The 20th Century

The 20th Century series presents music by some of the greatest composers of the modern era, composers who wrote a full range of music for orchestra, voices, piano and chamber ensembles, in the great and large forms. But they also valued music education, and composed interesting music to foster a student pianist's progress. The pieces by these composers lead a student not only to technical proficiency, but also to become a more fully formed, imaginative musician. When a great talent turns attention to writing a short piece of limited difficulty level for students, it is approached with the same aesthetics, temperament, tastes and creative invention applied when composing a symphony, opera or concerto. These exquisite miniatures are complete works of timeless art. Through them a master musician of the past indirectly teaches a progressing musician of the present and the future.

Contents: Antheil: Sad from La femme 100 tetes; Bartok: selections from Ten Easy Pieces: Painful Scuffle, Slovak Peasant Dance; selections from For Children: Children's Dance, Children's Game, Study for the Left Hand, Forest Nymph; Creston: Toy Dance from Five Little Dances, Op. 24; Gould: Birthday Bells from At the Piano, Book 1; Hovhanness: Moon Dance from Mountain Idylls, Op. 119; Kabalevsky: selections from 30 Pieces for Children, Op. 27: Playing Ball, Toccatina, Sonatina; A Short Story from 24 Pieces for Children, Op. 39; selections from 35 Easy Pieces, Op. 89: Rabbit Teasing a Bear-Cub, Almost a Waltz; Khachaturian: Ivan Can't Go Out Today from Adventures of Ivan; Bedtime Story from Ten Pieces for the Young Pianist; Muczynski: Diversion No. 1 from Diversions, Op. 23; selections from Fables, Op. 21: Fable No. 1, Fable No. 2, Fable No. 3, Fable No. 4, Fable No. 5; Pinto: selections from Children's Festival: Little March, Serenade and Shostakovich: The Mechanical Doll from Children's Notebook for Piano, Op. 69.

Schirmer Performance Editions feature composer biographies, historical notes, and practice and performance tips.