Overview

Course No. 70010

Discover the magnificent works for solo piano in the classical tradition and deepen your understanding and enjoyment of these great creations. The glorious repertoire for solo piano includes many of classical music’s most beloved masterpieces. In these 24 musically rich lectures, you’ll explore this magnificent tradition, guided by Professor Kautsky’s expert playing, focusing on key works of each composer and unpacking their structures and emotional impact.

Video Lectures

• J. S. Bach and The Well-Tempered Clavier
  • Explore the fugue and the genius of Bach’s keyboard works.
  • Duration: 30 min

• Bach’s French Suites
  • Analyze Bach’s dance suites and their enchanting movements.
  • Duration: 36 min

• Joseph Haydn’s Early Classical Piano
  • Introduction to sonata form through Haydn’s Sonata in C Minor.
  • Duration: 35 min

4. Mozart’s High Classical Piano
   • Discover the essence of Mozart’s writing for the piano.
   • Duration: 31 min

5. Mozart’s Sonata in C Minor, K. 457
   • Examine the C Minor Sonata as a dynamic conversation.
   • Duration: 36 min

• Beethoven’s Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1
  • Witness Beethoven’s dramatic innovation in sonata structure.
  • Duration: 37 min

• Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, Movt. 1
  • Analyze the architecture of Beethoven’s first movement.
  • Duration: 38 min

• Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, Movts. 2–3
  • Explore the conclusion of Beethoven’s final sonata.
  • Duration: 29 min

• The Songs of Franz Schubert
  • Examine Schubert’s use of modulations in his songs.
  • Duration: 25 min

10. Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960
    • Analyze the expressiveness of Schubert’s beloved sonata.
    • Duration: 31 min

11. Robert Schumann’s Romantic Dream World
    • Dive into Schumann’s emotionally rich piano cycles.
    • Duration: 31 min

• Clara Schumann and the Plight of Women Composers
  • Explore the challenges faced by women composers in the 19th century.
  • Duration: 32 min

• Frédéric Chopin: Piano’s Quintessential Romantic
  • Experience the emotional depth in Chopin’s piano music.
  • Duration: 33 min

14. Chopin’s Nocturnes and Ballades
    • Analyze the hypnotic beauty of Chopin’s Nocturne and Ballade.
    • Duration: 36 min

• Johannes Brahms: Piano’s Dark Poet
  • Examine Brahms’s Opus 118 and his expressive range.
  • Duration: 38 min

16. Franz Liszt: The Consummate Pianist
    • Explore Liszt’s revolutionary piano works and innovations.
    • Duration: 28 min

17. The Rise of the Russian Pianists
    • Discover the richness of the Russian piano tradition.
    • Duration: 29 min

• Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern
  • Encounter the music of Vienna’s modernist trio.
  • Duration: 43 min

19. Claude Debussy’s “Clair de lune”
    • Analyze Debussy’s influences and unique soundscapes.
    • Duration: 37 min

• The Preludes of Debussy
  • Investigate the exoticism and sensibility of Debussy’s Preludes.
  • Duration: 36 min

• French Piano in the Early 20th Century
  • Explore groundbreaking piano music by French composers.
  • Duration: 32 min

22. Charles Ives, Sergei Prokofiev, and Béla Bartók
    • Discover their innovative approaches to musical forms.
    • Duration: 26 min

23. Marginalized Composers
    • Highlight works by marginalized composers and their impact.
    • Duration: 31 min

• New Sounds for a New Century
  • Conclude with contemporary works and innovative sounds.
  • Duration: 36 min