One doesn't often get to hear piano music written for four hands unless one plays it oneself with a friend. Music written for two pianos is not commonly heard in concert and it is unusual to find a private home with two pianos. Many of the great composers since the invention of the piano have written marvelous music to be played by two pianists, and when being able to play music at home was just about the only way to hear it, most of the popular orchestral music was so arranged.
Wonderful music that is today largely known in its orchestral form was originally written for piano duo, Dvořák's Slavonic Dances and Brahms Hungarian Dances, for example, as well as the latter's Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Rachmaninov wrote two suites for two pianos, Mendelssohn wrote two concerti for two pianos, and Schubert, Mozart and many others wrote for four hands.
We will explore this literature in the pages that follow. Click on the composer links below to enjoy this wonderful form of piano music.
