time, a bold introduction gives way to a dotted rhythmic motive that represents Morse Code. Rhythmically driven with a mildly contemporary harmonic language.Faber, Nancy (b. 1955), United States
American pianist, composer, author, and educator. Studied composition with Joan Tower, William Albright, and Nicholas Maw and piano at the Eastman School of Music and Michigan State University. Named “Distinguished Composer of the Year” by the Music Teachers National Association for her composition Tennessee Suite for Piano and String Quartet. Co-author of Faber Piano Adventures piano method.
Toccata in Morse Code
Ann Arbor, MI: Faber Piano Adventures, 1994.
Commissioned for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Can be performed as a four-hand duet or by a single pianist with digital sequencer. In time, a bold introduction gives way to a dotted rhythmic motive that represents Morse Code. Rhythmically driven with a mildly contemporary harmonic language.
Level: UI–LA
Fabrizi, Vincenzo (1765–1812), Italy
Italian composer of opera buffa.
Sonata (C)
Manuscript.
Two-movement instructional work, crudely written; static harmony.
Level: UE–LI
Falbe, H.
Deux valses (E♭, F)
Copenhagen: C. C. Lose, n.d.
Short pieces in early Romantic style.
Level: UE
Six écossaises
Christiana (Olso): H. T. Winther, n.d.
Suite of short, sixteen-measure dances in light Schubertian style.
Level: UE
Faning, Eaton (1850–1927), England
English choral conductor. He wrote operettas, orchestral and chamber music, piano pieces, and choral works.
London: Joseph Williams, 1917.
Instructional work, carefully weighted for both parts.
Level: LI
Farina, Guido (1903–1999), Italy
Italian composer of operas, an oratorio, and orchestral and chamber music.
Sei piccole composizioni
Milan: Zerboni, 1952.
Farjeon, Harry (1878–1948), England
English; composed piano concerto, operettas, piano pieces, and songs.
Three Duets
London: Oxford University Press, 1925.
Engaging, well-crafted works; musically interesting and satisfying; parts carefully balanced; touches of Impressionistic harmony.
Level: UE–LI
Two Italian Sketches (On the Water; On the Road)
London: Paxton, 1928.
Somewhat more difficult than Three Duets but equally well constructed, with rhythmic and harmonic variety throughout.
Level: I
Farquhar, David (1928–2007), New Zealand
New Zealand musician and teacher; studied in England. He has written orchestral and chamber works, choral pieces, and piano music in an expressive, frequently dissonant, tonal idiom.
Anniversary Duets (Preamble; Ground; Waltz; Americana; Bells; Barn Dance) (1959–60)
Wellington, NZ: Price Milburn 1973.
Engaging series of pieces originally written for the composer’s wife, a beginner on the piano; artfully set with effective use of modal color, dissonance, and polytonality.
Level: UE–LI/E-5
Farrenc, Jeanne Louise (1804–1875), France
French pianist; professor at the Conservatoire; composed symphonies, overtures, chamber music, and piano works.
Air martial des Capuletti, Op. 29
Publisher and date missing.
Fasanotti, Filippo (1821–1884), Italy
Italian composer and musician.
Andante e allegro; Omaggio all’arte, Op. 132
Padua: Pietro Prosperini, n.d.
Fauré, Gabriel (1845–1924), France
Influential French composer, teacher of Ravel and Florent Schmitt. His idiom is characterized by balance, delicacy, restraint, and fastidious attention to detail.
Dolly, Op. 56 (1893–1896)
Paris: Hamelle; International; Weekley, Dallas, and Arganbright, Nancy, eds., San Diego: Neil A. Kjos Music, 2011.
Popular suite of pieces of refined and elegant expression; charmingly set for the medium in Fauré’s characteristic harmonic and melodic language; one of the treasures of the repertoire. The inspiration for the music was Dolly Bardac, young daughter of Mme Emma Bardac, for whom Fauré wrote the song cycle La Bonne Chanson. Described as a captivating and very feminine little blond child, she is the same Dolly who gained fame as the stepdaughter of Debussy—his beloved “Chou-chou”—when Mme Bardac became the composer’s second wife several years later. The suite opens with a dreamy, tranquil Berceuse, artless in its simplicity. The unexpected rhythmical leaps and feints of the next piece, together with the title itself, “Mi-a-ou,” suggest the frolicking of a lively cat. But Marguerite Long, pianist and friend of both the composer and the Bardac family, strongly contradicts this notion in her book Au piano avec Fauré (Paris: Julliard, 1963), asserting instead that Mi-a-ou is in fact the nickname Dolly gave to her older brother, Raoul Bardac, of whom the piece is a kind of musical portrait. Raoul himself was a musician and studied with both Fauré and Debussy. “Le jardin de Dolly,” the third piece, is a fanciful walk into an enchanted dream garden; and the animated, graceful “Kitty-valse,” which follows, is described by Long, despite its title, as the whirling leaps and turns of a favorite dog. The affecting Tendresse is subtle and delicate with shifting tonal centers, so characteristic of Fauré’s style. The final work, “Pas espagnol,” is light and gay in character, with pulsating Spanish rhythms and more than a touch of Chabrier. Long indicates that this work is the musical expression of a bronze equestrian statue by Frémiet, Fauré’s father-in-law. The ornament, which stood on a mantlepiece in Mme Bardac’s residence, was greatly admired by the young Dolly.
Level: I–UI
Fauré, Gabriel, and Messager, André
Souvenirs de Bayreuth; fantaisie en forme de quadrille sur les thèmes favoris de l’Anneau du Niebelung de R. Wagner (1880)
Paris: Costallat, 1930.
For Wagnerophiles, Wagnerophobes, and everyone who enjoys a somewhat erudite, inside spoof on themes from Der Ring des Nibelungen, this collaborative effort by two composers of quite different backgrounds should prove to be a diverting and playful romp.
Level: UI–LA
Febel, Reinhard (b. 1952), Germany
German composer, known for his operas.
Kaleidoskop 1 und 2 für Klavier zu vier Händen
Celle: Moeck, 1979.
Federer, Ralph, United States
American pianist, teacher, and composer of educational piano music.
Lonely Dancer
Bryn Mawr, PA: Presser, n.d.
Level: I
The Scarlet Cape
King of Prussia, PA: Theodore Presser, 1949, 2008.
A saucy showpiece in Spanish style with lively beguine, tango, and rumba rhythms; effective writing.
Level: UI
Fedrigotti, Johann
Introduction, walses et coda
Vienna: Mechetti, 1822.
Lightweight waltzes preceded by florid introduction.
Level: LI–I
Feigin, Sarah (1928–2011), Latvia/Israel
Studied piano and composition at the Riga Conservatory of Music. Founded the Conservatory of Music in Holon. Composed mainly for piano and organ, but also opera, ballet, orchestra, and chamber music.
Joy and Happiness
Tel Aviv: Israel Music Institute, 1985, 1994.
Despite the title, the work is in the key of D minor. Some engaging harmonies. Approximate performance duration: three minutes.
Level: I
Let Us Play Together: Piano Group Teaching Books 1 and 2
Tel Aviv: Israel Music Institute.
Group method that includes many original duets as well as trios. Some include auxiliary instruments or voice.
Level: E-I
Playing Together: Ten Israeli Folk Songs, Book 1
Tel Aviv: Israel Music Institute, 1985.
Arrangements of traditional Israeli folk tunes.
Level: E–UE
Playing Together: Ten Israeli Folk Songs, Book 2
Tel Aviv: Israeli Music Institute, 1985.
Arrangements of traditional Israeli folk tunes.
Level: E-I
Feinberg, Samuel E. (1890–1962), Russia
Russian pianist and composer; influenced by Skriabin and Russian folk music.
Chuvash Melody (g)
In Goldstein, ed., Brother and Sister.
Graceful setting of Soviet ethnic folk song.
Level: UE–LI
Felber, Rudolf
[10] Slovakische Tänze mit Benutzung slovakischer Volksliedmelodien komponirt
Mainz: Schott, n.d.
Level: I
Felciano, Richard (b. 1930), United States
Studied with Milhaud and Dallapiccola; teaches at University of California, Berkeley, where he is co-director of the university electronic music studio. One of the most highly esteemed American composers of the past twenty years, he has been cited for his originality, the elegance of his sonorities, and his exceptional talent in combining the utterances of conventional orchestral instruments with electronic sounds.
Gravities (1965)
Boston: E. C. Schirmer, 1974.
Commissioned by Milton and Peggy Salkind. Pointillistic; avant-garde. “The piece evolves by subjecting its musical ideas to forces of attraction and repulsion in terms of each of the compositional materials involved: duration, harmony, dynamics, and texture. Contrast is achieved through stasis. Dance gestures and certain aural images of electronic music are in evidence. . . . The four-band medium is exploited through the simultaneous use of wide registers and the employment of overlapping rhythms and dense textural blocks not otherwise available” (from the preface).
Level: A
Feldman, Morton (1926–1987), United States
Studied with Riegger and Stefan Wolpe. Important figure in twentieth-century composition style and pioneering figure in indeterminate and experimental music.
Piano Four Hands (1958)
New York: C. F. Peters, 1962.
Avant-garde work in traditional notation; aleatoric indications; features muted, slow-moving single sounds.
Level: A
Piano (Three Hands) (1957)
Glendale, NY: C. F. Peters, 1962.
Marked “Very slow. Soft as possible. All beats almost equal.” Slow and subtle evolution. Synchronization is key.
Level: A
Felton, James (1927–1999), United States
Composer, author, and music critic.
Hommage à “les Six” (1962)
Ferguson, Ludwig Wilhelm Tepper von (1768–1838), Poland/Russia
Composer and teacher.
Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D Major, Op. 18
St. Petersburg: F. A. Dittmar.
Three movements: I. Allegro con brio; II. Allegretto; III. Allegro.
Level: UI
Fernandez, Oscar L. (1897–1948), Brazil
Brazilian musician; wrote in harmonically conservative idiom influenced by the folklore of his country.
The Fantastic Horseman
New York: Peer International, 1945.
Ferrari, Carlotta (b. 1975), Italy
Italian composer and organist.
Suite da sala su temi de opere verdiane
Carlotta Ferrari, 2013.
Four movements: I. Foxtrot; II. Mazurka; III. Tango; IV. Valzer.
Level: A
Ferrari, Giacomo Gotifredo (1763–1842), Italy
Italian musician; settled in London, where he taught singing. He wrote operas, ballet, songs, and pieces for piano, harp, and flute.
Twelve Recreations, Op. 36
London: Robert Birchall, n.d.
Ferrari, Giorgio (b. 1925), Italy
Italian violinist; has written opera, ballet, orchestral and chamber music, songs, and piano pieces.
Divertimento
Padua: Zanibon, 1969.
Ferraria, Luigi Ernesto (1855–1933), Italy
[24] Intermezzi ritmici
Milan: Ricordi, 1932.
Short pieces in conservative style presenting a variety of rhythmic and ensemble problems; useful to all students of four-hand playing.
Level: I
Ferrell, Billie, United States
American musician; has written instructional music for piano.
Bom-bom-boogie
Boulder, CO: Myklas Music, 1975.
Traditional boogie with syncopations and dotted rhythms; features an optional part for one player performing on bongos or home-made drums.
Level: UE
The Ghost Wind
Boulder, CO: Myklas Music, 1973.
A repeated chromatic motive in the primo part against chordal bass and scale passages in the secondo provides the eerie quality suggested by the title.
Level: UE
Ferroud, Pierre-Octave (1900–1936), France
French composer of symphony, opera, and piano solos in a lyrical popular idiom influenced by Ravel and Florent Schmitt.
Marche, from L’Éventail de Jeanne
Paris: Heugel, 1927.
Saucy, gently dissonant; tongue-in-cheek.
Level: I
Sérénade (Berceuse; Pavane; Spiritual)
Paris: Durand, 1927.
Attractive pieces in Impressionistic style; well-distributed parts; requires subtlety and sensitive musicianship for adequate performance.
Level: I
Ferté, Armand (1882–1973), France
Distinguished French pianist and teacher; among his compositions are instructional works for piano.
Dialogues (Marche; Menuet; Quiétude; Valse)
Brussels: Schott Frères, 1958.
Attractive instructional pieces in fastidious conservative idiom.
Level: I/E
Cinq notes; petit recueil pour piano de courtes pièces très faciles
Paris: Éditions musicales transatlantiques, n.d.
Fesca, Alexander (1820–1849), Germany
Germany composer and pianist. Graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin where his teachers were August Wilhelm Bach, Wilhelm Taubert, and Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen.
Introducion et rondeau espagnol, Op. 34
Braunschweig: H. Litolff.
Level: A
Fétis, François-Joseph (1784–1871), Belgium
Belgian musicologist, teacher, author; best known for his writings on music literature, history, and theory. He composed seven operas, symphonies, chamber music, and sacred works.
Sextet for piano four hands, two violins, viola, and cello (B♭), Op. 5
Paris: Michel Ozy, 1819; Paris: Brandus, n.d.; New Edition, Mainz: Schott, 1864.
One of the few works in this form in the four-hand literature.
Fiala, George (b. 1922), Canada
Canadian organist, pianist, and teacher of Ukrainian origin; studied in Kiev, Berlin, and Brussels with Jongen. He wrote in neo-Classical, dissonant, sometimes polytonal idiom.
Dance
Toronto: BMI Canada, 1958.
Short, appealing work in modal idiom; well written for both partners.
Level: LI–I/UE
Fibich, Zdeněk (1850–1900), Czechoslovakia
Czech-born pianist, critic, and composer; received early musical training in Germany and France. He cultivated a meticulous cosmopolitan musical idiom—lyrical and highly personal—showing influences of Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, and his teacher, Moscheles. He wrote operas, orchestral and chamber music, songs, and piano compositions.
Ciacona a impromptu, Op. 25 (1885)
Prague: Urbánek, 1886.
Solid, serious works in Romantic idiom; carefully arranged for both partners.
Level: I
Dětem; vyber přednesovych skladeb pro klavir na dvě a čtyři ruce (For Children; selection of elementary pieces for piano solo and four hands)
Koubková, Vera, collector and ed. Prague: Artia, 1960.
The five duets in this collection (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) are short, effective pieces in folk style, admirably written for the medium.
Level: LI
Fugato a kolo vil (Fugato and canon), Op. 24 (1885)
Prague: Urbánek, 1886.
Contrapuntal works effectively set.
Level: UI–A
Maličkosti (Mignons) (Waltz; One Thousand and One Nights; [untitled]; Rococo, gavotte), Op. 19 (1870–1872)
Prague: Urbánek, 1884.
Short, engaging character pieces.
Level: LI
Maličkosti (Bagatelles) (March; Against the Storm; Confidence; At the Theatre), Op. 48
Prague: Urbánek, 1896.
Descriptive and mood pieces; short, attractive.
Level: I–UI
Nálady, dojmy a upomínky (Moods, Impressions, and Recollections)
Prague: Urbánek, 1910.
Set of winsome, musically rewarding pieces.
Level: UI
Skladbičky a cvičeny (Little Pieces and Studies)
Prague: Artia, 1956.
Level: UE–LI
Sonata (B♭), Op. 28 (1886)
Prague: Urbánek, 1887; New Edition, Prague: Artia, 1964.
Large-scale, three-movement work dedicated to the composer’s teacher, Dvořák. Graceful, melodious, polished; technically demanding in part; well worth reviving.
Level: UI–A
Vigiliae; deux morceaux caractéristiques, Op. 20
Prague: Urbánek, 1886.
Refined, attractive work; also written for orchestra, but better known and perhaps more successful in the four-hand version.
Level: I
Zlatý věk; hudební drobotiny (Golden Age; Children’s Pieces) (March, Barcarola; Tyrolienne; Courante; Mazurka; Song without Words; Waltz; Elegie; Dumka; Gigue; Polka; Festive Procession), Op. 22
Prague: Urbánek, 1886; New Edition, Prague: Artia, n.d.
Amiable character pieces and dances with strong Czech folk song influence.
Level: I
Fichandler, William (b. 1886), United States
Fun for Four Hands
Cincinnati: Willis Music, 1960.
Ten short pieces, tuneful, attractive, well balanced; occasional linear texture.
Level: UE–LI/E–UE
Six Duets (Harvest Dance; Rhumba Rhythm; Pastorale; Spinning; Roundelay; Canoeing at Twilight)
New York: Chappell, 1956.
Gay, bright teaching pieces; contrasting in mood and color.
Level: I
Ficher, Jacobo (1896–1978), Russia
Russian-born Argentine violinist and conductor; became established in Buenos Aires in 1923. He composed carefully constructed orchestral works, chamber music, and piano pieces in a lyrical, often chromatic and dissonant, tonal idiom; made frequent use of Hebrew and Argentine folk melodies.
Preludio, siciliano y fuga, Op. 111 (1969)
Manuscript available from Editorial Argentina de Música, Defensa 320, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bold, large-scale work employing Classical structures; contrapuntal, with contrasts of texture and effective use of instrumental color; brilliant in part.
Level: A
Field, John (1782–1837), Ireland
Irish composer; brilliant concert pianist; studied with Clementi; settled in St. Petersburg. His most important works are eighteen piano nocturnes, a form and style he invented and which Chopin developed. The abbreviation HOP, used below, refers to the catalogue numbers of Field’s compositions in Cecil Hopkinson, A Bibliographical Thematic Catalog of the Works af John Field, 1782–1837 (London: printed for the author, 1961).
Air russe varié, “How Have I Grieved You”
Moscow: C. F. Schildbach, 1803–10.
Duet on a Favorite Russian Air
Munich: Aibl; London: Clementi, Banger, Collard, Davis & Collard, n.d.
Variations sur l’air russe “Chem tebia ia ogorchila”
Offenbach: André, n.d.
There are many editions (others by Boosey & Hawkes, Artaria, Niemeyer, Peters, Simrock) of the same work, a short, pleasant set of variations on a Russian folk melody with occasional touches of Slavic color.
Level: LI–I
Andante (c)
Contemporary manuscript (tiré de la Gazette Musicale).
Grande valse (a)
St. Petersbourg: Dalmas, ca. 1812–13; as Grande valse de rondeau: Offenbach: André, ca. 1823.
Long repetitious work; primo more active than secondo.
Level: I
Nine Nocturnes, arr. for four hands by Franz Liszt
New Edition reprint by Musical Scope Publishers.
Though officially beyond the range of this catalogue, these charming arrangements of a selection of Field nocturnes are listed here because they are outstanding examples of the art of transcribing from one medium to another. In reworking the originals, Liszt has produced a series of ingeniously orchestrated and subtly balanced duets, every bit as interesting as if they were original four-hand works.
Level: I
Rondeau (G)
Bonn: Simrock, 1819.
Fiévet, Paul (1892–1980), France
French composer of symphonies, a ballet, an operetta, choral pieces, chamber works, and piano music in conservative style.
La journée d’un petit enfant bien sage; six petites pièces
Paris: Eschig, 1927.
Finkbeiner, Reinhold (b. 1929), Germany
German composer and organist.
Drei zahme Klavierstückchen (Übermütig; Langsam und monoton; Rumba) (1948)
Wiesbaden: Boosey & Hawkes, 1957.
Charming, entertaining pieces in mildly dissonant idiom.
Level: I
Finke, Fidelio F. (1891–1968), Czechoslovakia/Germany
German Czech composer; studied at the Prague Conservatory and later taught there. He wrote choral and orchestral works, chamber music, and piano pieces. His style shows the influence of Brahms, Reger, Hindemith, and Schoenberg.
Notturno (1911)
Siziliano (1945)
[10] Stücke für Lehrer und Schüler (Langsam; Langsam; Passacaglia; Sehr langsam; Langsam; Lustig; Langsam aber fliessend; Gondellied; Marionettentanz; Ich fahr’ dahin)
Vienna: Universal Edition, 1936; New Edition, Leipzig: VEB Boosey & Hawkes, 1969.
Designed for pupil and teacher (or advanced student). Effective short pieces cast in conservative tonal idiom with frequent dissonances and pungent harmonies; five of the pieces are tasteful settings of folk songs.
Level: I/E–UE
Firnhaber, J. C.
Sonata, Op. 3, from Six Sonates pour le clavecin, et un duo pour quatre mains
Frankfurt: W. N. Haueisen, n.d.
Firnkees, G.
Klavierspiel vierhändig
Wolfenbüttel: Möseler, n.d.
Fischer, Émile (b. 1872)
Czech musician; student of Dvořák; wrote symphonies and chamber music.
Lili
Paris: Consortium Musical, n.d.
Level: LI
Perles roses
Paris: Consortium Musical, n.d.
Level: I
Les petites marquises
Paris: Consortium Musical, n.d.
Level: E
Fischer, E. von
Andantino und Scherzo, Op. l
Leipzig: Bosworth, 1905.
Graceful, flowing work for teacher and pupil.
Level: I/E-5
Fischer, Michael Gottard (1773–1829), Germany
German organist and conductor; composed organ works, symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and piano works.
Sonate (C), Op. 12
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1809.
Flegl, Václav (1876–1951), Czechoslovakia
Czech teacher and organist; composed orchestral and vocal works; wrote piano methods and numerous piano pieces.
Čtyři ruce zmohou více (Four Hands Can Do More)
Prague: Supraphon, n.d.
Fleischer, Tsippi (b. 1946), Israel
Studied piano and theory at the Rubin Conservatory of Music, music education at New York University, and musicology at Bar Ilan University Israel.
Hexaptychon VI, Op. 41 (after Ibrahim Jabra’s Poem “I’m Sick of You”)
Tel Aviv: Israel Music Institute IMI 7175/VI, 1999.
The final movement of six short chamber works based on the Jabra poem “I’m Sick of You.” Other movements for mixed a cappella choir, contralto, and Baroque ensemble including oboe, harpsichord, and violoncello, string quartet, harp and string quartet, and harp. Rhythmically conceived with intriguing harmony. Dramatic and forceful.
Level: A
Fleischmann, Johann Friedrich Anton (1766–1798), Germany
German composer of operas, symphonies, songs, and piano music.
Sonate (G), Op. 2
Offenbach: André, 1796.
Structurally weak and meandering four-movement work in Classical style; rescued to some extent by occasional imaginative melodic ideas and attractive harmonic passages.
Level: I
Florentine, S.
Sunbeam Frolic
Cincinnati: Willis Music, n.d.
Level: UE
Florschütz, Eucharius (1756–1831), Germany
Grande sonate (E♭) [No. 1]
Leipzig: Hoffmeister & Kühnel, ca. 1803.
Grande sonate (F), No. 2
Leipzig: Kühnel, 1804.
Grande sonate (A), oeuvre III
Leipzig: Kühnel, ca. 1812.
The three-movement sonatas by this obscure eighteenth-century composer are written in Classical style and are characterized by assertive melodic ideas, conventional harmonic language colored by antiphonal writing, occasional chromaticism, and an unexpected kind of major–minor tonal fluctuation reminiscent of Schubert. The predominantly homophonic character of the music is interrupted by frequent sections of linear texture—the first movement of the Sonata in E♭, for instance, includes a fully developed fugato. But the eloquence and sensitivity of the hauntingly beautiful slow movements hardly compensate for the overall inclination of the sonatas toward repetitive passage work and harmonic redundancy.
Level: I
Flothuis, Marius (1914–2001), Netherlands
Dutch composer, largely self-taught. He wrote in a lyrical, expressive style showing influences of Monteverdi, Debussy, and Bartók.
Valses nobles, Op. 52
Amsterdam: Donemus, 1954.
Suite of six connected waltzes in the Schubertian tradition; cast in a neo-Romantic, chromatic, harmonic idiom.
Level: UI–LA
Valses sentimentales, Op. 21
Amsterdam: Donemus, 1944.
Level: I
Flotow, Friedrich, Freiherr von (1812–4883), Germany
German nobleman; French-trained composer of over twenty-five operas (Martha and Alessandro Stradella among the best known), ballets, chamber music, and piano pieces.
[6] Etüden (C, a, G, e, D, b), Op. 15
Rostock: Wessel, 1873.
Series of melodious four-hand studies featuring problems of ensemble, dynamics, and rhythm.
Level: I
Fly, Leslie (1902–1950), England
English musician; composer of instructional music for piano.
Cornerstones
London: Forsyth, n.d.
Level: UE–LI
Farest Themes (Cranham Woods; Bowland Forest; New Forest)
London: Forsyth, 1971.
Attractive little descriptive pieces, carefully written in conservative style.
Level: UE–LI/E in octaves throughout
Four in Hand
London: Forsyth, n.d.
Level: UE
A Trio of Duets (May Day Revel; Chinese Dance; Fiesta)
London: Forsyth, 1968.
Set of short, appealing instructional pieces.
Level: UE–I
Fodor, Carolus Antonius (1768–1846), Netherlands
Dutch conductor; composed concertos, sonatas, symphonies, chamber music, and piano pieces.
Simphonie, Op. 16
Berlin: J. J. Hummel; Amsterdam: Grand magazin de musique, n.d.
Sonate (D), Op. 1
Offenbach: Andre, 1783.
Sonata in Classical idiom using the figures, motivic structures, and general architectural apparatus of the period with little ingenuity, imagination, or manipulative skill. Some of the writing in the secondo part tends to be too low to be effective, especially in antiphonal sections; entire work is limited in harmonic and melodic interest.
Level: I
Sonate (C), Op. 9
Berlin: J. J. Hummel; Amsterdam: Grand magazin de musique, n.d.
Fogg, Eric (1903–1939), England
English conductor and organist. He wrote choral works, songs, church music, and piano pieces.
Four Pieces, Op. 44
London: Bosworth, 1920.
Amusing set of short compositions; lighthearted, pleasant.
Level: I
Foote, Arthur (1853–1937), United States
American organist and composer; studied with John Knowles Paine at Harvard. He wrote cantatas, orchestral suites, and organ and piano works in a fastidious, non-innovative style—Classical in form, Romantic in harmonic language.
Drei Clavierstücke (Air; Intermezzo; Gavotte), Op. 21
Boston: A. P. Schmidt, 1891.
Suite of engaging pieces of excellent craftsmanship and musical merit; adapted by composer from suite for string orchestra.
Level: I
Twelve Duets on Five Notes (Zwölf kleine Stücke)
“Reverie” and “Waltz” in McClenny, Anne, and Hinson, Maurice, eds., Duets of Early American Music. Boston/Leipzig: A. P. Schmidt, 1891.
Level: UE–LI/E-5
Six Pianoforte Duets (Church Bells; Graceful Dance; At Night; The Maypole; A Solemn March; The Swing)
Boston: A. P. Schmidt, 1905.
The two suites above consist of short easy pieces, skillfully designed, providing excellent balance between the parts; effective.
Level: UE–LI
Forchhammer, Theophil (1847–1923), Switzerland
Swiss organist and composer of organ and piano pieces.
Sonate (G) (1872)
Unpublished manuscript.
Ford, Charles Edgar (1881–1961), England
English organist and composer; settled in Australia. His compositions include sacred music, songs, organ works, and piano pieces written in conservative style.
Country Fair
Melbourne: Allans Music, 1952.
Puck
Melbourne: Allans Music, 1950.
Fresh little pieces in English “country dance” idiom; well written for both parts.
Level: UE–LI
Fornerod, Alöys-Henri-Gèrard (1890–1965), Switzerland
Swiss composer and musician.
Deux pièces (Romance; Bergère), Op. 45 (1963)
Manuscript.
Forsman, John Väinö (b. 1924), and Rovsing Olsen (1922–1982)
Danish of Finnish extraction; wrote in expressive neo-Cassical style.
Alfestykker (Elf-Pieces)
Copenhagen: Hansen, 1956.
Four short, witty pieces. The imaginative music is fresh and up to date; has metric changes, occasional dissonance, and surprising harmonic twists.
Level: UE–LI
Förster, Alban (1849–1916), Germany
German violinist and teacher. He wrote symphonies, chamber music, songs, and instructional piano music in light, conservative style.
Für die Jugend; Sonatinen (C, F, G), Op. 76
Mainz: Schott, 1883.
Für die Jugend, sechs leichte Vortragsstücke, Op. 97
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1886.
Level: UE–LI/E-5
Original-Compositionen (Salon; Walzer; Alpen-Idylle; Blumengeflüster; Auf der Wanderschaft; Chanson d’amour; Barcarole)
Mainz: Schott, 1908.
Salon pieces.
Level: LI
Waldes-Visionen, Tonbild in Scherzo-form, Op. 31
Leipzig: Kistner & Siegel, 1876.
Level: UI
[10] Walzer, Op. 45
Leipzig: Kistner, 1878.
Level: I
Förster, Emmanuel Aloys (1748–1823), Austria
Austrian theorist, teacher, and composer; published practical textbook on figured bass. His forty-eight string quartets, models of their kind, enjoyed such a reputation in Vienna that Beethoven went to him for lessons in quartet composition. Förster also wrote organ and piano works.
Sonata (B♭), Op. 23 (or 24)
Vienna: Bureau des arts et d’industrie, 1803.
Large-scale, three-movement work in Classical style, competently written for the medium; the strong thematic ideas are well developed and the harmonic framework solidly fashioned.
Level: I
Förster, Josef Bohuslav (1859–1951), Czechoslovakia
Czech music critic and teacher. In addition to seven operas and a large quantity of symphonic music, he wrote chamber works, choral pieces, and piano compositions.
Lyrische Stücke, Op. 33
Prague: Urbánek, 1902.
Viola odorata; Rosa mystica
Prague: Urbánek, 188[?].
Short pieces in light style with Czech folk flavor.
Level: LI–I
For Two to Play
See: Elizabethan Keyboard Duets under Eiges, Konstantin Romanovich.
Foster, Jean
Side by Side Series, Book 10 (Everyday Duets; [25] Easy Pieces)
London: Ashdown, n.d.
Level: E
Foster, Stephen (1826–1864), United States
American songwriter and composer. Composed over 200 songs, including “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races,” and “My Old Kentucky Home.”
The Soiree Polka
San Diego: Neil A. Kjos Music; appears in Duet Repertoire, Level Five.
Lighthearted and good natured, this duet features a triplet sixteenth, eighth arabesque figure in the primo and a boom-chick accompaniment pattern in the secondo.
Level: I
Fraenzel [Fränzl], Ferdinand (1767–1833), Germany
German violinist and conductor; composed orchestral and chamber music, operas, songs, and piano pieces.
Favorite Variations for Two Performers
New York: W. Dubois, ca. 1820.
Charming, naive set of variations on a simple tune; set in Classical style.
Level: LI–I
Françaix, Alfred (b. 1880), France
French composer, father of Jean.
Nos vieilles chansons
Paris: Senart, n.d.
Françaix, Jean (1912–1997)
French pianist and composer. His works, which manifest the influence of Stravinsky, are characterized by a French spirit of clarity, wit, spontaneity, and Classical restraint.
Napoléon, suite
Paris: Éditions Musicales Transatlantiques; Mainz: Schott, 1956.
Sixteen short, light, amusing pieces.
Level: I
Quinze portraits d’enfants d’Auguste Renoir, transposés pour piano à quatre mains à l’usage des jeunes élèves
Paris: Éditions Musicales Transatlantiques, 1971.
The short pieces in this artfully and sensitively crafted collection are based on children’s portraits by Auguste Renoir. The harmonic idiom is crisply French, and each piece is accompanied by a picture whose title also supplies the title of the music.
Level: I/E–LI
Franck, César (1822–1890), Belgium
The composer’s four-hand compositions, dating from an early period, show influences of Beethoven, Schubert, Méhul, and Weber.
Polka (1848)
London: MSM Music Publishers, 1977.
When the composer’s young and vivacious wife entreated her newly wedded husband to learn to dance, the reluctant Franck compromised by writing a polka. Exhibiting few of the stylistic characteristics of the mature composer, this bright, unventuresome work, which also exists in a piano solo version, is typical of its period, and was probably intended to be performed with his bride.
Level: LI–I
Premier duo sur le God Save the King, Op. 4 (1842)
Hamburg: Schuberth, 1846.
Brilliant, difficult, showy fantasy on the familiar theme featuring passage work, repeated notes, rapid arpeggios, and other demanding technical effects.
Level: UI–A
Franck, Richard (1858–1938), Germany
Works of this German pianist and teacher include orchestral and chamber music, choral compositions, and piano pieces.
[10] Progressiv geordnete Salonstücke, Op. 62
Berlin: Otto Wernthal, 1901.
Short salon pieces.
Level: E–I
Drei Stücke in Kanonform, Op. 11
Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen, 1886.
Francmesnil, Roger de (1884–1921), France
French pianist and composer of chamber music, orchestral works, songs, and piano pieces.
Quatre petites pièces (Berceuse; Souvenir; Prélude; Le bon vieux temps)
Paris: Mathot, n.d.
Franco, Johan H.G. (1908–1988), Netherlands
Dutch composer, resident in United States. He has written symphonic, chamber, and piano pieces.
Hymn, 1940
Manuscript.
Short work dedicated to Helen and Karl Ulrich Schnabel, piano-duettists.
Linear, with some dissonance.
Level: UI
Frank, Alan (1910–1994), England
English editor, writer on music, and composer. Head of the music department at Oxford University Press from 1954 to 1975.
March
London: Oxford University Press, 1936.
Bouncy, whimsical work with piquant harmonies and jazz rhythms.
Level: I
Franke, Theodore
Russian Intermezzo
Bryn Mawr, PA: Presser, n.d.
Level: UE–LI
Frautschi, Franz (b. 1960)
Aires Boogys
Manuscript, Franz Frautschi.
Among the six pieces in this suite are three duets: 1. Allegro; 4. Tranquillo; 6. Allegro.
Freiberger, Katherine (b. 1927), United States
American pianist, composer, and teacher. Holds degree in piano from Southern Methodist University and English literature from the University of Texas at Austin.
The Rickety Rocking Horse
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1985.
A lively cavort in punctuated by dissonance.
Level: I
The Train to Topolobampo
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1978.
Train whistles and the clickety-clack of the track are imitated in this enjoyable duet in F major. A 3+3+2 rhythm drives the piece.
Level: UI
The Wallaby Waltz
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1980.
A rhythmic bi-tonal waltz with frequent key changes. Performers must negotiate quick leaps both within and between parts.
Level: UI
Frick [Fricke], Philipp Joseph (1740–1798), Germany
Organist and pianist of German origin; also played the glass harmonica.
Duett for Two Performers on One Pianoforte (D), Op. 4
London: Published by composer, n.d.
A Duett for Two Performers on One Pianoforte with or without Additional Keys
London/Edinburgh: Corri, Dussek & Co., 1796.
Fricker, Peter Racine (1920–1990), England
English composer; wrote in dissonant idiom influenced by Bartók, serial techniques, and jazz.
Nocturne and Scherzo, Op. 23
London: Schott, 1958.
Fluent, serious work in linear, dissonant idiom: evocative Nocturne; fast, vivid, rhythmical Scherzo. Effectively set for both partners.
Level: A
Frid, Géza (1904–1989), Hungary
Hungarian-born resident of Holland; student of Bartók and Kodály; concert pianist. His works include choral and orchestral compositions, chamber music, and piano pieces.
Kermesse à Charleroi, Op. 44a
Amsterdam: Donemus, 1953; New York: Southern Music, 1964.
Bright, pulsating work describing the excitement, bustle, and exuberance of a low-country outdoor festival; effective show piece.
Level: UI–A
Amsterdam: Donemus, 1969.
Fried, Oskar (1871–1941), Germany
German conductor, student of Humperdinck. He wrote orchestral and choral works, chamber music, and piano compositions.
[7] Leichte Stücke (Kleines Fantasiestück; Soldatenliedchen; Venezianer Gondellied; An der Müle; Menuett; Auf zur Jagd; Kleiner Walzer), Op. 6
Berlin: Bote & Bock, 1901.
Melodious, fluent pieces in salon style.
Level: I–UI/UE–LI
Friedman, Ignaz (1882–1948), Poland
Polish-born concert pianist; composed extensively for piano and small ensembles.
[5] Walzer, Op. 51
Vienna: Universal Edition, 1912.
Suite of energetic, often brilliant waltzes, in melodious and rhythmical Viennese style; well fashioned for the medium.
Level: I/UI–A
Friml, Rudolf (1879–1972), Czechoslovakia
Czech composer and pianist; lived in the United States. Like his successful operettas Rose Marie and The Vagabond King, his piano music is light and melodious.
Musical Adventures for Four Little Hands (Wishing Moon; In Magic Land; Chatterbox; Blue Fairy; Foxy Kitten)
Cincinnati: Willis Music, 1925.
Short, attractive teaching pieces.
Level: LI/E-5
Frischknecht, Hans Eugen (b. 1939), Switzerland
Swiss composer and organist.
Für zwei (1970)
Manuscript.
Atonal work without barlines or rhythmic notation; structural features include tone dusters and aleatory elements; avant-garde. Two versions: four hands and two pianos.
Level: A
Frölich, Franz Joseph (1780–1862), Germany
In addition to liturgical music, an opera, and orchestral works, this Bavarian conductor, pedagogue, musicologist, and composer wrote one of the few four-hand concertos.
Concerto for Piano Four Hands and Orchestra (D)
Bonn: Simrock, ca. 1814.
Bonn: Simrock, ca. 1814.
Sonate (C)
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, ca. 1815.
Frölich, Friedrich Theodor (1803–1836), Switzerland
Swiss composer of popular songs and piano pieces.
Fugen (1832)
Manuscript.
Ouverture (E♭) (1833)
Manuscript.
Frommel, Gerhard (1906–1984), Germany
German composer and teacher. He has written symphonies, chamber music, and piano pieces.
Impromptu (E♭)
In Spielbuch, zeitgenössische Originalkompositionen.
Traditional harmonic and melodic patterns; sly modulations add color to this pleasant work.
Level: I
Frontini, Francesco Paolo (1860–1939), Italy
Italitan composer and teacher; wrote songs and piano pieces.
Pezzettini facili in ordine progressivo
Milan: Carisch, n.d.
Level: UE–LI
Frugatta, Giuseppe (1860–1933), Italy
Italian composer, pianist, and teacher. Taught at the Milan Conservatory.
[12] Interludii
Milan: Ricordi, 1921.
Suite of engaging pieces; unusual musically and pedagogically in their graceful presentation of rhythmical and technical problems.
Level: UE–I
Fuchs, Albert (1858–1910), Switzerland
Swiss-born conductor, teacher, and composer.
[12] Kleine Walzer, Op. 9
Leipzig: Fritzsch, 1884.
Attractive suite of waltzes in a variety of keys.
Level: UE–LI
Ungarische Suite, Op. 12
Vienna: Gutmann, 1883.
Salon pieces in Hungarian style.
Level: I
Fuchs, Robert (1847–1927), Austria
Austrian composer and educator. Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory. Member of Brahms’s circle; his instructional works for piano, four hands, are especially noteworthy for their ingratiating charm and originality, and for the great sensitivity the composer demonstrated in his resourceful handling of the subtleties of piano duet writing.
Frühlingsstimmen, [12] kleine Stücke, Op. 1
Vienna: Doblinger, 1872.
Short, effective works in melodious Schumannesque style.
Level: UE–LI
In der Dämmerstunde, [10] Skizzen, Op. 38
Berlin: Simrock, 1885.
Amiable group of pieces in Romantic style.
Level: UE–LI
Miniaturen, [24] kurze and leichte Clavierstücke, Op. 44
Berlin: Simrock, 1887.
Evocative, lyrical, handsomely shaped little compositions.
Level: LI–I
Miniaturen, [16] kurze and leichte Clavierstücke, Op. 93
Vienna: Robitschek, 1911.
Series of short refined works, similar in character to Op. 44.
Level: LI
[5] Stücke, Op. 4
Leipzig: Kistner, 1872.
Similar in style and idiom to Op. 1, but slightly more difficult.
Level: I
[6] Stücke, Op. 7
Leipzig: Kistner, 1872.
Similar to Op. 4.
Traumbilder, Op. 48
Edition Kunzelmann/Edition Peters
Engaging salon set of three movements: Un poco con moto, ma passionato; Allegretto grazioso, con espressione; Vivace.
Level: UI–LA
Variationen (d), Op. 10
Leipzig: Kistner, 1875.
Intriguing set of variations ranging from easy to brilliant; attractive, rewarding; require technical facility.
Level: UI–A
[24] Walzer, Op. 25
Leipzig: Kistner, 1880.
Level: I
[12] Walzer, Op. 90
Vienna: Robitschek, 1910.
Op. 25 and Op. 90 are effective sets of amiable, lilting Viennese waltzes.
Level: LI–I
Berlin: Simrock, 1886.
Exceptionally fine, elegantly fashioned chain of waltzes set in a variety of keys in Brahmsian style.
Level: I
Fujikura, Dai (b. 1977), Japan
Studied with Edwin Roxburg, Daryl Runswick, and George Benjamin. Recipient of many prizes including the Huddersfield Festival Young Composers Award, a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, Internationaler Wiener Composition Prize, and the Paul Hindemith Prize in both Austria and Germany.
Half-Remembered City
Berlin: G. Ricordi, 2005.
Composed for the piano duo of Waka Hasegawa and Joseph Tong. A demanding score that features sympathetic vibrations throughout, and rapidly contrasts in sounds. Close quarters for the perfomers. Explicit interpretative indications. Approximate perfomance time of eleven minutes.
Level: A
Fulton, Norman (1909–1980), England
English composer of film and radio music, as well as orchestral and chamber works, songs, and piano pieces.
Dance Miniatures, Op. 33
London: Oxford University Press, 1965.
Set I: Menuet; Hornpipe
Level: UE/E
Set II: Tarantella; Rumba
Level: UE–LI/UE
Set III: Polonaise; Tango
Level: I/UE–LI
Set IV: Waltz; Hungarian Dance. Attractice pieces arranged in progressive order of difficulty; solidly and imaginatively set in conservative harmonic idiom.
Level: I
Fumagalli, Disma (1826–1893), Italy
Italian composer and teacher. Studied and later taught at the Milan Conservatory. Composed over 300 etudes for piano.
Valzer, Op. 314
Milan: Ricordi. n.d.
Salon waltzes.
Level: I
Fusz, Jànos (1777–1819), Hungary
Hungarian composer, most notably of songs
Andante (G)
Vienna: Cappi, 1808.