Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 1 Episode 8

Feeling stressed? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle relaxing music for you to ease into. Come and join me as your host, James Quinn as I take you through some wonderful music as I play for you on my own piano ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and more. 

In this episode I play some music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Grieg, Brahms, Scriabin and Satie

Transcript

EPISODE 8

0:30 - James Quinn

Hello and welcome to our next episode of the current series of Relaxing Piano Playlist with your host James Quinn here at the piano, thank you very much for joining me. In this episode you’ll hear a number of pieces ranging from a wide variety of composers covering the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and the 20th century periods.

The first piece comes from the composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the piece is his very first Prelude in C Major, which comes from the first book of the Well-Tempered Klavier. This was later adapted as the basis of a song by the composer Charles Gonoud which he entitled as “Ave Maria”. This has been covered from a range of singers and solo instrumentalists.

We then go to the Romantic period for our next set of pieces. The first of these is written from the composer Felix Mendelssohn and this comes from his collection o his Songs Without Words, specifically you’ll hear Number 1 in E Flat Major from his sixth volume, which he published as Opus 67.

We return for our next piece from the Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg. The piece you will hear comes from the last volume of his collection of Lyric Pieces which he published as Opus 73. This is simply called 'Peace of The Woods'.

We then make another return to the German composer Johannes Brahms for our next piece, and in this case you will hear another example of his later character pieces for the piano, and this is his Intermezzo No.6 in E Major, which he published as Opus 116.

We revisit the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin for our next piece, and in this instance you will hear his Prelude in C Major, which he published as Opus 48.

And finally, we come to a new composer added to the list, the 20th Century French composer Erik Satie, and this will be a piece you will probably recognise straight away, as it is very well known commercially. It is of course his Gymnopodie Number 1 in D.   

So to recap, here is the order just once more: the Prelude Number 1 in C Major by Bach, Songs Without Words Number 1 in E Flat Major (Op.67) by Mendelssohn, 'Peace of The Woods' from the Lyric Pieces Opus 71 by Edvard Grieg, the Intermezzo in E Major from Opus 116 Number 6 by Johannes Brahms, Scriabin’s Prelude in C Major from Opus 48, and finally Gymnopodie Number 1 in D by Eric Satie. 

So sit back, relax, and I hope you all enjoy the music. Thank you.