Masterpieces of Solo Piano: Baroque Era: Piano Book

These works embody the mathematical elegance and ornamental grace that defined the Baroque. You'll encounter music that's both intellectually rigorous and genuinely expressive, where emotion emerges from structure rather than relying on it.

Intermediate pianists ready to engage with Baroque counterpoint and ornamentation without the intimidation of a scholarly edition. Teachers building a repertoire-based curriculum will appreciate having multiple composers and forms in one affordable volume.

• Approach the Bach preludes and fugues as counterpoint studies first, then music. The voice independence will feel labored until you can hear each line as a complete melody in its own right.
• Balance the hand parts in Scarlatti's sonatas with care; the quick technical passages often live in a single hand while the other provides sparse accompaniment, requiring rhythmic precision without weight.
• Let the variations in Handel's Air breathe between sections. The famous Harmonious Blacksmith theme can sound mechanical if you rush the ornamentation.
• Vivaldi's original violin writing doesn't always lie naturally under the fingers. Explore fingerings that respect the string logic even in keyboard transcription, and you'll find the phrasing comes more naturally.

Create a Baroque exploration concert that contrasts keyboard works across national lines, or use individual pieces as recital selections that pair well with Romantic or Contemporary repertoire on the same program. The Scarlatti sonatas and Handel variations make strong standalone performance pieces, while the Bach selections work as study material that naturally feeds into concert-quality playing.

• Reading and performing Baroque figured bass and continuo principles
• Independent voice management in two- and three-part writing
• Articulation and ornamentation conventions across multiple national styles
• Structural analysis of binary and rondo forms
• Keyboard textures specific to harpsichord and early piano writing