# Music composed specifically for fortepiano?



## JSBach85

I am new to this instrument: fortepiano. Which composers wrote works (sonatas or solo compositions) for strictly fortepiano instrument? I have in my mind Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, maybe Boccherini? But I may be wrong. I would also be pleased to listen to a period 18th century fortepiano. I guess the sound should be rather different compared to modern pianos (19th century and 20th century instruments).

Thank you in advance.


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## Mandryka

The first piano pieces may well have been by Scarlatti. Enrico Baiano has released a CD exploring this.

Mozart: The balance in the concertos is dramatically effected by using fortepiano. The piano often works like an accompaniment. One thing to try is Daniel Isoir's PC 27. Siegbert Rampe has really explored instruments in Mozart's solo music I think, I haven't heard all of his work in this area though, maybe someone else could comment. I have heard Badura Skoda on Astree and I recommend it enthusiastically. 

Haydn: You should try Tom Beghin's work, which explores the impact of different pianos on the music. Also Trio 1790 seems really successful to me.

Beethoven: I'm not so keen on his music prior to op 109 so I've explored it very little. But I did enjoy the first piano concerto (op 15) from Ensemble Cristofori. Tom Beghin's performance of the late piano sonata op 111 and Jorg Demus's Op 110 on Beethoven's own piano are well worth hearing -- maybe Lubimov too, I would need to relisten. As with Mozart, I recommend Badura Skoda on Astree. 

Schubert -- Andras Staier has explored the late sonatas on old pianos. I haven't explored this as much as I would like. 

Chopin -- This composer benefits tremendously from old pianos and some of the best Chopinists are exploring early pianos. Some of the best restorations are in Poland so maybe try Wojcicech Switala, Janusz Olejniczak, Dina Yoffe, Tatiana Shebanova. It's a great shame that Cortot didn't use his Playel for more recordings. 

There are things to be said about Brahms and Debussy too, let me know if you're interested in their music. I haven't much explored old piano recordings of Schumann, but I'd like to. 

One performer who has explored using modern piano for Bach is Wolfgang Rubsam. I mean, obviously many people have put out modern piano Bach recordings, but I think Rubsam has been more inspired than the rest by what's known about 17th century keyboard practice, clavichord practice particularly. what he does is very stimulating.

I remember some very satisfying fortepiano recordings of Bach by Walter Riemer -- Goldbergs, Art of Fugue, Inventions. It's such a shame that Daniel Chorzempa's Well tempered Clavier is so hard to find -- he uses a fortepiano for some of the pieces. 

Also some WF Bach on a beautiful fortepiano by Robert Hill, Polonaises on Naxos.

We live in a golden age of fortepianos right now, with excellent restorations, and an increasingly refined understanding of technique. Revelations about the music come thick and fast.


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## Marc

FWIW, I think it was only during the first decades of the 19th century that the addition "per fortepiano/pianoforte *o cembalo*" (more or less) completely disappeared.


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## chill782002

The fortepiano does have a very different sound to a modern piano and many keyboard works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and other contemporary composers were written for this instrument as the modern piano did not exist at that time. 

Like Mandryka, I also recommend Paul Badura-Skoda's Beethoven sonata cycle played on period fortepianos and released by Astree although it is not an easy set to find. I haven't heard the Mozart set. 

I also have a set of Haydn sonatas played by Richard Lester on fortepiano and released by Nimbus and EMI sets of Melvyn Tan playing the last two Schubert sonatas and all five Beethoven piano concertos on this instrument.


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## JSBach85

Thank you for your recommendations. I also enjoy sometimes listening to Beethoven played on period instruments and of course Haydn and Mozart.


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## Chatellerault

The line between the old fortepiano and the modern grand piano is subjective.

Mandryka has brought the fact that in recent years some people are playing Chopin on pianos from the 1830s-40s or copies of those. I'm not sure if it brings such a new musical world like Beethoven's sonatas on fortepiano. But it is interesting to check if you like Chopin. Dang Thai Son (Nocturnes, Concertos) is one of the best known chopinists in this trend.

It may be a generalization but it seems in the 1980s everything that didn't sound like a Steinway was considered poor piano sound and today audiences are gradually becoming used to the fact that a 1910s Pleyel or a 1990s Fazioli can bring new colours to the piano repertoire. I wouldn't call any of these instruments a fortepiano, of course.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

Perhaps a Musical Offering, since the king Frederick liked fortepiano better than harpsichord?

For me it's hard to believe that there wouldn't be obvious differences between the early pianos and a modern grand, the latter being built in large part for volume and romantic repertoire.


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## hpowders

Beethoven Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Ronald Brautigam.

He plays on fortepiano reproductions from Beethoven's time.

Fascinating!


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## hpowders

Also, I recommend Alexeï Lubimov's extremely fine set of the Mozart Piano Sonatas played on reproductions of fortepianos Mozart played on.

Wonderful recordings!!!


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## ToneDeaf&Senile

Others have already discussed the sound of the fortepiano. The proof being in the pudding, as they say, I'll link a few shortish YouTube fortepiano videos I'm particularly keen on at the moment, all save one of Viviana Sofronistky performing on McNulty modern replicas of historic instruments from the composers' time.

The second movement of J. Haydn Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI:40 - Presto.

Mozart Rondo in D Major K 485.

F. Chopin, Waltz No.10 in B minor, Op.69, No.2.

F.Mendelssohn Lied ohne Worte D dur, Op 109 (piano & cello).

Beethoven Sonata Quasi una fantasia N.14 op 27, N 2 c sharp minor "Moonlight". Notice the stark contrast in sound between the veiled first moment and the bright second movement.

The non Sofronitsky performance:
Sonata for Fortepiano and Violin No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer": III. Finale - Presto. Susan Ogata, violin - Ian Watson, fortepiano.


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## Alydon

A great example of the fortepiano's full range can be found in Andras Staier's set of music by Dussek. Another of Staier's recordings worth listening to are the Mozart piano concertos 18 & 19.


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## jegreenwood

chill782002 said:


> The fortepiano does have a very different sound to a modern piano and many keyboard works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and other contemporary composers were written for this instrument as the modern piano did not exist at that time.
> 
> *Like Mandryka, I also recommend Paul Badura-Skoda's Beethoven sonata cycle played on period fortepianos and released by Astree although it is not an easy set to find. I haven't heard the Mozart set. *
> 
> I also have a set of Haydn sonatas played by Richard Lester on fortepiano and released by Nimbus and EMI sets of Melvyn Tan playing the last two Schubert sonatas and all five Beethoven piano concertos on this instrument.


Most if not all of the Mozart and Beethoven can be streamed on Tidal (and probably other services as well). Interestingly, the album covers on the Mozart refer to a forte-piano, but the ones on the Beethoven refer to pianofortes (although the instruments are from the late 18th/early 19th century).


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## Josquin13

Here's what I'd recommend:

Haydn--Christine Schornsheim has recorded Haydn's Piano Sonatas & Concertos on a variety of antique pianos (for Capriccio), according to the different periods of Haydn's compositions. She's a very good musician. I also like Malcolm Bilson's Haydn Piano Sonata recordings as well, especially his disc on the Claves label:

https://www.claves.ch/collections/malcolm-bilson/products/cd-2501

Like Mandryka, I've also enjoyed Trio 1790 in Haydn's inventive Piano Trios, & probably prefer them to the Van Swieten Trio & Cohen-Hobarth-Coin, who are nevertheless good too. (Minasi-Emelyanychev-Toffano may be worth considering, but I've not heard them). I'd also strongly recommend Levin-Beths-Bylsma in Haydn's last 4 Piano Trios, and Trio Goya:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Pia...id=1511225778&sr=1-6&keywords=trio+1790+Haydn

https://www.amazon.com/Haydn-Last-4...1511225991&sr=1-46&keywords=Haydn+piano+trios

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Invent...1511226420&sr=1-63&keywords=Haydn+piano+trios

The fortepiano is especially illuminating in chamber music, where it changes the balances--sometimes radically so from the way we're used to hearing this music.

Mozart--Malcolm Bilson's set of Piano Sonatas 1-10 and Complete Piano Concertos (with Gardiner & the English Baroque Soloists) are among my favorites (especially in K. 466 & 467). In addition, Bilson's former student at the Eastman School, Kristian Bezuidenhout, is making his way through the Piano Sonatas & Piano Concertos (with the Freiburg Barockorchester). His Piano Sonata cycle in nearing completion, if not already finished, and has received glowing reviews. I've also been hoping that Daniel Isoir and La Petite Symphonie will record more of Mozart's PCs, as the sound of Isoir's fortepiano is near ideal, and his Mozart playing is wonderful! Jos van Immerseel's 2 CD Sony set of selected Piano Sonatas is beautifully played too (& Immerseel has done a fine set of PCs, with Anima Eterna). Robert Levin's selected Piano Sonatas and PCs (with Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music) are worth exploring from the standpoint of improvisation & ornament. Levin's demonstration/lectures on You Tube are essential viewing:










For Mozart Violin Sonatas, I'd recommend the complete survey of Rachel Podger & Gary Cooper on Channel Classics (now boxed, though the individual releases are in a hybrid SACD format), and a single CD from Petra Mülljeans & Bezuidenhout. For the Piano Trios, I'd strongly recommend the Mozartean Players on Harmonia Mundi:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...art&rh=i:classical,k:mozartean+players+mozart

Beethoven--I much prefer Steven Lubin's Beethoven Piano Concerto 1-5 set (which includes 3 Piano Sonatas) with Hogwood conducting, over the Robert Levin/Gardiner set on DG. The balances between the piano & orchestra work a lot better with Lubin/Hogwood, as Levin & Gardiner unwisely chose to place the forte piano back in the orchestra, and it gets dwarfed at times.

http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4757297

In addition, Melvyn Tan and Sir Roger Norrington's period recording of Beethoven's Choral Fantasia is surprisingly effective, and worth hearing.

A number of period groups have recorded Beethoven's Piano Trios (The Castle Trio, Immerseel-Beths-Bylsma, Sepec-Queyras-Staier, & The Atlantis Trio), but I'm not sure which I'd most recommend, as I haven't heard them all. The same is true for the Violin Sonatas 1-10, though you might look into the recordings of violinists Midori Seiler, Daniel Sepec, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Jorja Fleezanis (with Cyril Huve), Victoria Mullova, & Susana Ogata. Again, it's enlightening to hear how the balances are changed between the interplay of the fortepiano & period violin, that is, versus modern instruments.

Ronald Brautigam has recorded a very good box set of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas 1-32. For instance, I found it particularly illuminating to hear the clarity of his fortepiano in the dense fugal movement of the Hammerklavier, which often sounds like an overly resonant and unwieldy mess on a modern grand. Penelope Crawford is likewise illuminating in the Late Piano Sonatas (though admittedly, Brautigam & Crawford are the only fortepianists I've heard in this music).

That should keep you busy sampling for a while.


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