Simply Classic, Book 2: Piano Book

Goldston's arrangements capture the emotional core of canonical masterworks while respecting the technical reality of early intermediate pianists. Rather than oversimplifying melodies into unrecognizable skeletons, she preserves the character and harmonic integrity of each piece, giving students the genuine experience of playing Chopin, Bach, and Beethoven, not mere approximations. Your students will recognize what they're playing, feel the satisfaction of tackling real repertoire, and develop taste for the classical tradition.

Opening these pages, you encounter familiar classical melodies stripped of their technical barriers but not their character. Each piece has the clarity and elegance of its source, shaped by Goldston's ear for what defines a piece's musical identity. Playing through the collection feels like discovering an invitation to the classical canon, one that your hands can actually execute.

This book speaks directly to the student who loves classical music but reads at a late elementary or early intermediate level. If you have pianists racing through their method books eager for "real" repertoire, or students who grew up hearing Chopin and Bach and want to play them themselves, this collection removes the frustration of waiting years for technique to catch up to ambition.

• Identify the source composition before starting (Chopin's Prelude in E Minor, Bach's Prelude in C Major, etc.). Listening to a full professional recording first orients your ears to phrasing and helps you understand which musical elements the arrangement preserves.
• Pay attention to voice leading in the left hand, especially in arrangements of contrapuntal works. Even at this level, inner voices carry harmonic and structural meaning; bring them out slightly rather than treating accompaniment as purely supportive.
• Shape longer phrases across several systems rather than stopping at line breaks. These excerpts are designed to introduce formal phrasing, so plan your breath points and dynamics across complete musical ideas.
• Keep the tempo singing rather than mechanical. These simplified versions still carry the character of their sources; allow rubato and expression to emerge naturally from the harmony and melodic contour.

Use this as a supplementary repertoire book running parallel to your student's method studies, assigning one piece every few weeks as technique allows. These arrangements work beautifully in student recitals, where they fill the gap between method book exercises and full-length concertos, and they provide excellent material for music theory discussions about form, harmony, and compositional technique rooted in real scores.

• Playing recognizable classical melodies with appropriate phrasing and voice leading
• Reading and interpreting harmonic language beyond simple triads
• Understanding form and structure through excerpts of larger works
• Developing interpretive musicality and rubato within simplified textures
• Building confidence through successful engagement with canonical repertoire