time. Features sixteenth-note arpeggiated accompaniment figures.Tag, Christian Gotthilf (1735–1811), Germany
German composer and cantor. He wrote liturgical and choral works, songs, organ pieces, and piano compositions.
12 Veränderungen auf die Melodie des Liedes “Gaudeamus igitur,” for piano four hands and flute
Publisher and date missing.
Tailleferre, Germaine (1892–1983), France
French pianist; former member of “les Six.” She has written ballets, songs, a piano concerto, and chamber music.
Premières prouesses, six pièces progressives
Paris: Jobert, n.d.
Level: I
Takacs, Jeno (1902–2005), Austria
Studied composition and piano at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts with Joseph Marx and Paul Weingarten, respectively. Influenced by Bela Bartok. Held piano and/or composition professorships at the Conservatory in Cairo, the University of Manila, Conservatory in Pecs (Hungary), and the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
4 X 4
Vienna: Universal Edition, 1981.
Sixteen pieces: Menuetto; Bella Napoli [Tarantella]; Austrian Potpourri [Our Village Band]; Indian Dance [U.S.A.]; Park in the Mist [Melody with Clusters]; Chimes Canon [A Gray School Day]; Alborada [Spanish Dance]; American Ballad; Remembering Zoltan Kodaly; Flute de Pan [Hommage à Debussy]; Niggunim [Hebrew Chant]; The Stillness Answers; Accordian Muscia Meccanica [Passacaglia]; Jingle Bells; Jingle Bells, Fuga a 4 voci [Not by J. S. Bach]; Echo.
Level: E-UI
Takagi, Toroku (1904–2006), Japan
Japanese pianist and composer; studied in Paris and Tokyo; has written an opera, ballet, piano concertos, songs, and piano works.
Piano Duets for the Young (Sweet Home; Rondo “Morning”; Waltz for Mother and Child; La Berceuse; Variations from “Oedo Nihonbashi”; Le farceux du rhythme; Valse pour la princesse élégante; Arabian Serenade)
Tokyo: Zen-on Music Publishers, n.d.
Tal, Josef (1910–2008), Israel
Studied at the Staatliche Akademische Hochschule with Hindemith and Tiessen (composition), Curt Sachs (music history), and Trapp (piano). Taught at the Palestine Conservatory and at Hebrew University. Works display electro-acoustic and atonal elements.
A Tale in Four Parts
Tel Aviv: Israeli Music Institute IMI, 1988.
A four-movement suite of instructional pieces with titles as follows: I. Summer Dream; II. Dance of the Flowers; III. Twilight; IV. A Happy Memory. Includes black and white illustrations of each piece by Ayala Tal.
Level: I
Talexy, Adrien (ca. 1821–1881), France
French pianist and conductor; wrote a piano method and many instructional piano pieces.
Les noces de Jeannette, fantaisie, Op. 58
Mainz: Schott, n.d.
Tallis, John (1911–1996), Australia
Prelude and Fugue
London: Augener, 1956.
Resourceful, large-scale contrapuntal work in mildly contemporary idiom; well-balanced parts.
Level: UI
Tanenbaum, Elias (1924–2008), United States
Contrasts for Teacher and Pupil
New York: American Composers Edition, n.d.
Tansman, Alexandre (1897–1986), Poland
Polish-born French pianist and conductor. His works include symphonic, choral, and chamber music, ballets, and piano pieces written in an individual lyrical style influenced by Chopin, Szymanowski, Ravel, and Stravinskian neo-Classicism.
Les jeunes au Piano, 4 vols.
Paris: Max Eschig, 1951.
Four books of progressive difficulty, consisting of mood and descriptive pieces, national dances, and (terminating in) four fugues. An impressive collection of fine teaching material.
ler recueil, En tournant la T. S. F. (1939–1940), Radio-France; Radio-Angleterre; Radio-Pologne; Radio-États-Unis; Radio-Russie; Radio-Hongrie; Radio-Espagne; Radio-Italie
Level: UE
2ème recueil, Pièces de fantaisie (1939–1940), Chant lointain; Air d’Espagne; Le Berger de Pologne; Choral; Plainte d’Orient; Le régiment passe
Level: LI–I
3ème recueil, Feuillets d’album (1939–1940), Habañera; Carillons et cloches; Fileuse; Pièce chromatique; Alerte; Sicilienne
Level: LI–I
4ème recueil, Quatre pièces fuguées (1937)
Level: I
Nous jouons pour maman, 12 morceaux très faciles (Noel; Air solonnel; Rêverie; Air à bercer; Choral; Valse; Chanson; Arietta; Tempo di minuetto; Air populaire; Petit conte; Final)
Paris: Max Eschig, 1939. Single items also issued separately.
Very easy, short pieces in large notes. Light, tuneful, excellent teaching material.
Level: LE–E
Tapray, Jean-Francois (c. 1737/38–c. 1819), France
French composer and musician.
Sonate a quatre mains, Op. 29
Versailles: Editions du Centre de Musique Baroque Versailles, 2003.
Taranta, Italo (1928–2014)
Served on the theory and composition faculty of the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia.
Duetably Awesome!
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 2003.
A collection of twenty-three very brief student-teacher duets.
Level: LI/E
Tarenghi, Mario (1870–1938), Italy
Italian pianist; composed over 600 piano pieces of wide popularity.
Bozzetti dal vero (six pieces), Op. 71
Milan: Ricordi, 1918.
Descriptive and mood pieces carefully set in pleasant, traditional style.
Level: I
La fileuse, Op. 45
Leipzig: A. P. Schmidt, 1909.
Instructional piece.
Level: UE–LI
Out of the Past; Star of Italy, from Op. 76
Boston: A. P. Schmidt, 1920.
Instructional pieces.
Level: UE–LI
Tarp, Svend Erik (1908–1994), Denmark
Danish composer of chamber and orchestral works, ballets, film music, and piano pieces in a fresh, melodious style. He often made use of Danish folk music.
Cirkus, ti smaa klaverstykker for to og fire haender (Circus, ten little piano pieces for two and four hands), Op. 47
Copenhagen: Engstrøm & Sødring, 1947.
Nos. 1 and 10 for four hands.
Tate, Phyllis (1911–1987), England
English composer; has written operas, song and folk song arrangements, chamber and choral music, and piano compositions.
Hampstead Heath, rondo for roundabouts, arr. David Stone, for strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and piano four hands (music for amateur orchestras)
London: Oxford University Press, 1964. See Notes 23 (1966): 157.
Let’s Play Duets
London: Oxford University Press, 1940.
Six short, attractive descriptive pieces, capably set for the medium.
Level: UE–LI
Lyric Suite
London: Oxford University Press, 1975.
The language of this intriguing work is basically tonal with frequent polychords and other dissonance punctuating the predominantly open linear texture. The parts are well balanced, and the writing is effective and idiomatic. “The five sections of this work are continuous. I. Aubade. The first subject is made up of three motifs, and the development of these provides the material of the middle section. Then a recapitulation, with a coda based on an extension of the first motif, gradually leads into: II. Lullaby. This is on two levels: the secondo part plays a ‘crooning,’ rocking figure. . . . alternating with the primo part playing a well-known nursery rhyme. These two contrasting features are subsequently shared by the two performers and played backwards, inverted, backwards-inverted, and finally combined. III. Arabesque. Phrases from the Lullaby are interspersed with anticipations of the Ländler. IV. Ländler. This comprises a refrain separated by three waltz fragments which are frequently overlapped by a cadential interruption. At the end a violently articulated high ‘C’ prepares the way for: V. Dirge. Based on a ‘tear drop’ scale descending by 9ths and paralleled by rising 7ths, distributed among the four hands. In addition there is a melodic line which develops and merges into a rather richer interlude. These ideas work up to a chordal climax before subsiding into the Coda which ends with a sudden, foreboding (ff) Middle C, with overtones” (from “Composer’s Note”).
Level: UI–LA
Taubert, Carl Gottfried Wilhelm (1811–1891), Germany
Pianist, composer, and conductor. Studied piano with Ludwig Berger and composition with Bernhard Klein. Served as music director of the Berlin Royal Opera and was court conductor. Served on the faculty of the Royal Academy of Arts. His output includes operas, symphonies, concerti for piano and cello, string quartets, and over 300 songs.
Quatre marches brillantes, Op. 2
Erzhausen: Robert Lienau Musikverlag, 1830; also appears in Piano Duets from the Romantic Period, Volume 1.
Characterized by youthful charm and energy. Received favorable attention from Taubert’s colleague Felix Mendelssohn. First published by Braggemann in 1830.
Level: I
Taubert, Ernst Eduard (1838–1934), Poland
German composer, teacher, and music critic.
4 Tänze, Op. 37
Leipzig: Siegel, 1881.
Instructional pieces.
Unter fremden Musikanten, Op. 22
Leipzig: Leuckart, 1872.
Salon pieces.
Level: I–UI
Taubert, Wilhelm (1811–1891), Germany
Pianist, composer, and conductor. Music director of the Berlin Royal Opera.
Duo a quatre mains, Op. 11
Leipzig: Hofmeister, 1833.
Level: UI–LA
Taylor, H. J.
5 Miniature Duets
London: Collard Moutrie, 1918.
Instructional pieces.
Level: UE–LI
Taylor, Raynor (1747–1825), England
English organist and singer; immigrated to America in 1792, settling in Philadelphia. He composed a ballad opera and other stage works, songs, instrumental pieces, and piano compositions.
An Easy and Familiar Lesson. . . .
Philadelphia: B. Carr’s Music Repository, ca. 1795–1797.
Gavotte and Fandango; Minuetto; President’s March
In Anne McClenny and Maurice Hinson, eds., Duets of Early American Music. Melville, NY: Belwin, 1971.
Short attractive pieces by a composer of early America.
Level: E
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr I. (1840–1893), Russia
Fifty Russian Folk Songs
International; Kalmus; a selection of thirty-six duets is published by Peters. Short melodies arranged for piano four hands by the composer in a variety of meters and key signatures. Many of the tunes are familiar themes from the composer’s chamber music and symphonic repertoire; their settings in this collection are short and succinct and often have a modal character. Appealing and interesting for both partners, and especially useful for sight-reading.
Level: UE–I
Tcherepnin, Alexander Nikolayevich (1899–1977), Russia
Russian-born American pianist and teacher. He composed operas, piano concertos, chamber music, and piano pieces in an eclectic tonal style with Russian and French influences. He also made use of nine-tone scales and oriental color.
Exploring the Piano (Processional; Hopscotch; Dreamy Donna; Tommy Talent; Pandora; Busy Bill; Poor Paula; Math-Whiz; Kill-Joy; Gina and Gino; Hurried Harry; Jimmy Chang)
Evanston, IL: Summy-Birchard, 1959; New Edition, New York: Peters, 1976. Entrancing set of polished little pieces for teacher and a very young student. Crisply written with a light and fanciful touch by a fine craftsman. Broad range of musical styles, mood, color, and key signature. The secondo part, which can also be performed by an advanced student or parent, is demanding, but the student’s part is very easy, consisting mostly of repeated notes or patterns. Two of the pieces require that a second piano be used or that the child sit on the teacher’s lap.
Level: I–UI/LE
Telfer, Nancy (b. 1950), Canada
Educated at the University of Western Ontario. Composed over three hundred works for orchestra, solo instruments and voice, and choral ensembles. Prolific composer of graded piano repertoire.
Newfoundland Suite
Toronto: Frederick Harris Music, 2005.
Six duets: The Streets of St. John’s; Two Mast Schooner; Whale Watching; Puffins; Iceberg; Shore Party. A musical travelogue, this suite illustrates through music the composer’s first trip to Newfoundland. Changing meters keeps the pianists on their toes.
Level: UE
Tena Manrique, Abraham (b. 1973), Spain
Spanish pianist and composer.
Fantasia for Piano Four Hands, Op. 18
Manuscript, Abraham Tena Manrique, 2010.
Level: A
Fantasia in C Minor, Op. 1
Manuscript, Abraham Tena Manrique, 2006.
Level: A
Nocturne for Piano Four Hands, Op. 19
Manuscript, Abraham Tena Manrique, 2010.
Marked “Adagio molto tranquilo.”
Level: LA
Parafraseando à Nietzsche, Op. 21
Manuscript, Abraham Tena Manrique, 2013.
Marked “Allegro appassionato” in time. Features sixteenth-note arpeggiated accompaniment figures.
Level: A
Thalberg, Sigismond (1812–1871), Switzerland
Virtuoso pianist; concertized throughout Europe and the Americas. He wrote operas and many piano pieces.
Danza sorrentina
Ancona: Bèrben, 1976.
While most of Thalberg’s four-hand works appear to be arrangements of his own piano solos, this bright, energetic, and effective tarantella is carefully written and is most likely original in its duet setting.
Level: LI
Grandes valses brillantes, Op. 47
Paris: M. Schlesinger, n.d.
Thieriot, Ferdinand (1838–1919), Germany
Composer, cellist, teacher, and musical director. Studied with Eduard Marxsen and Josef Rheinberger.
Six Pieces for Piano Four Hands, Op. 46
Leipzig: Alfred Dorffel, 1889.
Charming teaching pieces. Primo is plays largely in parallel motion at the octave.
Level: I/UE–I
Thiessen, Karl (b. 1867), Germany
6 Walzer, Op. 5
Dresden: E. Hoffmann, ca. 1909.
Salon pieces.
Level: LI
Thiman, Eric (1900–1975), England
English organist and prolific composer of choral works, orchestral pieces, and piano compositions in a light, melodious style.
A Sligo Reel
London: Curwen, 1948.
Teaching piece with Irish flavor.
Level: UE–LI
On Brockham Green, suite (Shepherd’s Song; Springtime; George the Fiddler)
London: Keith Prowse, 1930.
Instructional pieces in pleasant, flowing style.
Level: UE–LI
Thomé, Francis (1850–1909), Mauritius
French composer of songs and piano pieces in salon style.
Six valses
Paris: Hamelle, n.d.
Thompson, John (1889–1963), United States
Pianist and composer of educational music and materials. Headed music departments and conservatories in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Kansas City.
Five for Four
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1963.
A collection of five delightful equal part duets: Old Pueblos from “Arizona Suite”; Nocturne; The Gaucho; Andantino from “Concerto in D Minor”; Rhapsodie Hongroise. Of particular note is the dramatic Rhapsodie Hongroise in the style of Liszt.
Level: I
Teaching Little Fingers to Play Ensemble
Florence, KY: Willis Music.
Teacher accompaniments/duet parts to accompany the “Teaching Little Fingers to Play” piano method. Accompaniments for both one piano four hands as well as two pianos.
Level: I/E
Thomson, Virgil (1896–1989), United States
American critic and composer of operas; ballet, choral, and orchestral works; film music; songs; piano pieces; and chamber music. His style is simple, direct, and tonal, with clarity of expression.
Synthetic Waltzes, for piano four hands or two pianos (1925)
Publisher missing.
Thorbecke, Hermann (1813–1858)
La pluie de perles
New York: Kerksieg and Breusing, 1848.
A waltz in B-flat major.
Level: LA
Thuman, Herman
Svenska folktoner lätt sätta för pianoforte fyra händer (Swedish Folk Melodies in Easy Four-Hand Arrangements)
Stockholm: Bagge, ca. 1887.
Thurm, Joachim (1927–1995)
Europäische Volkslieder
Leipzig: VEB Peters, 1964.
Inviting series of folk songs in imaginative settings; exceptional harmonic interest.
Level: LI–I
Tibbits, George (1933–2008), Australia
Australian musician.
Variations (1969)
Publisher missing.
Tinel, Edgar Pierre Joseph (1854–1912), Belgium
Belgian pianist, teacher, and author. He composed sacred choral music, organ pieces, religious music dramas, chamber music, and piano works.
Sonata (g), Op. 15
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1889.
Long, four-movement work competently set in Romantic style, influenced by Mendelssohn. Lacking in strong thematic ideas or sustained harmonic interest, though brilliant at times.
Level: UI–LA
Tingley, George Peter (b. 1950), United States
Composer, teacher, pianist. Degrees from California State University–Hayward and the University of Southern California. Studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.
Fiddle and the Tuba
Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Music, 1994.
Seven upper elementary duets: The Chase; Contradanse; Fiddle and the Tuba; A Little Song; Running Along; Sea Chanty; Sonatina. The primo parts can be performed as solos. The secondo parts are somewhat more difficult than the primo and could be performed by a parent, teacher, or a slightly more advanced student.
Level: EI/UE
Seven Easy Piano Duets
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1991.
Seven brief duets: Lullaby of the Waves; Marching Along; A Rainy Day; Tick-Tock; Little Serenade; Minuet and Trio; Night Song. The primo parts are in five-finger positions and can be played alone as a solo. The secondo is only slightly more difficult.
Level: E
Six Easy Piano Duets for Students and Teachers
Florence, KY: Willis Music, 1993.
Six brief duets: Swiss Song; Scherzo; Hayride; Bagatelle; Little Rondo; Saying Goodbye. Primo is restricted to a five-finger position while the secondo is only slightly more difficult. The primo can be played alone as a solo.
Level: E
5 Variations sur un thème de Himmel, Op. 3
Vienna: J. Czerný, 1829.
Toch, Ernst (1887–1964), Austria
Austrian-born American teacher and composer. He wrote in a highly individual post-Romantic chromatic style. His compositions include operas, orchestral works, chamber music, and a quantity of film and radio music.
Sonata, Op. 87
New York: Mills (Belwin), 1963.
Pleasant, sunny, tidy three-movement work in urbane, neo-Classical idiom; thin-textured, mildly dissonant, tonal. Allegretto: tuneful and witty. Andante espressivo: deliberate and lyrical. Allegretto amabile, leggiero: bright and spirited. Proficiently set for four hands.
Level: I–UI
Todaro, Agostino, Italy
Nostalgia Di Alia
Ancona: Berben Edizioni Musicali, 1999.
A study in legato touch.
Level: E
Tomášek, Václav Jan Krktel (1774–1850), Czech Republic
Ouvertüre (E♭), Op. 38
Prague: Berra, n.d.
Tomkins, Thomas (1572–1656), England
English composer, pupil of William Byrd; composed church music, madrigals, and music for viols and virginals.
A Fancy for Two to Play
See: Elizabethan Keyboard Duets (under Eiges, Konstantin Romanovich) and Ferguson, H., ed., Style and Interpretation, vol. 5.
Torjussen, Trygve (1885–1977), Norway
Norwegian composer and music critic. His works include chamber music, an orchestral suite, and music for organ and piano.
Carnival Suite, Op. 68
Boston: A. P. Schmidt, 1947.
Three descriptive pieces; instructional.
Level: I
Torrá, Celia (1884–1962), Argentina
Argentine violinist, conductor, and composer; studied with Jenö Hubay, Kodály, and d’lndy.
7 Pequeñas piezas fáciles (Sobre el puento de Aviñon; Arroz con leche; Arrorró; La tone en guardia; La hora del té; El cochecito; Canción de Navidad)
Buenos Aires: Ricordi, n.d.
Tours, Berthold (1838–1897), Netherlands
English organist and violinist of Dutch birth; composed hymn times, anthems, songs, and piano pieces.
Intermezzo, Op. 1
Rotterdam: Vletter, ca. 1857.
Instructional piece.
Level: LI
Suite de pièces
New York: Schirmer, 1893.
Salon pieces.
Level: I
Tovey, Donald Francis (1875–1940), England
English pianist, musicologist, and teacher; best known for his scholarly essays on Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Gluck, and others. He composed an opera, choral and orchestral works, chamber music, and piano pieces.
Balliol Dances (Oxford Tänze), Op. 17
Mainz: Schott, 1906.
Suite of sixteen waltzes in Romantic style, modeled after Brahms, Op. 39. Melodious, graceful, pleasant to play; well balanced for both parts.
Level: I–UI
Townsend, Douglas (1921–2012), United States
Composer and musicologist; leading expert on piano four-hand music. He wrote an opera, orchestral and chamber music, a ballet, and piano pieces.
Four Fantasies on American Folk Songs (Follow the Drinking Gourd; The New River Train; Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier; Two in One [Old Joe Clark and Sourwood Mountain])
New York: Peters, 1960.
Suite of diverting arrangements of four American folk songs, freely set in a tidy, refined, traditional idiom; frequently modal with occasional complex rhythms. Ingenious, well balanced, and thoroughly enjoyable. There is an informative introduction by Oscar Brand on the backgrounds of the folk songs.
Level: I–UI
Trnka, Wenzel Joseph (1782–ca. 1849)
6 Danses villageoises (C), Op. 37
Vienna: Diabelli, n.d.
Rondino (A), Op. 35
Vienna: Diabelli, n.d.
Trojelli, Angelino
Cantilène; Chasse; Villageoise
Paris: Consortium Musical, n.d.
Level: I
La gioia delle madri (D), Op. 66
Milan: Ercole Bonolini, n.d.
Tsitsaros, Christos, Cyprus
Early training at Greek Academy of Music in Nicosia. Studied at the Frederic Chopin Academy in Warsaw, Poland. Degrees from Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois. Devoted largely to composing pedagogical music, he has also composed concert works for piano.
Songs and Dances
Toronto: Frederick Harris Music, 1998.
Six brief yet imaginative duets: Andalusian Dance; Mountain Melody; Ontario Blues; Tale of the West; Echoes of a Fairy Tale; The Witch’s Dance; Country Dance. The primo and secondo vary in difficulty from piece to piece.
Level: LE-I
Tuček, František (Franz)
Frühlingsmarsch, Op. 37
Leipzig: Siegel, 1867.
Türk, Daniel Gottlob (1750–1813), Germany
German theorist and composer; best known for his pedagogical material including a piano method, Klavierschule, and an instruction book on figured-bass playing. He also composed piano music.
[120] Tonstücke
Leipzig/Halle: Published by composer, ca. 1807–1808; New Edition, Dofiein, ed. Tonstücke, 2 vols. Mainz: Schott, 1933; and Serauky, W., ed. 30 Tonstücke. Leipzig: Litolff (Peters), n.d.; Doflein, Erich, ed. Mainz: Schott, 1933, 1961.
The 120 pieces in this distinguished collection of early teaching material were originally published in four volumes of thirty pieces each and appeared in progressive order of difficulty. They are not only excellent technical studies but are first-rate music as well. Both the Schott and Litolff editions provide useful selections of the original pieces.
Level: UE–I
Turner, Myra Brooks, United States
Composer, pianist, teacher, freelance writer. Studied at the Juilliard School and Southern Methodist University with degrees in piano, theory, and composition. Taught at Mercer University, Maryville College of Performing Arts, and the University of Tennessee.
The Flamingo Waltz, Op. 63, No. 83
Mequon, WI: Schaum Publications, 2013.
A lighthearted waltz. Includes passages in double-thirds.
Level: UI
Twardowski, Romuald (b. 1930), Poland
Polish composer; has written three operas, ballets, orchestral and choral works, and compositions for various instrumental combinations.
Dwa Michaly (Joe and Jack) (LI); and Japoneczka Miki (Miki, the Japanese Girl)
In Raube, ed. Drobiazgi, vol. 1.
Level: UE–LI
Dzwony (The Bells); and Perpetuum mobile (Perpetual Motion)
In, Raube, ed. Drobiazgi, vol. 2.
Level: I
Twinn, Sydney
First Year Duets
London: Lengnick, n.d.
Level: I
Twinning, Walter L.
Four Short Duets
London: Collard Moultrie, 1926.
Bright, tuneful teaching pieces.
Level: UE–LI
Tyrwhitt, Gerald (1883–1950), England
See: Berners, Lord Gerald Tyrwhitt.