Romantic Period

A musical period that spans from about 1827 to 1900, but it is usually thought to be the music of the 19th century. Music from this time is a lot freer than the other periods, and it is very passionate and full of feelings. Most of the songs are meant to describe a specific emotion or a scene from nature. The most famous composers from this time are Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, and Robert Schumann.

Romantic Pieces

Gymnopédie No. 1 By Erik Satie (2:50)

Erik Satie wrote three gymnopédies. Gymnopédie comes from the word gymnopaedia, which was a festival in Ancient Greece. Erik Satie loved irony in his music, so he named his song after a lively festival, but the song sounds sad and slow.

Curious Story By Stephen Heller (1:18)

Stephen Heller liked to write study pieces that would work on different musical techniques. Curious Story works on touch, rhythm, and balance. It also works on contrasting the fast lively part of the song to the slower more contemplative part.

Prelude in E Minor By Chopin (1:58)

Chopin is one of the most well-known Romantic composers, and he wrote 24 preludes in his lifetime. This prelude is fairly popular, and I love the mournful sound that the key of e minor brings to the piece.

Contemporary Period

The contemporary or "modern" period spans from 1900 to the present. This period takes a lot of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic themes and ideas and puts a modern twist on them. Some of the most famous composers of this time are Bela Bartók, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Igor Stravinsky, George Gershwin, John Williams, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Contemporary Pieces

Moon River by Henry Mancini (1:19)

This song is from the Paramount Picture "Breakfast At Tiffany's". My teacher found this arrangement of Moon River, and I learned it a few years ago. I love the expressiveness of the song, and how the left hand sequences blend with the right hand's melody.

Anniversary Song By Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin (1:27)

This song is from the Columbia Picture "The Jolson Story" and is based on a theme by Ion Ivanovici. My teacher found the sheet music for the song, and she helped me learn it as a gift for my parents' 34th wedding anniversary.

Prelude in B Minor by Robert D. Vandall (1:16)

I learned this solo piece a few years ago. I love the richness of the key of b minor and how the melody is spread across the keyboard. This song focuses a lot on breaking apart chords and switching the melody between the right and left hands.

The Great Smoky Mountains by David Carr Glover (2:00)

This is one of the first solo pieces that I learned. It's not a very difficult song and concentrates on chords and different harmonies. The song is supposed to make you think of the grandeur of the Smoky Mountains when you see them for the first time.