Six Sonatas: Piano Book

These sonatas strike a balance between Baroque sophistication and Classical accessibility. Each piece demands real musicianship from the player without excessive technical display, making them ideal repertoire for intermediate to advancing pianists who need to build interpretive confidence alongside technical skill.

Intimate and conversational, these sonatas balance emotional directness with elegant restraint. You'll find moments of tender lyricism alongside passages of subtle drama and harmonic sophistication that reward close listening and reward even closer playing.

Intermediate to advanced piano students ready to explore beyond standard Classical repertoire and teachers seeking pedagogically rigorous material that builds stylistic awareness. These sonatas work equally well for recital preparation and as anchor pieces in a survey of keyboard literature from Bach through Mozart.

• Shape phrases with attention to harmonic rhythm rather than bar lines alone; the emotional arc often carries across multiple measures and shifts with subtle changes in harmony.
• Embrace the contrasts between sections marked by tempo or character changes; C.P.E. Bach uses these shifts dramatically, and playing them with conviction gives the music its full expressive power.
• Balance the treble melody with a singing hand while maintaining clarity in the accompaniment; these works reward a legato approach that doesn't blur harmonic definition.
• Let ornamentation breathe organically rather than mechanically; trills and turns should enhance phrasing, not interrupt it.

Feature one sonata as a bridge between Baroque and Classical periods on a concert exploring keyboard evolution, or program multiple movements across a student recital to showcase interpretive range. These works also serve as essential supplementary material for students studying Classical form and harmonic language.

• Phrasing across harmonic progressions rather than metric divisions
• Interpreting Classical-era ornamentation and articulation markings
• Balance between melody and accompaniment in keyboard writing
• Recognizing and executing the expressive contrasts that define C.P.E. Bach's dramatic structure
• Stylistic navigation between Baroque counterpoint and Classical melody-based composition