It’s summer.
The weather is great, you’ve hopefully got some extra time on your hands, and you want to give your repertoire a bit of a seasonal overhaul.
Well you’re in luck, we’ve prepared a list of some of the best “summer” piano repertoire to keep you occupied at the piano.
These are pieces that carry some sort of aesthetic quality that matches various tenants of a perfect summer, such as music that feels like a trip to the beach, or a serene evening in Tuscany.
We’ve made sure to select music for all difficulties, so no matter your level at the piano, there should be something here for you.
Let’s jump in!
1. French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816, by J.S. Bach
While there might not be a season that Bach doesn’t embody in his music, the refreshment of summer is something many can hear in his music’s counterpoint.
His French Suite No. 5 in G Major is easily the most expressive of the 6 French Suites, and often considered the most “Italian” of them. However, it is also one of his most lyrical works for keyboard, and through each movement of the dance suite, there is something quite refreshing about his melody and contrapuntal language.
The Allemande features some absolutely beautiful and serene melodic writing in both hands, and maintains the alluring qualities of the allemande genre. The Courante is a bright, celebratory Italian dance, and the Sarabande brings out some of Bach’s most romantic and delicate sensibilities ever in his keyboard music.
Packed into this 7 movement dance suite is every emotion you would associate with a bright summer’s day, and there is a movement for every difficulty level at the piano. Give it a shot if you want to add some Bach to your summer practice routine!
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2. Une barque sur l'océan, by Maurice Ravel
For the top pick for advanced difficulty repertoire, Ravel’s stunning impressionist landscape Une barque sur l'océan is full of expansive landscapes that viscerally feel like an ocean breeze, just as they form vivid imagery of a boat on the ocean.
The piece is the 3rd movement from his 5-movement suite Miroirs, in which each piece is a character reflection on members of his artist circle, Les Apaches. Une barque sur l'océan is a reflection of painter Paul Sordes.
Packed into this piece is some of Ravel’s most coloristic writing, where he treats the piano like an actual canvas. While there is deliberate melodic development, the emphasis is texture throughout, which can be heard in the most intense moments of storms to the serene moments of calm waves lapping gently against the shore.
3. Sei pezzi per pianoforte, by Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi’s Sei pezzi per pianoforte, or 6 pieces for piano, is a collection of some absolutely precious piano music coming from a composer primarily known for his orchestral works.
Many might know Respighi for his iconic Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, or Ancient Airs and Dances, but early on in his career he proved himself capable of writing truly amazing piano music.
While every piece from this suite holds great merit, the first, third and fifth movements feel especially connected to summer.
Valse Caressante is a joyful salon-like rondo which feels just as sunny as it does romantic. Notturno, also popularized by harpist Magdalena Hoffman, is a serene evening in the Italian countryside. Studio, written as an entry to a composition competition, is a brilliant, fun, and playful etude.
4. Estampes: 1. Pagodes by Claude Debussy
Debussy’s lydian-infused Pagodes, the first movement from his Estampes suite, is one of his more “atmospheric” works, in line with others such as his reflets dans l’eau and The Sunken Cathedral.
Debussy offers the pianist soaring lines in E Lydian and B Ionian, which feel expansive upon the arrival of the booming low pedal notes throughout. In between these moments of flight are interjections of Debussy’s characteristic chromatic clusters, which usher in the harmonic clarity and arrival of his climactic buildups.
The piece is inspired by the pentatonic qualities of Indonesian Gamelan, which he notably encountered at the 1889 Paris World Exposition.
The bell-like characteristics of Debussy’s music can be clearly derived from this tradition.
5. Piano Sonata No. 15, Op. 28 “Pastorale”, I. Allegro, by Ludwig van Beethoven
While not the most famous of his piano sonatas, Beethoven’s Pastorale Sonata is an underrated gem in his piano sonatas.
It falls in his middle-period, being the first sonata following the composition of his iconic Moonlight Sonata.
Despite being an allegro, the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 15 is incredibly alluring, with a low D pedal that allows the melodic content to “bathe” in its overtones. The thematic content itself is quite romantic for its time, featuring a soaring primary theme and a lush secondary theme underscored by chordal pads.
The retransition leading into the recapitulation is a particularly striking moment, finishing off the development in a moment of repose before leading back to the tonic key for a return to the primary theme.
Overall, this movement features some of Beethoven’s most pleasant writing, perfectly fit for a summer day.
6. Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este, by Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt made a name for himself in his time as both a master composer and piano virtuoso, and the writing here proves both of those attributes to be true.
Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este, or Fountains at the Villa d’Este, is arguably the precursor to water-themed music that would arrive in the decades following from composers such as Debussy and Ravel.
Unlike Ravel’s Une barque sur l'océan, Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este is a work which compromises texture with lyricality, making the work feel much more like a fountain with all of its recognizable fountain figures, rather than a sprawling ocean.
If you’re looking for a piece with great difficulty, length, and expression to master this summer, this piece will do just that.
7. Je te veux, by Erik Satie
Je te veux, or I Want You, is an incredibly charming waltz based on the text by Henry Pacory.
While the origins of this work, specifically around its instrumentation, are debated, it has cemented itself as an important part of the piano repertoire from the late 19th Century.
Written as a rondo, the work is an extremely joyful and lyrical piece, which could be easily taken for a pop song of its time.
The piece is also known for its voice and piano version, so if you have a friend who is a singer, give this piece a try! Its low difficulty makes it very approachable to pianists of various experience levels.
8. 4 Ballades, Op. 10: No. 4 in B, by Johannes Brahms
Maybe one of the more brooding of the works on this list, Johannes Brahms’s Ballade No. 4 in B major is full of steady motion, and rich lyricality and sweet harmonies.
Written as a key pairing with his Ballade No. 3 in B minor, this work features peaks of moments in lush major sonorities evolving out of moments of despair, embodied in low octaves and weeping minor passages.
It’s a very emotionally mixed piece, and presents some of Brahms’s most adventurous harmonic writing across his music.
It’s also a relatively easy sight-read, and highly recommended for a summer evening.
9. Nocturne No. 8, Op. 27 No. 2 in Db major, by Frédéric Chopin
Now moving onto an actual nocturne, we have one of Chopin’s more overlooked nocturnes yet still one of his most pleasant ones written.
Chopin’s Op. 27 No. 2 is full of everything you’d want in a Chopin piece: fluid improvisatory lines with all sorts of polyrhythmic layering, rich harmonic coloring in the left hand, and moments of tranquility and reflection.
When paired with the more lethargic Op. 27 No. 1 in C# minor, this entire nocturne feels like an emergence into a place more satisfied and resolved. The climax near the end of the piece is a triumphant celebration of this nature, which leads to a predictable yet always perfect closing cadence in the tonic key.
This is yet another perfect way to enjoy a late summer’s evening.
10. La fille aux cheveux de lin, by Claude Debussy
Last on our list is one of the most revered works by Debussy, and possibly the most minimal as well.
While much of Debussy’s output, especially within his Préludes for piano, are full of rich ornamentation, this prelude in particular is entirely stripped back, and utilizes a much more traditional harmonic palate.
Debussy’s Préludes: Book 1 No. 8, or La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair), is based on a poem by Leconte de Lisle of the same name:
“On the lucerne midst flowers in bloom,
Who sings praises to morning?
It is the girl with golden hair,
The beauty with lips of cherry.
For, love, in clear summer sunlight,
Has soared with the lark and sung now.”
La fille aux cheveux de lin is a wonderful piece for summertime, and being an easier piece as well, it’s suitable for pianists at all levels of experience.
Conclusion
There is so much repertoire out there to accompany the summertime vibes, and no matter your level at the piano, there is repertoire to help you enjoy the relaxing weather.
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