In your opinion, which composer(s) have written the best music for piano?

Because Chopin and Liszt are the only people who have ever written worthwhile things for the piano.

I'd say Chopin and Rachmaninov lead the pack, followed closely by Prokofiev, Debussy and Beethoven. The top ten would be completed by Mozart, Liszt (not a big fan of his, so I rank him rather lowly but still near the top), Ives, Scriabin and Ravel. Barely missing: Bach and Scarlatti. Grieg's and Brahms's concertos are awesome, but not enough to qualify their entire body of works.

Would only add that most of Tchaikovsky's piano music is wildly underrated (his two piano sonatas are decidedly weak, but most of his collections are surprisingly worthy).

YC members with the best piano music: JohnBucket and SergeOfArniVillage. Hands down. Also Xiangyik, if his piano music were playable at all.

Probably all composers before the beep bibbly bop random notes era.

You have a problem with jazz?

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;)

OOOOOO

Ravel

Philip Glass (not technically challenging, but very gorgeous)

John Adams (listen to what he's written, it's awesome)

Bach

and of course Debussy.

I'd make a distinction between composers who have written the best music for piano and those who have written for piano best.

Ravel is my favorite piano composer, although for me the jazz influence in some cases is kind of regrettable. His music is like a beautiful gemstone, like Opal or malachite or something.

Ravel is my favorite piano composer, although for me the jazz influence in some cases is kind of regrettable.

What's wrong with the jazz influence?

What's wrong with the jazz influence?

Well, I think when it happens in some cases, like on motive in the finale of the piano trio, it just doesn't belong with everything else that is there. I was in a lush, verdant world with flamboyant birds and strange plants, but then there's some Gershwin-esque theme and it throws me out of the world I was exploring. And the jazz world, being sort of urbane, is not one I prefer to explore.

Well, I think when it happens in some cases, like on motive in the finale of the piano trio, it just doesn't belong with everything else that is there.

Fair enough.

,,,the jazz world, being sort of urbane, is not one I prefer to explore.

I'm not sure how you construe "urbane" in a negative sense; however, I expect you'll eventually change your mind.

I'm not sure how you construe "urbane" in a negative sense; however, I expect you'll eventually change your mind.

I don't care much for cities at all....would much rather be where the non-human elements of nature dominate.

...Barely missing: Bach and Scarlatti. Grieg's and Brahms's concertos are awesome, but not enough to qualify their entire body of works.

both grieg and brahms have written quite enough piano solo works. To do as if their concrts are okay, but not enough (either in quality or in quantity) to be considered piano composers does not seem right.

Griegs lyric pieces, might be short and simple but form a nice starting point in the romantic era. And Brahms... The works of Brahms I know the best. He wrote sets of Intermezzi, Ballades, sonatas, Rapsodies. capricios, even more intermezzi. Not to mention the chamber work.

I've played a huge lot of Brahms on piano. Do you really think that these works are not 'enough to qualify their entire body of works.'?

Jaap: thanks for your comment.

Not to be mistaken: I like Grieg's pieces a lot. It's just that I didn't see them being as belonging into the top 10. That's the bad thing about rankings - you'll always be at fault for whatever you left out.

And Brahms... well, I have known many of his piano works, and like most of them so far. And he was nearly unsurpassable in chamber music. From the first moment after writing that post I have been regretting not having one of my own favorite composers ranking up there, and I can see why should Jaap (and others as well) might find his piano works all the more fascinating from the point of view of whoever is able to actually perform them (which I'm not). But since the OP was about the best piano music, and Brahms was at his best in chamber works instead, I didn't think it appropiate to include these into my assesment - but I will gladly admit being mistaken (anyway, I don't think my humble and unqualified opinion will do anything to cloud Brahms's reputation as one of the greatest creators of the Romantic era).

How dare Ravel attempt to convey more than one stylistic setting in a large scale work.

Well, I was just saying that, it doesn't facilitate what I prefer for my musical experience to be, which is where I create an imaginative world in my mind's eye that is accompanied by the music. And I think for my experience the vague jazziness of it detracts.

That's not to say I don't think Ravel is THE GREATEST piano composer....for me no one else even comes close.

Jaap: thanks for your comment.

Not to be mistaken: I like Grieg's pieces a lot. It's just that I didn't see them being as belonging into the top 10. That's the bad thing about rankings - you'll always be at fault for whatever you left out.

And Brahms... well, I have known many of his piano works, and like most of them so far. And he was nearly unsurpassable in chamber music. From the first moment after writing that post I have been regretting not having one of my own favorite composers ranking up there, and I can see why should Jaap (and others as well) might find his piano works all the more fascinating from the point of view of whoever is able to actually perform them (which I'm not). But since the OP was about the best piano music, and Brahms was at his best in chamber works instead, I didn't think it appropiate to include these into my assesment - but I will gladly admit being mistaken (anyway, I don't think my humble and unqualified opinion will do anything to cloud Brahms's reputation as one of the greatest creators of the Romantic era).

ok. I just thought that you were saying that only the concerti were of quality but not enough to compensate for the lack of (quality in) other works. That should have bee a blatant error. Lucky me to be proven wrong.

I think we still differ on what the OP could mean. If the text is 'best music written for piano' (and not piano music), than it could very well include chamber works. semantics ;)

I don't care much for cities at all....would much rather be where the non-human elements of nature dominate.

I see.

Keep in mind that there is some tremendously organic jazz-type music out there; I'm sure you'd find it if you gave it some time and effort.

;)

I find myself agreeing with composer and former Polish prime minister Ignacy Jan Paderewski when he said "after Chopin, [Moritz] Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano, and his writing embraces the whole gamut of piano technique."