Entertainment Music Piano Classical Music A Beginners Guide to Great Classical Music for the Piano Share PINTEREST Email Print There are many composers of classical piano music and even more performers. Finding your favorite piano music can be a daunting, yet fun, process. Let this introduction to piano classical music serve as your guide. Steinway & Sons Music Classical Music Basics Lyrics Operas Rock Music Pop Music Alternative Music Country Music Folk Music Rap & Hip Hop Rhythm & Blues World Music Punk Music Heavy Metal Jazz Latin Music Oldies Learn More By Aaron Green Music Expert B.A., Classical Music and Opera, Westminster Choir College of Rider University Aaron M. Green is an expert on classical music and music history, with more than 10 years of both solo and ensemble performance experience. our editorial process Aaron Green Updated March 17, 2017 There is a multitude of piano classical music. From relaxing to invigorating, and everything in between, there is classical piano music for everyone, no matter the mood or the situation. For a beginner, which composers have the best piano music? Which pianists should you consider? These are just a few of the questions I'll answer for you in this easy to follow guide to classical piano music. Styles of Classical Music for Piano Some of you may have learned about the many styles of classical piano music in an article I wrote titled "Classical Piano Music Styles". But just in case, for sake of brevity, the most common styles of piano classical music are: Piano ConcertoPiano SonataPiano TrioPiano QuintetSolo Piano, which includesEtudePreludePolonaiseNocturneMazurkaWaltzBalladeand Scherzo. The Great Composers of Piano Classical Music For beginners, knowing which composer to start with can be an intimidating task. There are many wonderful composers, but some never wrote music for piano, while others wrote exclusively for it. To help you, I've put together a small list of the most well known composers that are without a doubt possibly the greatest piano classical music masters to have ever lived. Frederic ChopinSergei RachmaninoffFranz Liszt Johann Sebastian Bach (though the piano as we know it today wasn't invented during his lifetime)Claude DebussyMaurice Raveland last but certainly not least, Ludwig van Beethoven If you are wanting to add great classical music for piano to your music library or playlist, these composers will provide you with a solid foundation and hundreds of hours of fantastic music. Piano Classical Music - Recommended Works To help you understand why I recommended the composers listed above, I scoured YouTube in search of the videos and recordings. To be honest, it wasn't an arduous task - I love listening to classical music. If you like any of the YouTube links I provided below, you should save them in your web browser and watch the related videos to discover other artists and composers. Frederic Chopin - Polonaise Op. 53 Sergei Rachmaninoff - Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 Franz Liszt - Consolation No. 3 Johann Sebastian Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier 2, Prelude F Sharp minor Claude Debussy - The Sunken Cathedral Maurice Ravel - Miroirs, No. 5 La vallee des cloches Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No. 28, mvmt. 3 Notable Pianists If you're still not sure which composers have the best classical music for piano, turn your attention and focus on the pianist. Great pianists have extensive repertoires and collections of recordings, which means you'll get a large selection and wide variety of music from many different composers. I recommend listening to these highly esteemed and acclaimed pianists. Vladimir HorowitzArthur RubensteinArturo Benedetti MichelangeliGlen GouldLang LangWalter GiesekingPascal Roge