[net.music.classical] 4-hands piano music

anderson@uwvax.ARPA (04/29/84)

Long live net.music.classical!

One area in which this group might be useful is the exchange of information
about music to *play* (I suspect most classical buffs play one or more
instruments).  Such contributions might describe a few favorite works,
their difficulty, and any particularly good or bad editions (one need not
bother to mention Schirmer).

I am always looking to expand my 4-hands repertoire.  My partner and I
already play many of the standards (e.g. the Schubert volume from Dover,
Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, various orchestral reductions) but we're
always looking for more.  One work which I can recommend without reservation
is Erik Satie's Three Pieces in the Form of a Pear, which is one of my
favorite things in all of music.  Except for a few measures, it is not hard.
Does anyone out there know of other obscure 4-hands gems?

David Anderson (not the same one as at Bell Labs)
...seismo!uwvax!anderson

whp4@flairvax.UUCP (Bill Palmer) (04/30/84)

[]

A quick perusal of the essay booklet included in my "Brahms Edition: The
Piano Works" (a wonderful compilation of sound courtesy of DG) reveals
a number of works for 4 hands.  I'm not sure how many of them are considered
"standard repertoire" as I've had relatively little exposure to the medium.
To keep a short story short, here they are:

Waltzes, op. 39 for piano four hands
Souvenir de la Russie (published with op. 151 under pseudonym G.W. Marks)
Variations on a Theme by R. Schumann in E flat, op. 23 for piano four hands
Sonata in f, op. 34b for two pianos after the quintet op. 34
Variations on a Theme from Joseph Haydn in B flat, op. 56b for two pianos
Hungarian Dances for piano four hands

The op. 34b work is a particular favorite of mine among Brahms' piano music;
probably this has to do with the quintet being a particular favorite among
the chamber music.

On another note, why do you dislike Schirmer editions so much?  I don't 
have any real opinions one way or the other on the matter, but I am
always interested in learning of things I should avoid.  I can only think
of one instance of having used a Schirmer edition in recent memory (Mozart
Violin Concerto in G, K. 216), and it seemed to be a pretty typical edition
judging from other editions of other Mozart concertos that I've seen.  
Anyone care to enlighten me?

					Bill Palmer
					arpa: whp4@sri-kl
					uucp: ihnp4!hplabs!flairvax!whp4
					Snail: Box 4170, Stanford, CA 94305

pbr@mcnc.UUCP (Peter B. Reintjes) (05/02/84)

	I have an almost complete set of the Beethoven Symphonies for
4-hands piano. I don't play much piano myself ( certainly not four
hands worth) but I find it to be a nice theme reference since it
is easier to get through than the full score (lots of page turning!).

	If there is interest in this I will post it to the net.

	Okay, okay, I was kidding. I can't think of an easy way to
share this with anyone. Legality aside (for the moment), I do not
relish the thought of photocopying that much music.

				-Peter Reintjes  pbr@mcnc
				     - or  -	 decvax!mcnc!pbr