Piano genres
Music theory · Musical form · Level 4 · 14 min
Over the centuries, the piano repertoire has organised itself into genres: types of pieces with their own conventions of form, character and texture. Knowing a piece's genre already tells you what to expect and how to approach it.
| Genre | Features | Examples (public domain) |
|---|---|---|
| Prelude | Originally an improvised introduction; in Chopin and Debussy, a self-standing piece focused on one idea | Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier; Chopin, 24 Preludes Op. 28; Debussy, Préludes |
| Invention, fugue | Imitative writing (counterpoint) | Bach, Two-Part Inventions; fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier |
| Suite | A sequence of dances (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue…) | Bach, French and English Suites; Handel |
| Étude | A piece focused on a technical difficulty — turned into concert works by Chopin and Liszt | Czerny; Chopin, Op. 10 and 25; Liszt; Debussy, 12 Études |
| Nocturne | A singing melody over wide arpeggiated accompaniment, a night-time mood; invented by John Field | Field; Chopin, 21 Nocturnes; Fauré |
| Ballade | A large instrumental narrative, often in 6/4 or 6/8, story-like and dramatic | Chopin, 4 Ballades; Brahms, Op. 10; Liszt |
| Impromptu | A piece with a spontaneous character, often ternary | Schubert, D. 899 and D. 935; Chopin |
| Stylised dances | Waltz, mazurka, polonaise: dances turned into concert pieces | Chopin; Brahms, Waltzes Op. 39 |
| Scherzo | Literally “joke”: fast, often ternary; in Chopin, a large dramatic piece | Beethoven (within sonatas); Chopin, 4 Scherzos |
| Character piece | A short piece evoking a mood, a scene, a title | Schumann, Scenes from Childhood, Album for the Young; Mendelssohn, Songs without Words; Grieg, Lyric Pieces |
| Fantasia, rhapsody | Free form, a chain of contrasting sections | Mozart, Fantasia in D minor K. 397; Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsodies |
Nocturne texture
Here, in the spirit of a nocturne, is a singing melody over the genre's typical left hand: a deep bass note, then chords in the middle register, joined by the pedal.
M:12/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=50
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
K:Eb
[V:RH] "Eb"g6- g3 f e d | "Ab"c6 "Bb7"d3 B3 | "Eb"e12 |]
[V:LH] E,,3 [G,B,E]3 B,,3 [G,B,E]3 | A,,3 [A,CE]3 B,,3 [A,DF]3 | E,,3 [G,B,E]3 E,,6 |]
Choosing repertoire: alternate genres. An invention builds hand independence, a nocturne singing tone and pedalling, an étude technique, a character piece imagination. Together they make a complete pianist.
Titles aren't always reliable: Chopin's “Ballade” has nothing to do with a pop “ballad”, and a Debussy “prelude” precedes nothing! Trust the music more than the label.