Customer Reviews

Library of Piano Classics: Piano Solo (Library of Series)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For sheer value for money you can't go past this thick volume. It contains around 50 pieces of varying styles by over 40 composers, including several duet arrangements of pieces (also included as solos). Many of the pieces are commonly included in collections (Traumerei, Fur Elise, Fantasy-Impromptu) but others are more unusual. A few of the composers include: Albeniz, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Faure, Scott Joplin ... it's a long list.

The book itself features: Handy ring-binding, without which it would never stay open; clear printing (not one of those publications that looks like it's gone through a fax); and good editing.

I would particularly recommomend this book to people trying to increase the size of their music library (done instantly) or people who want to get a taste of numerous musical styles and composers. The variety in levels of the music can keep you dipping into this book from low-intermediate through to the higher grades.

I bought this book because I was tired of buying one book by one composer just to learn one song. I really love how the spiral bound book stays OPEN. NO need for clips to hold the pages down.

The songs are the real versions, and are not simplified for easy playing. The difficulty level is hard to rate because of the vast variety of songs.

This book also makes an excellent gift for someone who has a piano. I bought this for my aunt who hasn't played piano in years, but she remembered these classics and was easily able to pick them up again!!

I have enjoyed playing the pieces in this book for years, one after the other, for hours at a time. Then my daughter began playing them, and she liked the book so much she took it with her when she left for college. I wanted to tell her no, she could not have that one, but of course I let her take it. I hoped she would bring it back after college. Well, she didn't! I can't blame her for wanting to keep it forever. Now I find I cannot live without it any longer. Although I know many of the pieces by heart, there is nothing like sightreading. These are timeless pieces that are FUN to play. They are of different levels, too, so you can progress at will. The binding is such that the pages stay open where you want them to stay, and you won't have to fight with air currents blowing and turning the pages too soon. I can't wait to get this book back into my hands again, but I'll have to mark up the pieces with my own personal notes all over again! If you love classical music, don't pass up this book!

I've enjoyed playing this book for the past 10 years. I believe this is an essential book to have for any accomplished or even novice pianist. I got it as a gift when i was in my 3rd year of piano and i've loved it ever since then (I'm now preparing for my level 10 practical exam) . It's really helped me develop my sight reading skills. And i've spent hours a day playing these songs for fun. And the format (comb binding) of the book is great because you don't have to worry about the book closing while you're trying to play the pieces.

I'm an intermediate pianist who 2 years ago was interested in playing many of the more well known classical pieces. This book has been a gold mine!

Not only have I found lots of pieces that I thorougly enjoy playing (many of the popular classics are here), this book has also been the basis behind my weekly piano lessons - given the range of composers and music styles - there is plenty challenge for any pianist.

Pieces are generally short, ranging from easy 1-pagers some really long and/or tough pieces.

I've saved a fortune in sheet music by buying this book.

THIS BOOK EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! It's 351 beautifully printed pages of classics I have always loved playing as well as new ones I'm coming to enjoy.

The plastic ring binding makes for easy page-turning and seems like it will last forever.

Excellent value in all respects.

An excellent book of piano classics. Well worth having for anyone who plays from the intermediate level or higher.

I have used this book in my own piano teaching, and it is an enormous volume of some of the very best piano literature. Beware... these pieces are NOT easy!

Okay so I said in a previous review that if I had to keep only one book to play from, it would be "The Piano Bench Of Classical Music" available here on Amazon. I am not disputing that it is indeed a great book to have in your collection because it really is, but over time I'm finding myself grabbing this particular book (Library Of Piano Classics) to play from because of the vast array of enjoyable songs. 350 pages, 90 intermediate/advanced songs, plastic coil binding, GREAT SELECTION OF SONGS OVERALL! I also have book 2 of this collection, it's good but I don't play from it as often as I do from this book.

Some songs in this book worth mentioning:

Fantasy in D Minor (Mozart)
Nocturne Op. 72, No. 1 (Chopin)
Valse Op. 64, No.2 (Chopin)
Mazurka in A minor (Chopin)
Valse Op. 69, No. 2 (Chopin)
Liebestraum (Liszt)
Nocturne (Field)
Serenade (Schubert)
Anitra's Dance (Grieg)
Prelude (No. 1 from The Well-Tempered Clavier (Bach)
Fantasie-Impromptue (Chopin) - Incredible song but too difficult for me!
Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Brahms)
Golliwog's Cake-walk (Debussy)
Song of India (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Prelude Op. 3, No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)
(Rondo) Alla Turca (Mozart)
Venetian Boat Song (Mendelssohn)

Also contains some of the more overplayed classics like Fur Elise & Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven), Air (Bach), and Claire de Lune (Debussy). Still, a great collection overall.

This is my new best book. Try it, you'll like it!

Library of Piano Classics is without a doubt a volume worth owning. A good variety of composers are represented, and the music ranges from Brahms's "Hungarian Dance" easy to Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody" difficult.

Be ware, however. I've found countless misprints in the music. In many cases, dynamic markings are missing, and in some instances, the notes themselves are incorrect. That's pretty bad.

Still, a good book of music overall.