Piano Masterpieces: Music you’ll want to listen to and play—beloved classic works
Do you have any memorable piano pieces that make you feel healed when you listen to them, or that you’d like to play someday?
A favorite piece can soothe a mind clouded by stress or anxiety.
In this article, we’ve carefully selected world-famous piano works from among the classics that could become your go-to soothing track.
Even if you’re not very familiar with classical music, we’ve chosen only well-known pieces you’ve likely heard somewhere before, so please enjoy reading to the end!
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Piano Masterpieces: Pieces You Want to Listen to and Play! Beloved Classical Works (21–30)
Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major, Op. 26 “Funeral March”Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven’s masterpiece, Sonata No.
12 in A-flat major, Op.
26 “Funeral March.” It’s not as difficult as the “Pastoral,” but for beginners it can be challenging—overall it’s about an intermediate-level work.
That said, the difficulty varies by movement: the first and fourth movements are approachable for new intermediate players.
The second movement is difficult and requires substantial practice.
Fast arpeggios and passages appear in every movement, so you’ll also need exercises to improve finger agility.
Flower SongGustav Lange
“Blumenlied” (Flower Song) is a work by the German composer Gustav Lange.
He left over 400 piano pieces, most of which are salon miniatures.
Other well-known pieces include “Edelweiß” and “Heidenröslein,” Op.
78.
Sonatine in F-sharp minor, M. 40: II. MenuetMaurice Ravel
A piece I recommend for times when you want to quietly face your inner self is one from Maurice Ravel’s piano work Sonatine.
While it takes the elegant form of a classical minuet, this movement blends a hidden melancholy with refined sonorities, making it exquisitely beautiful.
As you listen to the melody, you can almost see a scene that maintains dignified grace even amid sorrow.
The work as a whole, including this piece, was choreographed as a ballet in 1975, and its narrative quality stimulates the listener’s imagination.
Rather than stirring intense emotions, it will surely stay close to your heart when you wish to surrender yourself gently to the piano’s delicate timbre.
Six Pieces: “Nocturnes”Pyotr Tchaikovsky
It is an introspective piece, fitting for the stillness of night, included in the album “Six Pieces, Op.
19.” The work envelops the listener in a warm yet sentimental atmosphere, as if overhearing the composer’s personal confession.
Completed in the autumn of 1873, it is striking for the bell-like sonorities—reminiscent of ballet music—that accent the tear-inducing, beautiful melody.
There is also an arrangement for cello and small orchestra, offering a different, deeper emotional resonance from the original.
A masterpiece perfect for a night of quietly dwelling in sorrow and conversing with your own heart.
Dumka in C minor, Op. 59Pyotr Tchaikovsky
This is a piano work by Pyotr Tchaikovsky that conjures up the vast Russian countryside.
Composed in February 1886, it adopts a form whose title in Ukrainian means “a novel in thoughts.” It opens quietly with a deeply plaintive melody, but in the middle section it suddenly turns passionate, like a folk dance, with emotions bursting forth.
In the end, however, it returns to silence and closes with a sound even more resigned than at the opening.
Interweaving sorrow with festive joy, this piece is one to hear when you want to linger in a sentimental mood while also savoring a dramatic unfolding.
Melody Op. 4-2Fanny Mendelssohn
A short piece in C-sharp minor, notable for its melody that sings as if it were a song.
This work is included in Fanny Mendelssohn’s piano collection “6 Melodies, Op.
4,” in which she explored a distinctive pianistic style different from her brother Felix’s.
The dense harmonies layered over the delicate melody are quintessentially Fanny Mendelssohn, conveying a nuanced emotional sensitivity; even the slightest misjudgment in expression can risk diminishing the piece’s introspective allure.
Published under her own name in 1846, it quietly yet unmistakably reveals her firm resolve.
It is a piece one would especially want to savor alone on a night when one wishes to sink deeply into sorrow.
When performing it, the paramount key is how you make the melody sing.
Songs Without Words, Book V, Op. 62 No. 5, No. 3: “Venetian Boat Song”Felix Mendelssohn
This is a piece from Felix Mendelssohn’s celebrated collection of piano miniatures, the masterpiece “Lieder ohne Worte” Op.
62.
The 6/8 accompaniment in the left hand deftly depicts a gondola gliding along the canals of Venice, while the right hand sings a melody like a plaintive song echoing over the water.
Its appeal lies in the way it conveys a poised dignity and elegance within sorrow, rather than being merely dark.
Published in 1844, this set is dedicated to Clara Schumann.
It is recommended for those times when you don’t want to force yourself to feel cheerful, but instead wish to surrender to this beautiful melody and savor the sensation of quietly sinking into the depths of your heart.