Pianist
A pianist is a person who plays the piano.
A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an orchestra or smaller ensemble, or accompany one or more singers or solo instrumentalists.
A performing classical pianist usually starts playing piano at a very young age, some as early as three years old. Many well-known classical composers were able pianists themselves; for example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninov were all virtuoso pianists. Some pianists have special preferences as to which composer's music they play.
Most western forms of music can make use of the piano. Consequently, pianists have a wide variety of forms and styles to choose from, including jazz, classical music, and all sorts of popular music.
Well-known or influential classical pianists:
- Martha Argerich
- Claudio Arrau
- Vladimir Ashkenazy
- Gina Bachauer
- Wilhelm Backhaus
- Daniel Barenboim
- Simon Barere
- Bart Berman
- Boris Berman
- Idil Biret
- Jorge Bolet
- Alfred Brendel
- Bruno Canino
- Robert Casadesus
- Shura Cherkassky
- Dino Ciani
- Aldo Ciccolini
- Van Cliburn
- Harriet Cohen
- Jean-Philippe Collard
- Alfred Cortot
- Clifford Curzon
- Bella Davidovich
- Alicia de Larrocha
- Vasso Devetsi
- Peter Donohoe
- Barry Douglas
- Hans Eijsackers
- Vladimir Feltsmann
- Annie Fischer
- Edwin Fischer
- Leon Fleischer
- Walter Gieseking
- Emil Gilels
- Jacob Gimpel
- Katrine Gislinge
- Misha Goldstein
- Richard Goode
- Glenn Gould
- Lola Graham
- Gary Graffman
- Hélène Grimaud
- Friedrich Gulda
- Horatio Gutierrez
- Clara Haskil
- Ingrid Haebler
- Gerard Hengeveld
- Myra Hess
- Angela Hewitt
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Stephen Hough
- Peter Jablonski
- Jeno Jando
- William Kappel
- Julius Katchen
- Freddy Kempf
- Wilhelm Kempff
- Olga Kern
- Evgeny Kissin
- Stephen Kovacevich
- Katia Labèque
- Marielle Labèque
- Lang Lang
- Josef Lhévinne
- John Lill
- Dinu Lipatti
- Eugene List
- Franz Liszt
- Yvonne Loriod
- Louis Lortie
- Radu Lupu
- Maura Lympany
- Joanna MacGregor
- Hephzibah Menuhin
- Ivan Moravec
- Benno Moiseiwitsch
- John Nakamatsu
- John Ogdon
- Garrick Ohlsson
- Gerhard Oppitz
- Ignace Paderewski
- Vlado Perlemuter
- Murray Perahia
- Alfredo Perl
- Egon Petri
- Maria Joao Pires
- Mikhail Pletnev
- Maurizio Pollini
- Viktoria Postnikova
- André Prévin
- Eduaro del Pueyo
- Livia Rev
- Karl Richter
- Hans Richter-Haaser
- Sviatoslav Richter
- Bernard Roberts
- Charles Rosen
- Arthur Rubinstein
- Andreas Schiff
- Artur Schnabel
- Peter Serkin
- Rudolf Serkin
- Craig Sheppard
- Juan Maria Solare
- Solomon
- Jean-Yves Thibaudet
- Alexander Toradze
- David Tudor
- Rosalyn Tureck (also famous for her harpsichord playing)
- Fou Tsong
- Mitsuko Uchida
- Arcadi Volodos
- André Watts
- Earl Wild
- Elisso Wirssaladze
- Paul Wittgenstein
- Christian Zacharias
- Krystian Zimerman
- Tori Amos
- Oksana Kolesnikova
- Vanessa Carlton
- Russ Conway
- Liberace
- Billy Joel
- Elton John
- Barry Manilow
Well known blues pianists include:
- Ray Charles also jazz, and country music
- Fats Domino
- Little Willie Littlefield
- Professor Longhair
- Jimmy Yancey
- Otis Spann
Well known country piano pickers include:
- Owen Bradley, also a record producer
- Floyd Cramer, "Last Date"
- Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis's cousin
- Jerry Lee Lewis, also rock and roll
- Ronnie Milsap
- Moon Mullican, "I'll Sail My Ship Alone"
- Charlie Rich
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins, legendary session player
- Fred Rose, also a music publisher
- Del Wood, "Down Yonder"
The Pianist is a 2002 motion picture that tells the story of how the Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman miraculously survived the Nazi Holocaust of 1939-1945.
The term pianist was used during the Second World War to designate a spy using radio or wireless telegraphy to keep in touch with headquarters.
