Four Hands, One Keyboard: Music for Piano Duet
The piano duet – four hands sharing one keyboard – was once an important part of musical activity, to be enjoyed at home and in the cultural salons of Europe during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in more modest times was an acceptable way for young people, particularly of the opposite sex, to get together. Playlist curated by Frances Wilson.
Read more…The genre became popular in the 18th century: as a child, Mozart played duets with his sister and went on to write six sonatas for piano duet and a number of other shorter works for four hands. Mozart delighted in the possibilities of the form: the opportunity to explore richer textures and dialogues across a single keyboard, and Schubert took this further in what is arguably the greatest piece for piano four hands, his Fantasie in F minor. A work of great beauty, emotional depth and technical intricacy, this work proves that the piano duet was no salon sweetmeat for bourgeois young ladies to enjoy at home. It’s a large scale work, lasting nearly twenty minutes, and remains a pinnacle of the piano four hands concert repertoire.
During the 19th century, the piano duet became increasingly popular, alongside the development of the modern piano as we recognise it today. Mass production meant pianos could be manufactured more cheaply and it soon became the “must have” instrument for the modern home. Composers and especially music publishers capitalised on this by producing a wealth of sheet music for eager duettists to enjoy at home. In addition to original works for piano duet by composers such as Brahms (his Hungarian Dances remain very popular today) and Dvořák (likewise his Slavonic Dances), there are countless arrangements of orchestral and chamber works.
There’s a unique intimacy in the piano duet and a special etiquette must be observed when playing. For this reason, you need to be on friendly terms with your duet partner! The players sit very close together at the keyboard, often their hands will touch or cross over (Debussy’s Petite Suite contains much hand-crossing between the players), and each must be alert to the other’s part, sensitive to details of tempo, dynamics and musical expression, while details of pedalling and page-turns need to be agreed in advance. While some works for piano duet are undoubtedly aimed at children or junior players, many are highly complex, technically and musically challenging, such as Poulenc’s Sonata for Piano Four Hands and works by Rachmaninoff and Messiaen. Some of the greatest pianists of the 20th century have enjoyed the very special relationship of the piano duet, including Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim, Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia, and Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick, the great British piano duo from an earlier era.