The Little Piano Book Vol.2: The Age of J.S. Bach: Piano Solo

Kurt Herrmann's selection captures the spirit of the Baroque era without requiring students to wrestle with overly complex counterpoint or archaic notation. The pieces sit in a practical sweet spot where students can experience genuine period style, ornamentation, and harmonic language while still making steady progress through the book.

These pieces breathe with the clarity and order of the Baroque; melodies flow with a sense of purpose, often in dialogue between the hands. There's an elegance here that rewards careful listening and thoughtful voicing, inviting students to experience music from an era that valued both architectural precision and expressive melody.

Intermediate piano students ready to explore repertoire beyond the purely romantic tradition. This collection works well for students in their second or third year of study who want to build comfort with Baroque compositional styles and performance practices.

• Observe the articulation and phrasing carefully, especially in stepwise passages; Baroque style calls for clarity and shape even in simple figures.
• Approach ornaments as integral to the melody, not decorative afterthoughts. Play them at the tempo of the piece, not rushed.
• Balance both hands evenly when a piece alternates between melody and accompaniment figures, so the supporting voice doesn't disappear.

Include selections from this book in a student recital focused on musical history or style diversity. The 48-page collection also works as a semester's worth of supplementary repertoire alongside a concurrent method or technique book, giving students real music to practice while building fundamental skills.

• Ornamentation execution (trills, turns, mordents) in a Baroque context
• Two-part counterpoint and voice independence between hands
• Baroque phrasing and articulation at the keyboard
• Recognition of period-appropriate harmonic progressions and cadence patterns
• Sight-reading through a diverse collection of shorter forms