The John Brimhall Great Music Made Easy series for Piano Duet is a unique combination of simplified piano arrangements of music by some of history's greatest composers. These skillfully done arrangements for one piano, four hands capture the essence of the original composition in easier to play versions that stay true to the original musical intent. The larger engraving and meticulous fingering make this a valuable tool for the study of the masters of great music literature.

81 compositions in a large, easy-to-read playing edition. Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 23; Waltzes, Op. 39; Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52a; Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 65 and Hungarian Dances, Nos. 1-21.

New critical edition of Beethoven's piano duets. Volume 1 includes: Sonata, Op. 6; Marches, Op. 45 and two sets of variations.

Dedicated to the memory of Darius Milhaud, this piano duet is in two short movements. Tempo marks for each are "1. Gently, not slow" and "2. Barcarolle." They are lovely and accessible compositions. The composer indicates they may be played as an introduction to another piece, or as "bookends" for a group of small works.

This handsome performance/study edition features 12 four-hand compositions by eight great composers, including: Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Debussy, Beethoven, Bizet, Faure and Schubert.

Brahms brilliantly captured the spontaneity and passion of Hungarian gypsy music in his 21 Hungarian Dances. In this volume containing the first ten dances, editors Carol Ann Bell and Digby Bell have scrutinized all available autograph manuscripts of the duet, solo and orchestral versions and compared them with the earliest printed editions to produce the most scholarly, critical body of these works available today. Performance notes, helpful fingering suggestions, ornament realizations, and a wealth of historical background are provided. Contents include Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 through 10.

A duet in a light, Caribbean style, taken from Benjamin's orchestral work.

In 1920 a farce by Jean Cocteau, "Le boeuf sur le toit" ("The Ox on the Roof"), debuted in Paris. Its music, originally scored for small orchestra, consisted of popular Brazilian tunes assembled by Darius Milhaud. Later that year, Milhaud published a piano four-hand version of the score subtitled "Cinema-Symphony on South American Tunes." This inexpensive edition of the score, reproduced from an authoritative and hard-to-find source, features a new introduction by Brazilian musicologist Manoel Aranha Correa do Lago.

Mineola, NY: Dover Publications ©2001

This book presents a highly attractive and varied collection of piano duets by British composers of the twentieth century, including arrangements and original works. The pieces illustrate in miniature the variety of moods and styles of music from this period, from the wistfully romantic to the sophisticated. Two contrasting movements from Britten's Simple Symphony are included, skillfully arranged by his friend Howard Ferguson. Also included is Constant Lambert's spirited Trois pieces negres, pour les touches blanches, where the composer brilliantly rose to the challenge of writing jazz-inflected pieces using only the white keys. With two of Walton's most popular pieces, including a new arrangement of Popular Song from Facade, the album is completed with colorful pieces by Edward Gregson, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and York Bowen.

This CD contains a huge collection of piano duets. Includes works by Beethoven (7 works), Bizet (1), Brahms (7), Clementi (3), Debussy (2), Diabelli (2), Dvorak (6), Faure (1), Grieg (2), Haydn (1), Liszt (1), Mendelssohn (2), Moszowski (1), Mussourgsky (1), Mozart (5), Rachmaninoff (1), Ravel (1), Rimsky-Korsakoff (1), Saint-Saens (1), Satie (2), Schubert (6), Schumann (4), Stravinsky (3 including the Rite of Spring), and Weber (5). A great reference, with many unfamiliar works to explore. Includes articles on the composers and related subjects from the 1911 edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Bryn Mawr, PA: CD Sheet Music ©2000