Impressionist
Debussy 1862-1918
Ravel 1875-1937
Modern
Bartók 1881-1945
Prokofiev 1891-1953
Alphabetical list of composers for the piano
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer who wrote piano works
based on folk music; his best-known work is ‘Iberia’ which is a suite of twelve piano
impressions.
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was a French composer and pianist; his piano
works, which are very difficult and lack the romanticism of Chopin and Liszt, have been
revived in recent years.
Anton Arensky (1861-1906) was a Russian composer of the late romantic period and is
noted for the Waltz from his Suite for Two Pianos.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was the greatest composer of the Baroque period
and the supreme master of the contrapuntal style; his keyboard compositions include the
Well Tempered Clavier, Italian Concerto, Partitas, French Suites and English Suites.
Mily Balakirev (1837-1910) was a Russian composer of the late romantic period mainly
known for his virtuoso warhorse ‘Islamey – an Oriental Fantasy’.
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was a Hungarian/American composer and pianist; he wrote a
Sonata, Sonatina, Romanian Folk Dances, a Sonata for two pianos and percussion, and
three piano concertos; his compositions use rhythms and themes based on folk melodies.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist; he is one of
the greatest and most popular composers of all time and represents the summit of the
classical period while looking forward to the romantic era; his thirty-two piano sonatas
and five piano concertos are the basis of the repertoire.
Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960) was an Australian composer and pianist, remembered
mainly for his ‘Scherzino’ and ‘Jamaican Rumba’.
Alban Berg (1885-1935) was an Austrian composer and a member, together with Arnold
Schoenberg and Anton Webern, of the Second Viennese School; Berg produced
compositions that combined Mahlerian romanticism with a personal adaptation of