A First Book of Ravel
- 48 pages
- 2 hours of reading
These simplified versions of 29 of the composer's most popular works include selections from Daphnis et Chloé, Rapsodie espagnole, Mother Goose Suite, Le tombeau de Couperin, and other works.






These simplified versions of 29 of the composer's most popular works include selections from Daphnis et Chloé, Rapsodie espagnole, Mother Goose Suite, Le tombeau de Couperin, and other works.
According to legend, a mysterious stranger commissioned Mozart to create a requiem mass and the dying composer felt cursed by fate to write his own funeral hymn. Scholars, commentators, playwrights, and novelists have speculated for more than 200 years over the stranger-than-fiction reality behind Mozart's Requiem, and the work remains a favorite with performers and audiences around the world.Beginning pianists of all ages can play selections from Mozart's final masterpiece with these special arrangements. Editor David Dutkanicz has expertly simplified the work and provided brief notes and performance suggestions. MP3 files for each piece are available for download (see inside for details).
Specially arranged keyboard versions of popular works include selections from La Traviata, Aïda, Otello, Falstaff, Don Carlos, Macbeth, Rigoletto, and other operas. All selections are available as downloadable MP3s.
Beginning pianists can have the pleasure of playing one of Western music's most popular pieces with this easy-to-play arrangement, which offers highlights from the work and includes downloadable MP3s.
Noted for his technical finesse and his fondness for experimentation, Franz Schubert was one of the leading composers of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. This collection includes a wide variety of his most beloved pieces in simplified arrangements, making them a satisfying and accessible introduction to the Austrian composer's work for beginners. Presented in gradually increasing order of difficulty, the pieces feature simplified keys and suggested fingerings.Selections include highlights from Schubert's symphonies; "Ave Maria," the composer's most famous work; three of the charming Noble Waltzes; and excerpts from the "Trout" quintet and the string quartet "Death and the Maiden." Several poems set to music include Goethe's "The Erl King," "Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel," and "The Shepherd's Plaint." All 35 selections are available as downloadable MP3s.
The music of Richard Wagner can be daunting to beginning pianists, but this collection offers an accessible approach to the famous nineteenth-century composer's works. The arrangements focus on Wagner's melodies and style, presenting manageable excerpts from the more abstract works in simplified keys and with suggested fingerings. Thirty-one musical pieces consist chiefly of selections from Wagner's operas. Highlights include the thrilling "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Valküre, the second of the four Ring Cycle operas. Other pieces from the epic musical series include "Siegfried the Hero" from Siegfried and "Song of the Rhine Daughters" from Götterdämmerung. The collection also features pieces from Parsifal,Tannhäuser, The Flying Dutchman,Rienzi, Lohengrin, and Tristan und Isolde, as well as other works. Each selection features a brief Introduction that provides historical context and, in some cases, suggestions for performance.
Beginners often find the compositions of Antonin Dvořák frustratingly difficult to play, but this introductory volume provides an accessible and satisfying entrée to the Czech composer's oeuvre. Excerpts from his more abstract works are presented in manageable samples, with simplified keys and fingerings, and the pieces are presented in gradually increasing order of difficulty. There are an assortment of Dvořák's well-known and much-loved compositions. Humoresques is a piano cycle inspired by his sojourn in the United States. Slavonic Dances was influenced by Brahms' Hungarian Dances. Flavorful pieces rooted in folk music, including excerpts from the Czech Suite and Prague Waltzes and a pair of lively mazurkas are featured. Other highlights include "Songs My Mother Taught Me," "The Noon Witch," and pieces from cello and violin concertos and symphonic movements. All thirty-six selections are available as downloadable MP3s.
A mentor to Mozart and teacher of Beethoven, Joseph Haydn is known as the "Father of the Symphony"—and now even beginning pianists can master many of his most memorable works. This collection focuses on the composer's melodies and style to provide a satisfying and accessible introduction to the Austrian composer's oeuvre. Presented in gradually increasing order of difficulty, the pieces feature simplified keys and suggested fingerings. Selections include the opening of Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony No. 94, famous for its musical joke of a sudden fortissimo chord, as well as the openings for Symphony No. 44 ("Trauer"), Symphony No. 49 ("La passione"), and Symphony No. 104 ("London"), in addition to the second movements of Symphony No. 59 ("Fire"), Symphony No. 100 "Militaire," and Symphony No. 101 ("Clock"). Other pieces include the Benedictus and Kyrie from Mass in Time of War, The Lark, The Master and the Scholar, and a variety of sonatas, allegros, and other pieces. All thirty-five selections are available as downloadable MP3s.
Simple, easy-to-play arrangements focus on melodies and style: "Vocalise"; Prelude No. 2, Op. 3 ("Bells of Moscow"); second movement, Piano Concerto No. 2; more. Includes MP3 files for each composition.
This volume focuses on scale and arpeggio studies in all major and minor keys, offering beginning pianists the opportunity to develop their skills in this foundational area. Includes MP3 recordings.