Piano Literature of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, Book 6: Piano Book

A journey through the great keyboard traditions, from the mathematical clarity of Bach to the romantic introspection of Grieg. Each piece reflects its era's aesthetic while remaining fresh and engaging to modern ears.

Piano students working through the intermediate levels who are ready to move beyond single-composer collections. This book serves teachers who want to anchor students in historical literacy while building a diverse recital library.

• Study the biographical material for each composer before assigning a work. Context shapes how a student voices a Scarlatti sonata differently from a Beethoven sonatina.
• Reference the ornament guide early and often. Having the glossary in one place means consistent interpretation across all pieces, rather than students inventing their own trills.
• Pair shorter works from the same century to build repertoire depth. Two Bach pieces plus one C.P.E. Bach work creates a mini-unit on the keyboard style evolution within a single family.

Use this as your core repertoire resource across an entire academic year, rotating through centuries in your lesson sequence. Assign selections for fall and spring recitals that span the book's range, or build a thematic concert around a single century's output.

• Recognizing and performing baroque ornamentation (trills, mordents, turns) from original notation
• Voicing Classical-era sonata forms across different hand positions
• Pedaling strategies for 19th-century romantic keyboard writing
• Interpreting stylistically appropriate articulation across three centuries of practice
• Understanding composer biography as a guide to interpretive choices