The modern grand piano with its greater sonority has large, heavy hammers and a keyfall,
or depth of touch, almost twice as great as those of Chopin’s day. The modern grand
piano requires increased strength, suppleness and training.
POPULAR
A: Top piano pieces - 2004 survey
Ranking of top 100 piano pieces
In 2004 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation asked ‘What’s the one piece of piano
music you can’t live without?’ Almost 10,000 people voted in the survey and produced
the following result for the top 100. To assist the reader I have included nicknames, both
authorised and unauthorised, and to avoid cluttering the text I have omitted inverted
commas. The number represents the popularity rating, with 1 being the most popular).
1 Beethoven Sonata opus 27 no. 2 Moonlight C sharp minor
2 Bach Goldberg Variations G major
3 Debussy Clair de Lune D flat major
4 Satie Gymnopédie no. 1
5 Beethoven Sonata opus 13 Pathétique C minor
6 Schubert Impromptu D899 G flat major
7 Traditional Chopsticks C major
8 Bach Well Tempered Clavier
9 Schubert Sonata D960 B flat major
10 Beethoven Sonata opus 57 Appassionata F minor
11 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition C major
12 Beethoven Sonata opus 53 Waldstein C major
13 Chopin Fantaisie-Impromptu opus 66 C sharp minor
14 Schubert Fantasy (4 hands) D940 F minor
15 Beethoven Für Elise A minor
16 Chopin Polonaise opus 53 Heroic A flat major
17 Schumann Träumerei opus 5 F major
18 Chopin Nocturne opus 9 no. 2 E flat major
19 Grieg Wedding Day at Troldhaugen D major
20 Chopin Ballade opus 23 G minor
21 Mozart Sonata K331 A major
22 Schubert Wanderer Fantasy D760 C major
23 Sinding Rustle of Spring D flat major
24 Bach/Hess Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring G major
25 Schubert Impromptu D899 A flat major
26 Beethoven Sonata opus 111 C minor
27 Debussy Girl with the Flaxen Hair G flat major
28 Liszt Sonata B minor
29 Chopin Etude Opus 10 no. 3 Tristesse E major
30 Liszt La Campanella G sharp minor