A Dutch friend and I would like to play some four handed stuff (four hands - one piano).

I know next to nothing about the 4-handed repertoire for piano. He is about Grade 6/7 standard. Can anyone suggest a few pieces where at least one of the parts is suitable for a pianist at Grade 6/7 (achievable - but challenging - not trivial)?

Thanks

There is some excellent piano duet music by Mozart with relatively modest demands on your ability to play lots of notes; the greatest challenge is subtle dynamic control to shape the phrases. All mature Mozart challenges your musical understanding.

There's a list on the Trinity 4 hands/6 hands syllabus... http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/resource/?id=1963

There is a fourhand version of 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik', should be about OK.
Also a version of Handels 'Water Music'
'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' four hand version ??
There are a couple of easier movements (first two) in 'Ma Mere L'Oye' fourhand version by Ravel
Also dont forget Dvorak 'Slavonic Dances'

In order of difficulty;

Beethoven - Deutsche Tanze
Diabelli, Schubert & Mozart - various
The Harmonious Blacksmith variations - difficult

I've heard versions of Jesu Joy of Mans Desiring and the Saint Anthony Chorale for four hands.

Faure - Dolly Suite

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

You can get lots of arrangements of orchestral works for piano duet - the Beethoven symphonies (in 2 volumes) are great fun. Your local music library might have a selection of these and other things. I think there was a previous thread on piano duets here a few months ago

Le Petite Suite by Debussy.

Fantasia on Greensleeves - Vaughan Wlliams
Mozcowski - Spanish Dances

Best piano duet I ever played was the Tritsch Trasch polka by the wonderful Mr Strauss.

Worst I have ever played was 'The Millers Dance' from the three cornered hat. Our music teacher called it the vexatious duet. Quite right too! We had to learn it for the music festival, amazingly, we won the class though!!

Thanks folks - I am sure we will find something suitable from that lot!

I found a book of grieg piano duets, and they are all about grade 6-8ish standard.
It's the Grieg Norwegian dances op.35 nos.1-4, and i've got a version published by Peters.

I'm using the first norwegian dance as my GCSE ensemble performance.

Jacob.

Peters have published a good number of duet arrangements and original duet compositions by various composers. We use them a great deal and love them. The Haydn symphonies in Peters Edition are lovely to play - great fun, and not too demanding.

Have you tried your local library? If it is of any size at all, it should have a decent music shelf. When I asked a librarian, she found loads of duet music in the basement - they don't have room for everything on the shelves. She found me several Schumann books which I had not seen before. Also, if you try something from the library and don't like it, it has not cost you anything (unless you take it back late!!). If you try something and you do like it, then is the time to buy it.

You might want to contact your local Quatre Mains Groep chapter via www.quatremainsgroepen.nl

There is an excellent PDF file with repertoire suggestions downloadable from here:

http://www.nikhef.nl/~elly/gerardg.qm/homepage.htm

For something fun and off the beaten classical path you might want to take a look at Dutch composer Gerard Hengeveld's 10 Folk and Rythmical Dances for 4 hands, especially the lively Rumba (grade 5/6).

Broekmans and van Poppel have a good selection of 4 hands music and would be happy to advise you.

i was playing peter warton's capriol suite with my friends last 2 years ago and we did abrsm primary ensemble exam it was great fun we were grade 6 then

I like Diabelli's duets. Melodic Exercises and Jugendfreuden (sp!) would be too easy, but all the sonatas are great fun. He seems to be out of fashion at the moment and some his works are out of print, but they are available second hand.

Peter Warlock ! (real name Philip Heseltine)

On a completely different track and as Mozart has been mentioned already there is some excellent arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein by David Glover. Yes they are very light - but a lot of fun, both parts are equally interesting and Glover really has arranged them beautifully - I almost cry at Sound of Music each time - the parts really sing. Also you can bluff through them with very little practice (they are not easy though). I find that I never have as much time to practice duets as I want to, so it's best to play something easier than you would play by yourself.

I have recommended Ravel's mother goose suite before too, very pretty, very dramatic and there is a great Argerich recording if you want something to emulate!

There are some lovely Grieg duets, the Norwegian dances already mentioned, the Peer Gynt arranged for 4 hands (set 1 is the hall of Mountain King one) and also Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.

Moskowski's Spanish and Polish dances are nice (apparently he wrote them to get close to the Lady's! Lot's of crossing hands)

Poulenc Sonata has been transcribed for 4 hands - more "unusual" if that's what you want.

I do love duet's

There's a good 4 handed version of Brahm's Hungarian Rhapsody (the one in F#m) that's available in the public domain. I'd recommend that.

from the sublime to the ridiculous - Schubert f minor fantasie (probably beyond g6), Chabrier souvenir de munich (I hear this every 5 years or so and it amuses - again may be difficult have not got the music)