There are Famous pianists Which have stood out for the quality of their compositions, developed technique and beauty of their music.
The piano is one of the central instruments of music, used throughout history in different styles and genres. It owes its name to the apócope of the word pianoforte, which in Italian was used to describe its variety of strong and soft sounds.
The history of the piano is that of the development of different instruments, starting with Zither (originating in Africa and Southeast Asia in 3000 BC) and Monocordium. Its evolution continued with the Saterio, Harpsichord and Harpiscordios, all with the same system to interpose mechanical devices between the ropes and the fingers.
It was the Italian Bartolomeo Cristófori who in 1700 (the exact date is unknown because of the lack of record of the time) gave the piano its definitive form, but then suffered some variations of design.
Considered a percussive string instrument, it is composed of 88 keys, 36 black and 52 white, and three pedals, which press the 224 strings. In addition, it contains a sound box that amplifies and modulates its particular and unmistakable sound.
Great masters of music dedicated their lives to the piano, not only in classical music, but also in rock and jazz.
The 30 most famous pianists in history
1- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 -1791, Austria)
Considered one of the first great masters of the piano, he was recognized for his musical talent and his compositional ability. Anarchic, rebellious and unpredictable, he excelled within classicism and was one of the most influential musicians in history.
He began his career as an interpreter and was noted for his great musical ears, but he was also a fruitful author. His works include sonatas, symphonies, chamber music, concerts and operas, all marked by vivid emotions and sophisticated textures.
2- Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827, Austria)
Innovative and talented, Beethoven began playing the piano under the rigorous orders of his father, who subjected the child to great torments during classes. Being still a child gave its first concert.
He went through his school education with great difficulties, because as he said:"Music comes more easily than words." During his adulthood he had to fight against deafness, even some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he no longer heard.
He is acknowledged as one of the most celebrated composers of history, with masterpieces of the classical style and absolute mastery of form and expression. He was one of the forerunners of Romanticism.
3- Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828, Austria)
Schubert's work was noted for its remarkable melody and harmony, being considered one of the last great classical composers and one of the pioneers of Romanticism.
Prominent as a violinist, organist and singer, the piano was his best ally for composition. It left as legacy 600 compositions in the form of lieders, 21 sonatas, seven masses and nine symphonies.
4- Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847, Germany)
He was one of the child prodigies of music and was nicknamed the"Mozart of the nineteenth century". He debuted on stage at age nine and began composing at age 10, leaving an extensive work as a legacy, including 11 symphonies.
Considered one of the fathers of romanticism, his sister Fanny was his great inspiring muse. When she died in 1947, Mendelssohn's career began to deteriorate until her death six months later.
5- Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849, Poland)
Refined, subtle, with a perfect technique and a unique harmonic elaboration, Chopin gave to the piano a new life within the romantic music with its compositions.
He began to surprise the public with only six years for his virtuosity in front of the keys but also for his composition. He died in 1949, his body was buried in the cemetery of Père Lachaise in Paris, but his heart was deposited in a church in Warsaw, near the place of his birth.
6- Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856, Germany)
Named one of the paradigms of Romanticism, despite his virtuosity his career as a pianist was truncated early by an injury in his right hand.
From that fact began to compose, being one of the most prolific piano composers of history.
7- Franz Liszt (1811-1866, Austria)
Owner of a great ability for the interpretation, was considered by his pairs like the most advanced pianist of his time. Nevertheless, to the 36 years left the piano and only on rare occasions it returned to act in public.
From that moment he dedicated himself to leadership, teaching and composition, leaving more than 350 works as a legacy.
8- Sergey Rachmaninov (1873 -1943, Russia)
He was one of the most brilliant pianists of the 20th century and one of the last great romantic composers of European music. A student of Liszt's piano and Tchaikovsky's music, he stood out for his technical ability and rhythmic handling.
Rachmaninov had very large hands, which allowed him to grasp the piano more easily. But it was by his works that he is considered one of the most influential musicians of his generation.
9- Alfred Cortot (1877 - 1962, Switzerland)
Disciple of Chopin and interpreter of the work of Beethoven, Cortot stood out for being a scholar of the piano. Recognized as a teacher and conductor (as well as a pianist), he was the creator of"The Rational Principles of Piano Technique", a book that changed the way of teaching since its publication in 1928.
Technically impeccable, he was a militant of free interpretation, he did not care for the more detailed musical accuracy, but for the complete finished work.
10- Artur Schnabel (1882 -1951, Austria)
Beethoven's admirer, Schnabel based much of his career in making known the work of the Austrian author. He was an interpreter of his pieces and is recognized for recording his complete works.
Virtuous but without charisma, was his great teacher virtuoso Teodor Leschetizky, who marked his trajectory. "He told me repeatedly over the years, and in the presence of many other people: 'You will never be a pianist, you are a musician.'" And so it was, Schnabel left a legacy with more than fifty compositions.
11- Arthur Rubinstein (1887 - 1982, Poland)
"The most important thing is to remind the public, treat them well and always be available,"said Rubinstein, who lived on the premise that his existence was blissful and he should enjoy it.
Owning a beautiful and original sound, his interpretations of Chopin enjoyed a unique freshness, as if improvising while playing the works of the celebrated Polish pianist.
12- Wilhelm Kempff (1895 -1991, Germany)
He surprised the world when at age nine he played for Georges Schumann and showed all his talent before one of the musical eminences of the time. In addition to being a pianist, he was a teacher and composer, leaving as a legacy four operas, two symphonies and another ten orchestral, instrumental and chamber works.
With a lucid, noble style, structural clarity and a clear and lyrical tone, Kempff had a prolific record career with releases until his 80 years.
13- Vladimir Horowitz (1903 - 1989, Ukraine)
Possessed of a unique repertoire of colors, tones and dynamics in his interpretations recorded in studio, Horowitz used all kinds of sounds to express and convey emotions.
He had a particular technique, with a little-recommended hand placement in which there was almost no movement of his body. That stillness was transformed into sound explosions on the piano that led him to be considered one of the most important pianists of all time.
14- Claudio Arrau (1903 - 1991, Chile)
Regarded as the first great South American pianist, he learned to play his mother's piano and at age 5 gave his first concert. He excelled as an interpreter of the classic-romantic repertoire and was recognized for his avant-garde contemporary compositions.
15- Shura Cherkassky (1911 - 1995, United States)
Virtuous, sensitive, temperamental and owner of a very cantabile tone, Cherkassky explained that:"Above technique is the feeling of the artist, and there is musicality, depth and interiority." With that phrase he defined his music.
He was distinguished by his colleagues thanks to his own style that gave a new meaning to what he played. He was one of the last representatives of the sacred romantic school of piano virtuosity.
16- Wladyslaw Szpilman (1911-2000, Poland)
His recognition lies not so much in his outstanding musical talent as in his history of tenacity in the face of adversity. The film"The Pianist"by Roman Polanski and the song"The Pianist of the Warsaw Ghetto"by Jorge Drexler, are inspired by him.
Member of a Jewish family, he was saved from death by the help of a friend who took him from the train that took all his parents and brothers to a concentration camp. It survived the war but it counted in detail the atrocities lived during its capture and never left the music.
As a musician he was recognized before the Second World War and after his completion he founded the Piano Quintet of Warsaw, with which he traveled the world. His legacy is completed with more than 500 works of his own.
17- Benjamin Britten (1913 -1976, United Kingdom)
"Learning is like rowing against current: as soon as it is left, it recedes,"was his headline phrase and the one that best describes his career.
Studious and talented, he began playing the piano from a young age but it was before the death of his father that he made the composition to support his life. His recognition was such that he was the first musician or composer to receive a nobility title in England.
18- Sviatoslav Richter (1915- 1997, Russia)
Versatile, deep and complex, Richter was considered one of the great pianists of the twentieth century by his peers. He began playing the piano with his father as a teacher and by age 8 he was doing it perfectly.
When he began his career as a professional he stood out as a great interpreter of works of different genres and authors but always resisted recording. Denial that broke in 1971.
Despite his dexterity, he was not a perfect musician but could fail many notes when he was not on a good day. However, he considered that the spirit of music prevailed above all else.
19- Emil Gilels (1916 - 1985, Russia)
Born into a family of musicians, he began his training under a strict method, which he accepted as a way to improve his technique, until he became perfect.
That would make him one of the most recognized pianists of the twentieth century until his death, in an accidental murder during a medical checkup.
20- Dinu Lipatti (1917 - 1950, Italy)
Highlighted by a fine style, it was a great influence for a whole generation of new pianists. His career was hit by World War II and a leukemia, but nothing stopped his fingers at the piano.
He began his career at age four giving concerts for charitable purposes. His analytical understanding and particular expressive interiority made him a cult musician.
21- Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli (1920 - 1995, Italy)
His misgivings about the aspect of his private life made him a mysterious being whose only public aspect was his musical talent.
He was distinguished for being a retailer, but also for his clarity, his luxurious tone, his palette of colors and shadows, and his irreverence that led him to cancel concerts shortly before they began.
22- Giorgy Cziffra (1921-1994, Hungary)
Of humble origin, he was self-taught since he was a child and thus acquired a great talent for improvisation, giving a personal touch to the works and generating the rejection of the purists of the piano.
He began his career at age 5 as a circus number, which he had to leave because of an illness. At 9 he impressed the teachers of the academy of Franz Liszt, but again had to leave the piano to serve to the army in the Second World until a Nazi general listened to him and it removed of the danger so that it will be dedicated to the music.
However, he was captured by enemy troops and suffered some injuries in his hands. When he regained his freedom he became an international star. Incursionó by different sorts, like the classic, the folkloric and until the jazz.
23- Alicia de Larrocha (1923 - 2009, Spain)
Winner of the highest artistic recognition of his country, Larrocha began playing the piano at age 3 but only at 20 began a professional career.
He was the preferred interpreter of two of the greatest Spanish composers: Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados. His repertoire was poor in quality and genres.
24- Bill Evans (1929 - 1980, United States)
Remembered as the master of jazz, he was the most outstanding pianist of the genre. Shy, reserved and with a sly gesture that never left, Evans was a unique pianist by its style.
Owner of a unique musical magic, with a perfect cadence and subdued, balanced and exhaustively modeled, dazzled by the simplicity of his pulse.
25- Glenn Gould (1932 -1982, Canada)
He was recognized as the interpreter of the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, but his fame lies in the eccentricity of his personality.
Gould suffered a child injury when he fell on a boat ramp. This caused his father to build a chair with adjustable height, which he used very close to the ground (leaning on the keys), and did not leave for the rest of his life.
In addition, Gould considered public concerts as"the force of evil", which led him to abandon performances for many years in what he defined jokingly as"Gould's Plan for the Abolition of Applause and Demonstrations of All Kinds ".
"What happens between my left hand and my right hand is a private matter that nobody cares about,"he explained later. He retired at age 34 from the stage but left an extensive legacy of studio recordings.
26- Jerry Lee Lewis (1935, United States)
Rock pioneer, his virtuosity and stage performances made him one of the most famous pianists in history. Capable of pressing the keys with his foot, at the same time as with his hands, Lewis is nicknamed"The Assassin"for his behavior on the piano.
He is not a great composer, because his style is that of an interpreter capable of giving an original seal to each song of an extensive and varied repertoire.
27- Daniel Barenboim (1942, Argentina)
Barenboim is as well known for his art at the piano as for his quality as director and his drive for peace in the world. He made his debut at age 7 and from his first concert aroused the interest of the main academies.
He was sponsored by Arthur Rubinstein, directed major orchestras around the world and won six Grammy Awards. For him, music is the best instrument for building bridges between peoples. That conviction led him to unite Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Lebanese musicians in order to bring Arabs, Jews and Palestinians through music.
28- Krystian Zimerman (1956, Poland)
A rebel of the modernity and detractor of the new technologies, is able to stop a concert before the sound of some telephone. He started playing the piano from a young age and just at age 6 he realized that not all houses had one.
Talented as few in his generation, he was the winner of most contests in which he participated since childhood.
29- Yevgueni Kisin (1971, Russia)
Regarded as one of the best pianists in the world, he is characterized by a virtuoso style of interpretation and a unique ability to easily master technical pitfalls.
It was a child prodigy that surprised the world interpreting two Concerts for Piano and Orchestra of Chopin with only 13 years.
Lang Lang (1982, China)
He is another of the best pianists of today, with worldwide fame, and the recognition of his colleagues, directors and composers. He is one of the most acclaimed musicians and one of the new faces of the classic repertoire.