IMSLP Forums

Hello,

I'm searching for easy short pieces those that are public domain in the USA and EU. Reason for this is that I make midi files based on public domain sheets especially to share them with others who are learning to play the piano with pianosoftware. I'm especially interested in:

* little pieces by Mozart like german dances, the London Chelsea notebook and so on what's available (I have the Nannerl's notebook already);
* one movement sonatinas or sonatinas especially written for study purposes like the ones by Henry Maylath, Cornelius Gurlitt, Heinrich Lichner
or others that are available in public domain
* I'm not sure if there are free dances available by Joseph Haydn, but those would be great too.

I found a few pieces ( like the ones by Theodore Oesten and Cornelius Gurlitt) in other library's too but I prefer IMSLP because most other library's
have several rules that I don't understand if it's really free to make midi files for or not.

I would be very grateful if someone can share or upload some of it, other little pieces are great too as long as we can use those as study material so it
isn't strictly bound to what I mentioned. I already searched a lot on IMSLP but most of it is too difficult for beginners. Does someone have something to share?

Thanks in advance,
Choul

ps I already noticed in another post that there is a wishlist, but I really don't know how to add my wishes to this list, sorry.

Well if you want ones like Mozart and Haydn, Schubert wrote almost 400 of em. Usually they are under the title of waltzes, eccoisesse, German dances, minuets, and landler.

Melodia wrote:Well if you want ones like Mozart and Haydn, Schubert wrote almost 400 of em. Usually they are under the title of waltzes, eccoisesse, German dances, minuets, and landler.

Thanks for your input Melodia, I love those pieces by Schubert (I'm not a beginner myself), but I'm talking here about a completely different level.
Just some remarks:
- pieces with notes within the reach of one octave
- pieces with single notes or standard chords like C, F, G or Am
- pieces written in the key of C, G, F or Am (because of the difficulty for a beginner to play those black notes)

That's when you talk about beginners pieces. Maybe you can give me a D number from the Schubert pieces which are easy? I only see pieces suited for what we call 'intermediate' players or end beginners, not for real beginners.

The world of classical music wasn't kind to beginners, so Schubert would be the best, balancing difficulty and sound, to start with. I will look through them, and if I see anything, I'll let you know. It will be difficult to find a piece as you described, but I will try. You said you did all the Mozart from Nannerl's notebook?

Try this http://imslp.org/wiki/Waltz,_D.844_(Schubert,_Franz)
***EDIT***
Here is another one http://imslp.org/wiki/Minuet,_D.334_(Schubert,_Franz)

rileymorgan797 wrote:Try this http://imslp.org/wiki/Waltz,_D.844_(Schubert,_Franz)
***EDIT***
Here is another one http://imslp.org/wiki/Minuet,_D.334_(Schubert,_Franz)

I couldn't help laughing after looking the pieces you gave me. I suppose you mean it very well and it's very kind what you are trying to do here, but have you any idea how hard it is for a beginner to play more voices in one hand? Those aren't exactly pieces for beginners. Could it be possible that you have forgotten somehow what you played when you just started?

And about the pieces from Nannerls notebook, no I didn't gave them all, because in that case all the ornaments must be omitted (too difficult again) and that's not exactly what I want and asked for (and even then not all can be used for beginners, Mozart could but not every user is a second Mozart). I really search for the easy pieces. What you say about composers not nice for beginners is not true. There were teachers/composers in the past too and there are pieces in other libraries that are easy enough but I already explained what the problem is with those pieces. Those libraries have all kind of restrictions on the use of those.
But thanks for your response.

Well if you're wanting to get down to that level...
As far as well known composers, the BEST option would be Kabalevsky. Of course, he's far from PD....
Bartok is another possible second choice, which IS here: http://imslp.org/wiki/For_Children_Sz.4 ... C3%A9la%29
There's also Schumann's Album for the Young: http://imslp.org/wiki/Album_f%C3%BCr_di ... _Robert%29

I imagine between those two there'll be a lot of stuff you can use.

I'd suggest that you add "for piano" to the end of the title of this thread.

Thanks @Melodia, I knew about the Schumann's album, and that one is perfect for the first 10 pieces, the other two composers are still copyrighted in the EU. I was just hoping there was more like the ones by Schumann opus 68. And that's indeed the level I'm talking about (or even easier).

@Lyle Neff, thanks for your suggestion, as you can see I added 'for piano'. I'm sorry for the confusion.

It's a pity that the main site doesn't currently have Nielsen's Klavermusik for smaa og store - these are perhaps slightly above the level of the complete beginner, but good to work on. There are 25 pieces in all the keys (2 in G major), and all lie within a 5-finger range. I have the edition published by Masters Music Corp., all of whose publications I believe are PD, which I will scan and upload as soon as possible.

DF

Hello DaveF,

Never heard of the document but you make me curious but 'within the 5-finger range' sounds very good to me. I hope you can find some time to upload that document by Nielsen, thanks in advance! BTW Have you any idea what 'Klavermusik for smaa og store' means?

Literally "Piano Music for Small and Big", usually translated as "for Young and Old". As one of the latter I can promise that they are both charming and rewarding.

DF

... ... :

@DaveF:Thanks DaveF!

@rileymorgan797: Why sad? You just tried to help, but those pieces where -- let say -- a little hard for a real beginner.

Hi all,
interesting posting. I don't think classical (I assume in the generic meaning) composers weren't kind with beginners. If one start to list them will write several pages. Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Clementi, etc. Early 1900 composers wrote a lot for kids or beginners (Hindemith, Bartok, Villa-Lobos, Shostakovitch, Ghedini, etc)
Wir bauen eine Stadt by Hindemith is very nice, and the Guia pratico by Villa-Lobos, based on brazilian folk songs is also quite exciting. Of course Bartok's Microkosmos and Kabalevsky should alway be part of repertoire of young pianists.
For the classics Ettore Pozzoli edited for Ricordi a successful serie called "Il mio primo ..." collecting the easiest pieces of the most influential composers (Bach, Beethoven, Clementi, Mendelssohn, etc). here an example
http://imslp.org/wiki/Il_mio_primo_Bach ... Sebastian)
the others in the next days

Ctesibius