Would you like to know how to play classical music for piano but don’t know which songs to choose? You’ve come to the right place! At La Touche Musicale, we have selected our top 18 most played classical music for piano! You can easily learn all these pieces for free on piano with our app dedicated to piano learning, so enjoy it!
Note: all the songs presented in this article are available on the La Touche Musicale piano learning app. So you can learn to play them with ease.
Clair de lune by Claude Debussy is one of the best known classical music song for piano in the world. Taken from the Suite bergamasque, a piece for piano written between 1890 and 1905 by the famous romantic composer, it’s the most famous piece of his work today. It’s part of the 3rd movement, also called Clair de lune, played mainly pianissimo and in D flat major.
This music has even been used as part of the soundtrack of the Twilight movies on piano, helping to make it even more famous today.
It’s very likely that the name of this movement was inspired by the eponymous poem by Paul Verlaine.
Clair de lune is also a very nostalgic composition, reminiscent of some current sad piano songs.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Clair de lune by Claude Debussy, please feel free to download it here.
Fur Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most played classical piano music in the world, especially among beginners. It’s a piece of piano music composed in A minor in 1810. The song is as well known in the world of classical music as What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong in the world of jazz songs.
Who was Elise? The most likely hypothesis is that the first version of the piece was actually called Fur Therese in honor of two women whom the composer particularly liked: one of his students (Therese of Brunswick) with whom he fell in love, and Therese Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza, the daughter of the Viennese Jacob Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza.
If you are interested in this author, you can consult our article dedicated to the best piano songs by Beethoven.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Fur Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven, please feel free to download it here.
Written in C sharp minor in 1830, the famous classical piece by the composer Frederic Chopin is today a major piano piece of the 19th century.
Composed for his older sister, Ludwika Chopin, the song was first published 26 years after Chopin’s death, making it one of the best-known posthumous classical music titles for piano of all time.
By the emotion and magic it exudes, this music can make one think of certain Christmas songs for piano.
It’s also the soundtrack of The Pianist movie, directed by Roman Polanski.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Nocturne No. 20 by Frederic Chopin, please feel free to download it here.
Swan Lake is a major work of classical piano music written by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876. It’s originally a ballet in four acts inspired by a German legend and commissioned by the steward of the great Moscow theater, Vladimir Petrovich Begitchev.
Tchaikovsky did not live long enough to see the fame of his work become worldwide. And that’s a shame! For it’s now known to everyone and is much taken up in movies, series or even musicals.
Swan Lake is as well known in the world of classical music as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is in the world of children’s piano songs.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi of the song Swan Lake by Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski, please feel free to download it here.
Gymnopedie No. 1 is one of three variations of slow waltzes composed on piano by the french composer Erik Satie in 1888. Inspired by the ritual dances performed in the ancient Greek city of Sparta during religious processions, Gymnopedie No. 1 is the composer’s best-known work. Mentioned by the Greek historian Xenophon, these dances were Satie’s muse in that they are the symbol of austerity and rigorous asceticism, which the composer wanted to retranscribe in his masterpiece.
The music is both slow and gentle, where nostalgia and lightness are felt from the very first seconds of the piece of classical music for piano. By the intense emotion it emanates, this classical music song can sometimes make you think of certain manga and anime songs.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Gymnopedie No. 1 by Erik Satie, please feel free to download it here.
Canon in D is a piece of baroque chamber music, composed on piano by the German musician Johann Pachelbel in 1680.
It’s today one of the most famous classical piano music in the world. It’s also associated with wedding in our collective imagination, as it’s often used for the accompaniment of wedding march. You can discover more similar compositions by checking out our article on the best piano songs for weddings.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, please feel free to download it here.
In the Hall of a Mountain King is classical music for piano from the incidental music No. 7 Opus 23 which Edvard Grieg composed in 1874. This classical work was first performed for musical accompaniment in a play, called Peer Gynt, by the Norwegian Henrik Hibsen in 1867.
In the Hall of a Mountain King is now known throughout the world because of its many reuses in more current works (movies, piano pop songs, video games, rock songs, …).
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song In the Hall of a Mountain King by Edvard Grieg, please feel free to download it here.
Au clair de la lune is a classical music for piano whose authorship is sometimes attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lully, a very famous french composer of the 17th century. The author of this song is however not identified with certainty. Today it’s one of the best known works in the world and its aria is very often sung at the top of one’s voice. It’s one of those soft musics that can soothe and put children to sleep.
It has also been the subject of many covers, even in some piano rap songs that have taken it up as an instrumental.
Interesting anecdote : Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, inventor of the sound recording, used this song to make his first sound recording in 1860. This music is therefore the oldest sound recording in the world.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Au clair de la lune by Jean-Baptiste Lully, please feel free to download it here.
The Waltz No. 15 by the composer Johannes Brahms is part of a set of 16 songs, entitled Sixteen Waltzes for piano 4 hands, written in 1865. Contrary to what Brahms thought, the works were a great success and sold well upon their release. Today, it’s one of the most popular classical music for piano in the world.
The best known waltz of this whole work is Waltz No. 15 in A major.
You can learn to play more popular compositions like this by checking out our articles on the easiest piano songs to play with letters, the best piano songs with numbers and piano compositions with easy chords.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Waltz No. 15 by Johannes Brahms, please feel free to download it here.
Composed in 1791, the Requiem by the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a work he composed during the last year of his life. To be more exact, he had two thirds of it written, the third part, written posthumously, was written by three other composers: Franz Xaver Süßmayr, Franz Jakob Freystädtler and Joseph Eybler.
It’s still today one of the masterworks of the famous composer and the most famous Requiem in the world.
The emotion emanating from this classical music with piano is unparalleled: from the title comes out all the strength and genius of Mozart’s musical imagination.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Lacrimosa (Requiem) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, please feel free to download it here.
The Inverno (Winter) is a composition by the Italian musician Antonio Vivaldi, integrated in his popular work The Four Seasons, first published in Amsterdam in 1725 by Michel Le Cene.
The work was a great success almost as soon as it was released, since the concertos were performed in Paris and London as early as 1928.
This majestic piece of classical piano is one of the best known in the world and the emotion it brings to the one who plays it is very great.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song L’Inverno (Winter) by Antonio Vivaldi, please feel free to download it here.
Ballade No. 2 is a classical music for piano written by the composer Franz Liszt in 1853.
For its composition, Liszt resorted to one of his favorite genres: the programmatic poem, allowing him to mix unity and variety within his work.
The classical title for piano is mainly composed of two main parts: a powerful and low melody in the opening, then a sequence of softer chords.
The magic that emanates from this classic song can also bring to mind some Disney piano pieces.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi of the song Ballade No. 2 by Franz Liszt, please feel free to download it here.
Prelude and Fugue No. 1 is a classical piece for organ, readapted for piano and written by the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach between 1708 and 1717.
It was during his years as organist at the court of the Duke of Saxony-Weimar that he composed a series of organ works, including Prelude and Fugue No. 1.
This beautiful classical piano music is an eloquent illustration of the composer’s inspiration by the North German school.
To access the piano sheet music and the file of the song Prelude and Fugue No. 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach, please feel free to download it here.
Originally written in 1779, Amazing Grace is one of the most famous Christian hymns in the world.
This classical music for piano evokes the theme of the remission of sins through faith in God and religion.
The lyrics of the hymn were written by the Anglican clergyman John Newton around 1760, so he is the author of the lyrics of the song, but he did not compose the melody. It was William Walker who, inspired by popular tunes sung at that time, composed the melody of Amazing Grace.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi files of the song Amazing Grace by John Newton, please feel free to download it here.
Ave Maria is one of the best known classical piano music for piano compositions by the musician Franz Peter Schubert. Originally composed in 1825 under the title Ellens dritter Gesang, the song is actually an adaptation from The Lady of the Lake, a musical poem written by the poet and writer Walter Scott in 1810.
The main character of this story, Ellen Douglas, pronounces the words “Ave Maria” in her first lines, inspiring Schubert to make a Christian adaptation of this poem.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Ave Maria by Franz Peter Schubert, please feel free to download it here.
Rondo alla turca (The Turkish March) by the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most famous classical piano music in the world.
A piano sonata written in the 1780s, Rondo alla turca is of unparalleled virtuosity. It’s a classic that any good seasoned pianist should play.
Her level of difficulty is relatively high and requires a lot of practical work on the instrument.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Turkish March by Mozart, please feel free to download it here.
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by composer Handel is a very famous classical music for piano.
Written in 1749, the song is today world famous. It has notably been included in well-known contemporary movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by George Frideric Handel, please feel free to download it here.
Lullaby by composer Johannes Brahms is one of the most famous classical piano music in the world.
Published in 1868, it has been included in many of actual songs and derivative products. As an example, the companies Fisher-Price and Playskool have used this lullaby in the construction of their toys. The Quebec singer Celine Dion also sang to this piano melody.
To access the piano sheet music and the midi file of the song Lullaby by Johannes Brahms, please feel free to download it here.
These 18 pieces of classical music for piano presented in this article are of course not exhaustive. Many other classical piano songs by genius composers have marked the world history of music.
Nevertheless, they already offer a first glimpse of what can be played on piano. Not all of them are equally difficult, but you can start by learning simplified versions of these classical compositions on piano. Indeed, there are plenty of them on the web, as on the La Touche Musicale app. So you can sign up for free and learn them easily!
Learn to play your favorite songs on the piano
The La Touche Musicale learning app offers more than 2,500 songs to play easily on the piano. Connect your piano to your device and learn to play them at your own pace while having fun.
Share the article on:
You might also like...
Learn piano online with the songs you love
La Touche Musicale is an app that allows you to learn the piano online with interactive lessons. Connect your piano or keyboard via USB and learn over 2,500 songs easily.
Legal
