Customer Reviews

Billy Joel - Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano, Op. 1-10

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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Although I do not have the ability to play these pieces at the level of Mr. Joo, I have had many hours of enjoyment working through the book. I started with the invention because I thought it would get me back into the practice habits of days gone by and I was right! Correct fingering and all that... There are sections of extreme difficulty (by my talent level) but there are many works in this book that have drawn me to sit and play my piano for hours at a time; more so than any music since high school(Class of '85). This music is classical in nature and is most suitable for those who are classically trained and who have the patience to work at it a bit. There are many beautiful melodic sections, but there is also a lot of fun! After hearing the cd I HAD to have this book!

This collection of music from Billy Joel is indeed, as other reviewers have noted, quite difficult. It is not recommended for a player of less than an intermediate grade. There is a short 'Invention' which is a two voice work reminiscent of Bach or Handel. This particular work would be suitable for a player of moderate skill level.

Most of the music is evocative of Chopin, insofar as there is a number of waltzes, each with rapid flourishes and minor modulations. Joel also veers into French impressionist territory occasionally, using minor-9th chords and tonality that recalls Debussy or Satie. His left hand passages are like something out of a Brahms intermezzo: difficult, arpeggiated and often unstructured, occasionally virtuosic. Given some of the more difficult pieces (if you want to tackle them), listening to the recording would probably help.

The most entertaining pieces to play are two of the easier pieces, though they are by no means easy to master. The last piece - an Irish 'Air' - is a beautiful four-page jaunt that requires a dextrous wrist and a sense of playfulness. Also fun, but perhaps too long, is 'Nunley's Carousel', which should be played so as to mirror a Carousel that starts slowly and builds to a crescendo. This piece is unfortunately marred by one too many minor variations; nevertheless, the chord-heavy finale is fun to punch out.

This is a book worth purchasing for those who enjoy classical music and who also enjoy the works of Billy Joel. These are not simple pieces; indeed, Joel himself is apparently unable to play them to the standard he desires. That's why world-famous pianist Richard Joo plays them on the recording. It may also be why Mr Joo has arranged the pieces. As to what the word 'arranged' means in the context of this song cycle, it is not clear.

A starting point would be to buy the recording. If you like that, buy the book.

What drew me to this music was the familiar Schirmer cover on the CD. Though I've liked Billy Joel's music growing up, I never liked it well enough to buy a CD - well, I take that back...I purchased the "River of Dreams" CD and only like the hits - the rest was disappointing. I quickly tossed the CD into the garbage. At any rate, I did purchase "Fantasies and Delusions" in 2002 and, as the title says, absolutely loved it. It was very relaxing and enjoyable to listen to and I quickly began searching to see if the sheet music was available.

I found it on Amazon and that Christmas I asked for the sheet music and couldn't put it down. As many of the reviewers have stated it is written for an accomplished pianist. It's not easy stuff and I did find the music challenging; but, not so much that I couldn't sight-read through most of the pieces. In fact, that's part of what made it enjoyable. It wasn't like a Liszt or Scriabin etude which is way beyond my skills, but more on the level of a Beethoven sonata.

This collection contains many well-crafted pieces - wonderful melodies supported by gorgeous harmonies. The overall style is very 19th-century. The "Aria" is much akin to Chopin's nocturnes - LH arpeggios opposite a long, RH melody. The waltzes, again, are very Chopin-esque - just a little bit looser in form. I enjoy playing "Reverie," "Innamorto," and "Delusion." All three of these pieces are beautifully written and provide enough interest that neither the performer nor the listener will be bored - again written in a late-Romantic style. The piece "Sililoquy" is by far the most difficult piece and reminds me of Ravel's "The Boat on the Ocean" from "Miroirs." I haven't spent much time on it - too many arpeggios and "improvisatory" runs. Maybe one day I'll get the gumption to tackle it.

Much attention has been given to his "Invention," of which I'd like to add my two bits (for what it's worth). It has a Baroque feel to it, but it certainly isn't a fugue in the same sense that Bach wrote his two-part inventions. It sounds like one and looks like one (with episodes and a modulation to the dominant), but when one analyzes the melody note for note, the LH doesn't even play the same motive, real or tonal. Call it what you want, but it's not a true two-part invention. Incidentally, it's the only piece solely credited to Billy Joel - the rest are said to be arranged by Richard Joo.

Though the music isn't written at the level of the great masters, I didn't expect it to be. Like Sting, Billy Joel has ventured into a territory that he pulls off very well. It's not Mozart, but it's not shoddy either. If you can play Beethoven and Chopin, you will have no problem playing these pieces, and hopefully, enjoying them just as much.

If you play classical music, the only reason to purchase this book (and the CD for that matter), is if you want to be able to say, "I'm now going to play a piece by Billy Joel."
Since that may lead to a non-classically oriented audience to become more interested in the rest of your repertoire, that's a valid reason. The pieces are not terrible. And some of the short ones might provide good contrast before something by, say, Bach or Chopin.

The music is obviously not written by a great composer. The themes and developments don't often go anywhere exciting. Although the music seems to be variously inspired by the Baroque to the Romantic Era, he often does not follow the standard music theory rules for putting voices (simultaneously played notes) together that were usually followed by all serious composers from Bach to Brahms to the guy who wrote the background music for Bugs Bunny cartoons. When they didn't follow them they had good reasons. Joel doesn't This sometimes results in a more helter-skelter feel when he makes large leaps and an uneven feel when he moves by step.

The sheet music has no introductory explanation like most Alfred Masterwork Editions do. This is particular upsetting when you see that there are no pedal marks in the music, but hear sustained notes on the CD: Richard Joo basically uses the sustain pedal for color the way a trained pianist does with Mozart. Most pieces have no staccato markings at all and articulation indications of any kind are sparse, although dynamic markings are very clear. Tempos are accompanied by metronome numbers. Apparently it is Joel's intention to give the artist room to interpret the piece as he likes in the manner that Romantic Era performers did. Perhaps that accounts for the puzzling "Arranged by Richard Joo" statement at the top of most pieces.

The only piece suitable for an early-intermediate level player would be the pleasant sounding "Invention in C Minor" - one note, usually a 16th, at a time with each hand, changing mostly by small steps from the previous note, and it's a short, 2-page piece of music. Bach would have called this a "Two-part Invention" and it's obviously inspired by Bach: when Richard Joo plays it on the CD he uses Bach's Baroque era style of slightly separating each note (played by snapping each finger down with much less wrist action), particularly the eighths. He also uses the sustain pedal for color which is not Baroque style but not unpleasant either.

The other pieces are all late intermediate to advanced in difficulty.

This album of Billy Joel's piano compositions reproduces in score the tracks contained on the CD album with the same title, where the selections are performed by Richard Joo. I have not heard the CD, so my review is based on perusing and reading through some of the music myself. Most of it is of significant technical difficulty, far too complex for amateurs who might have previously enjoyed playing through arrangements of Joel's popular hits. Richard Joo must be a competent pianist. It is not clear why he is credited as an "arranger" of many of the pieces.

Judged purely as classical piano music, which publication in this form would seem to be asking the serious musician to do, the works in this volume are very much of a kind: predominantly lyrical and improvisatory in nature, and rambling and discursive in form. There are some striking melodic ideas, whose impact is almost always lessened by excessive repetition and unfocused development. One of the few compositions immune to these strictures is a short "Invention," a charming Bachian pastiche that is only two pages long. This could well be given to advancing piano students as an alternative to the time-honored compositions by the Baroque master. Coincidentally or not, this is one of the few pieces where Joo is not given a co-writing or arranging credit. Otherwise, the music contained in this volume is at best of ephemeral value. My guess is that Joel's musical reputation will continue to prosper through his pop songs and Broadway musicals.