The Piano Duet Online

In the 1800s, playing four-hands was one of the few socially acceptable ways for a young man and woman to be physically close in a private, domestic setting.

Because players must sit side-by-side, their elbows, knees, and hands frequently brush against or even cross over each other.

Widely regarded as the greatest masterpiece of the repertoire , written in the final year of his life and dedicated to a former pupil he loved.

By playing these arrangements, amateur musicians developed a "musical literacy," intimately getting to know the complex structures of symphonies they might only hear once in a lifetime at a live concert. Key Masterpieces to Explore