This is a Christmas piano medley arrangement of the ever-popular holiday number Carol of the Bells and Rachmaninoff’s “The Bells” symphony. The opening theme from The Bells: Movement 2 transitions seamlessly into the familiar 4-note motif of Carol of the Bells. Themes from Movements 1 and 2 of The Bells are blended in throughout for a uniquely classical Rachmaninoff Christmas arrangement. Best for early intermediate pianists and an excellent choice for a holiday concert.
This incredibly beautiful movement from Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto has been arranged here for piano solo. Best for late elementary to early intermediate pianists, this arrangement requires a graceful touch, gentle tone, legato, rubato, and expressive dynamics. No pedal; it’s all about finger technique here and balancing melody with accompaniment. At times the melody transitions from RH to LH, and the melodic path is marked with dashed lines to help students keep track of it. This arrangement is accessible for smaller pianists: there’s no pedal, the slow tempo facilitates larger melodic stretches, and the largest harmonic interval is P5. Also makes a lovely performance piece.
Rêverie is such a beautiful piece with a dreamlike quality that can feel strange, yet familiar to all of us. This arrangement for early intermediate level is kept in the original key but simplified in complexity, handspan, and length. For students who want to learn more Debussy than just Clair de Lune, Rêverie is artistic and expressive. This arrangement also makes an excellent performance piece.
Dvořák incredible “New World Symphony” is filled with memorable musical themes. This arrangement features three of the allegro themes found in Movement 1. Each theme builds in intensity and speed, from the beginning major “Allegro moderato” to the bold and brassy minor “Allegro con brio” finish. This exciting arrangement is best for early to mid intermediate pianists and is a very showy performance piece.
The quiet solace of a peaceful night can be felt throughout this intermediate piano solo. Nocturne in G features LH melody and bass tones, with gentle and steady RH mid-range tones. Frequent LH crossovers and clef changes offer an excellent study in reading, keyboard awareness, and the dynamic balance between melody and accompaniment. A contemporary composition with classical influence, this is a beautiful performance piece for pianists of any age.
BONUS: This piece can easily be played by individuals with small hands, as the largest interval is only a Melodic Perfect 5th.
This beautiful string quintet by Boccherini has been arranged here for intermediate piano solo. It highlights both the Minuetto (Street Dance of the Blind) and Ritirata (Military Night Watch Retreat). Filled with challenging and exciting rhythms, this lesser known piece is tons of fun to play, and it’s sure to become a favorite! Perfect for any early intermediate pianist and a great choice for a classical recital piece.
This early intermediate arrangement of Fandango from Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet in D Major is both fun and dramatic. It highlights some of the most recognizable themes from the original and maintains the authentic rhythms, articulations, and traditional fandango pulse throughout. With octave changes, shifting dynamics, bold articulations, and more, this arrangement is a fantastic addition to any student’s classical repertoire. This piece is also a wonderful choice for a lesser known classical piano recital piece.
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is an organ masterpiece that has withstood the test of time. Centuries later, audiences everywhere are wowed by Bach’s music! This easy piano arrangement is perfect for late elementary to early intermediate piano and covers many major themes from both the Toccata and the Fugue. 6 pages long, this arrangement is a fantastic and impressive performance piece.
This ghostly waltz calls forth an otherworldly chill from your piano keys. Mysterious and slightly sad, this waltz in A minor makes a fine Halloween piece but can easily be enjoyed any time of year. LH melody with RH pulses on beats 2 and 3 of each measure create a beautiful contemporary 2-hand waltz in classical style, supported by expressive dynamics and strategic pedal. Perfect for late beginner to early intermediate level.
The beautiful Nutcracker Overture set the perfect tone for one of the most famous ballets of all time. This simplified arrangement is a full 5-page solo of the Overture and includes all major themes from the original, simplified for early to mid-intermediate pianists. Fingering is included to assist with challenging passages and intervals. This arrangement is great for smaller hands (largest harmonic interval is a Major 6th) and a lot of fun for pianists who love quick, exciting classical pieces. A great choice for a Christmas or holiday recital piano solo.
Classical music fans will love this Nutcracker medley that is filled with energy and excitement. This melody includes passages selected from 4 classic pieces from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite ballet:
Nutcracker Overture
Nutcracker March (Soldier march)
Chinese Dance
Russian Trepak Dance
This is a perfect Christmas or holiday performance piece for early intermediate piano.
These musical themes from Gurlitt’s etude (“The Storm” or “Night Escape”) and Mozart’s Great G Minor Symphony are famously recognized for their intense, dramatic energy. This medley combines them into an early intermediate piano classical performance piece. Starting with Gurlitt’s etude, it weaves in the motif from Mozart’s symphony, transitions fully into the symphony theme, then concludes with a robust merger of the two for a bold finish. It is an excellent choice for a classical piano recital piece for intermediate level.
Kullak’s “Grandmother Tells a Ghost Story” is a great Halloween character piece for intermediate students. In this newly edited edition, it is easy to picture the scene as Grandma tells a chilling ghost story from when she was a little girl, with stops, shocks, spooks, and all, finally ending with a too-quiet “nighty night”… This is a fun choice for a fall piano recital piece.
All Original Classics are historic works, reformatted and edited for readability and accessibility for today’s pianists.
Kullak’s “The Ghost in the Fireplace” (or “The Ghost Up the Chimney”) is a fun Halloween-time piece. This newly edited edition is ideal for early intermediate students and evolves through several musical themes, including repeating spooky chromatic passages, a waltz-like middle section, and sad lonely harmonic sixths. Great choice for a fall piano recital piece.
All Original Classics are historic works, reformatted and edited for readability and accessibility for today’s pianists.
Burgmüller’s “Ballade” is a popular piece with interesting contrasting musical themes. This newly revised edition is ideal for early intermediate students and develops musical interpretation skills as well as finger technique (especially for the left hand). Because of its mysterious minor introduction and ending, it’s a great choice for a Halloween or fall piano recital piece.
All Original Classics are historic works, reformatted and edited for readability and accessibility for today’s pianists.
Kullak’s “Witches Dance” is a Halloween-time favorite. This newly revised edition is ideal for early intermediate students who love to play quick, running passages with animated dynamic contrast. Great for a fall piano recital piece.
All Original Classics are historic works, reformatted and edited for readability and accessibility for today’s pianists.
From a young age I was moved by this beautiful theme from Gustav Holst’s The Planets Suite. While much of the “Jupiter” movement is fast and lively, the theme arranged here carries a certain grandeur that is perfectly befitting the majesty of this ruling planet. This arrangement is in the original key of E-flat Major and begins with single-note melody supported by simple close range harmony, which gradually expands in breadth and harmony to full fortissimo chords. Beautiful soaring melodic lines accompanied by supportive bass harmonies make this a strong selection for an intermediate piano solo, perfect for a recital piece.
The famous Can-Can music comes from Offenbach’s opera “Orpheus in the Underworld”, from which the selection “Galop Infernal” was adopted by Paris cabarets for their can-can dances. This intermediate level arrangement contains not only the main theme, but represents the full range of themes from this dramatic opera number. Filled with exciting articulations, bold dynamics, and more, this lively arrangement is the perfect crowd pleaser and performs excellently as a well-known early intermediate piano recital choice.
BONUS: Because the largest harmonic interval is a Major 6th, pianists with small hands can easy play this without sacrificing musicality or altering chords. (LH octaves at the end are optional.)
Most new pianists want to play this Beethoven piece but aren’t prepared for the difficulty of the original composition. This early intermediate level arrangement is of the entire piece – not just the main theme! – which makes it an excellent choice for a recital performance. Carefully written to match the integrity of Beethoven’s work, this arrangement allows pianists to perform Beethoven now while developing essential skills for the future mastery of Beethoven’s masterpieces.
BONUS: Because the largest harmonic interval is a Major 6th, pianists with small hands can easily play this without sacrificing musicality or altering chords.
French for “moonlight”, Clair de Lune is an example of true musical beauty. Unlike many other simplified arrangements, this version is intentionally written in the original key of D-flat Major to keep its beautiful shimmering color. It includes the initial well-known main theme (in its simple beauty, with minimal changes) as well as part of the secondary moving theme, making it an excellent choice for a recital performance piece for the early intermediate level pianist.
By the soft light of a moonlit night, a melancholy strain resonates through a quiet cemetery as a lonely soul caresses the black and white keys. This technical composition is filled with broken chords led primarily by the Left Hand with cross-staff slurs for a more fluid movement.
As Peer Gynt finds his way into the troll Mountain King’s hall, the energy and excitement build from whispered footsteps to tremendous cacophony. This intermediate level arrangement of a world-famous piece pulls out all the stops as it gradually builds in volume and intensity to a wild and chaotic finish.
The all-famous Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah oratorio – countless people have told me they wish they could play this masterpiece! That’s why I’ve arranged this Hallelujah Chorus piano solo – so you can play it at Christmastime for your family, during Easter season, or anytime you feel like shouting, “Hallelujah!”
