Hikaru
Hikaru Utada’s classic 1999 song “First Love.” She was 16 at the time, and her absolutely stunning vocals captivated all of Japan.
While many instruments color the track, I still think the backbone is the piano.
If it’s been a while since you last listened to this heart-wrenching love song, you might discover something new if you hear it again now.
[Beautiful Melodies] A Collection of Masterpieces and Moving Piano Songs (31–40)
A Whole New World (from “Aladdin”)Alan Menken
This moving ballad, loved by many, is a work by composer Alan Menken, renowned for numerous Disney film scores.
It’s a romantic piece that evokes the image of traveling through the night sky on a magic carpet.
Celebrating the freedom and hope of stepping into an unknown world, the song may free your mind from the task at hand and lead you into a realm of fresh ideas.
A signature song from the 1992 film Aladdin, it can be heard on the soundtrack album Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Its universal appeal is underscored by winning Best Original Song at the 65th Academy Awards in March 1993.
The grand, beautiful piano tones will sweep away everyday distractions and support you as you focus deeply during creative time.
Sometimes, a tale from long ago — from Porco RossoKatō Tokiko
This is a work written and composed by Tokiko Kato herself, whose warm yet faintly bittersweet worldview evokes a deep nostalgia for days of youth gone by.
As it searches for an unseen future, it conjures scenes of passionate conversations with friends—memories many listeners will find echoing their own.
The song was included on the album “MY STORY / Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo,” released in February 1987, and is also known as the ending theme of the 1992 film Porco Rosso.
The piano arrangement used in the film, with its striking timbre, gently lets you linger in the afterglow of the story.
With its calm melody, it’s also great to play as background music when you want to focus on work.
A Bouquet for YouUtada Hikaru
After a six-year hiatus starting in 2010, Hikaru Utada returned to activity and produced the album Fantôme.
The piano ballad Hanataba wo Kimi ni, included on this work, was chosen as the theme song for the NHK morning drama Toto Nee-chan.
The piano is performed by Simon Hale, the album’s co-producer, and the arrangement is kept simple, centered on piano and strings.
It’s a song filled with the new charms Utada gained through her six-year break.
Merry Christmas Mr. LawrenceSakamoto Ryuichi
A masterpiece that brilliantly fuses Eastern and Western musical elements, this film score was created by Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1983 and won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music.
Its graceful pentatonic melody is interwoven with the delicate timbres of synthesizer and glass harp, bringing a gentle sense of expansiveness to the heart.
Re-arranged as a solo piano album titled “Coda,” the work also received high acclaim worldwide as the soundtrack to the film “Merry Christmas, Mr.
Lawrence.” Cherished by many artists, including Hikaru Utada and Sarah Brightman, this gem continues to offer profound emotion—an ideal, soothing background for quiet nights or moments when you wish to calm your mind.
crescent moonayaka
When it comes to female artists who sing many piano ballads, Ayaka naturally comes to mind.
She has countless masterpieces like “I believe” and “Minna Sora no Shita,” but the song that has been widely covered by many artists and loved by many is the 2006 single “Mikazuki.” It topped the Oricon singles chart and captivates listeners with its poignant lyrics about a long-distance relationship.
Supporting Ayaka’s assured vocal prowess, the piano accompaniment deliberately employs simple tones for a lean, unembellished performance.