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Hi all,

I'm just coming into my masters final year now after taking a few years away. I spent the last 4 years playing pretty much ONLY fairly miserable music - a Prokofiev sonata, a couple of Beethoven's stormier sonatas, I had a crack at Gaspard at my teacher's advice, Mendellsohn's Variations Serieuses, and a whole heap of smaller works that aren't exactly positive in tone. It sort of just worked out this way, but at this stage it's starting to get into my bones a little bit and bringing down my mood. My teacher set me Chopin's Second Sonata, I just had to refuse.

I want to change things up a bit, but actually I find it hard to think of any truly "happy", major music for the piano beyond classical era sonatas. I realize there's a lot of questionable salon music out there that fits the bill, but I'm looking for truly good, major (or at least accomplished) works that are positive in tone. "Happy" isn't exactly the word here, I guess positive is the better word.

Anyone any suggestions?

Debussy's Danse and Brahms' Handel Variations are a couple that come to mind.

Percy Grainger!

You can't get more sunny than C major:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6yrNFbAarQ


If you are adventurous, how about Tippett's Sonata No.1, with its folksong and cakewalk elements. This is the jolly finale (- the rest are also on YT by the same pianist):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp7jfh0PN4I

And there's always Leroy Anderson:

8 Leroy Anderson Piano Pieces

Just kiddin'. Can't get much happier than this!

Brahms 119/3. Schubert impromptu D935 Opus 142, any Bach gigue.

I don't think this kind of pieces are rare unless you unless you are looking for a Mozart or Haydn kind of happy.

For example, going through Schumann in opus order I would say these (and many others) are happy: Abegg Variations, Toccata, Grillen and Fabel from Fantasy Pieces Op. 12, Blumenstuck, the first and last movements of Carnival Jest in Vienna.

Chopin, just a sample: Waltzes Op.18, Op.34 Nos. 1 and 3, Op. 42, Op, 64 No,1. Etudes: Op.10 Nos. 1,5, 7,8,10,11. Ballade No.3, Rondo a la Mazur, Polonaises: Opus 40 No.1 and Op. 53, most of the major key Mazurkas, Scherzo No. 4, etc.

Schubert: Sonata in A Op. 664, Sonata in B flat D. 960, Impromptu No.3 in B flat, Wanderer Fantasy

Short happy pieces are easy to find, in any era. Even from the morose Russians .

But I thought the OP wanted a replacement for the Funeral March Sonata that he rejected from his teacher.

It's not really clear from his post if he wanted a single piece of that length, but if that's the case some of my suggestions would fit that description in terms of length.

A few more:
Brahms Variations in D major Op. 21, Capriccio in b minor from Op. 76, Rhapsody in E flat major from Op, 119

Almost all of Haydn's sonatas are happy and even jocular. Mozart is frequently happy, in a more placid, peaceful way than Haydn. Debussy is often in a good mood; e.g., "The Children's Corner," "L'isle joyeuse," and several of the preludes are almost delirious with high spirits, e.g., "Les collines d'Anacapri." Debussy's "Reflets dans l'eau" and Ravels "Jeux d'eau" are bubbling with caprice. Mozkowski's "Spanish Danses," while not great music, are pure fun. Most of Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata is relentlessly upbeat, IMO. Then there are the many light and joyous sonatas by Scarlatti and Soler and Clementi.

but piano pieces that sounded miserable can often be a joy to play, and vice versa (? I need Grammerly :-)

Not "piano music" strictly speaking, but you can't get much more joyful and positive than most of the Goldberg Variations, especially the last five...and of those, especially the 26th.

By Albeniz
Puerto
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NFPnxjVmf08
Triana

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DtOa390LUG8

Another would be Beethoven's Op. 28, the "Pastorale" sonata.

Not to put too fine a point on things, but I believe the OP is looking for big happy positive piano works beyond the Classical era.

Otherwise one could point to all the major-key sonatas by Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, all the Bach works in major keys, all the.........

Big, happy and obscure modal or modernist works I guess. There's only so fine that point can get, otherwise we can point to just about *any* major-key piece. Maybe some happy Schoenberg or Webern. Hindemith! There ya go.

Fats Domino? Jelly Roll Morton? Scott Joplin? That kind of thing?

C'mon, they're not obscure enough. Maybe "Kitten on the Keys" or "Dizzy Fingers" by Zez Confrey.

It's funny you cite the Brahms Op. 21. I always found the first one of the set to be soul-crushingly sad...but maybe I'm just grim