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Not by Handel, of course. This is a piano forum.

1. My three favorites are by Ravel(in no particular order):Ondine, Jeux d'eau, Un barque sur l'ocean

2. Next for me are Liszt's Les Jeux d'eau de la Ville d'Este and Debussy's Gardens in the Rain and Reflections in the Water. I would also add his Goldfish although I guess some will complain it's not a water piece.

I don't think of Chopin's Barcarolle as a water piece anymore than I would call either of Mendelssohn's Venetian Boat Songs a water piece. To me they are boat pieces.

Do you know of other great pieces(not just random pieces whose titles have the word "water") depicting water? Which of the above or others you add do you think are the best or greatest?

I think I wrote a thread about this a long time ago but don't feel like searching.

Charles Griffes- The Lake At Evening
Charles Griffes- The Fountain of the Acqua Paola

Interesting question with results that I will be interested to read, but I think that this is where you enter questionable territory. "Best or greatest" in what sense? According to what/whose criteria? Don't we always go through a real hassle and some arguments when the "best/greatest" questions are asked?

Regards,

I didn’t try to determine whether the Griffes pieces fit a ‘great/best’ classification: they are classical; they are piano, and I happen to like them.

That’s enough of ‘great’ by my criteria. 😊

I don't know about great, but I'll take a liberty (or three, as is my wont) and nominate a couple of Schubert/Liszt - Die Forelle and Auf dem Wasser zu singen, both of which have watery figuration in the piano accompaniments of the original, as well as in Liszt's transcriptions.



I could also cheat even more by nominating Debussy's La mer in Lucien Garban's piano transcription, but it doesn't sound very watery and doesn't even make me seasick (which I'm prone to) .

Others I like:
Liszt: Au bord d'une source.
Alkan: La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer (more mad than water )
Berio: Wasserklavier (water piano)
Amy Beach: By the Still Waters.
Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II

Of course, I'm not going to mention the Ocean or Waterfall etudes or Raindrop prelude, as they're nothing of the kind, nor even Einaudi's Le Onde (because I can't stand him).

But to sum up, my favorite water music for piano is all Ravel's - Ondine especially (because it took me a long time to master it, and I'm not letting it go).
Next would be this (- does 'thunderstorm' count as water music? ):

I should have included Liszt's Au bord d'une source on my personal Liszt.

Guess arrangements for piano count. The opening movement of Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake" which started as orchestral piece.

Handel "Water Music" Air in F arranged as a piano piece. I heard it performed in church on an electric organ.

The "Yellow River Concerto" written in 1939 by Chinese composers during the war with Japan. A piece performed by Chinese pianists including Yundi Li & Lang Lang.

Scriabin Sonata no.2

Toru Takemitsu - Rain Tree Sketch II

Alkan - Song of the Madwoman on the Seashore. This one isn’t just title only - the crescendos and decrescendos beautifully depict waves crashing against the desolate shore, and the “tantrum” bit may also possibly evoke the splashing of water.

To me Schubert often evokes water. The middle two Op. 90 impromptus especially. The Eb streams or rivers, the Gb more of a brook or small waterfall.

I also have that with Chopin, fantaisie impromptu is water falling of rocks.

If you accept transcriptions, The Sea by Debussy, transcription by Lucien Garban. He did a number of transcriptions of various french pieces.

Beethoven-Liszt. Szene am Bach and Gewitter, Sturm from the Pastorale Symphony.

Ernest Bloch's "Poems of the Sea", especially the first movement titled "Waves". The other two movements, "Chanty" and "At Sea", might be considered boat pieces.

And I suppose "En Bateau" from Debussy's Petite Suite would be a boat piece.

The B minor Ballade of Liszt has three possible programmatic attachments, two of which are set in water:

The Prisoner of Chillon (propogated by Earl Wild & Raymond Lewenthal)
Hero and Leander (propogated by Claudio Arrau)

Though the Hero and Leander story is much more to my preference, I have a great admiration for the Lewenthal recording.

I suppose another good depiction of water in music would be the Legend No. 2 - again, of Liszt - since it evokes the image of a saint (St. Francis of Paola) walking on water.

But, if one wants a water piece in the style of Un sospiro, there's always "To the Sea" by George Posca. (I think Paul Barton has a recording on YouTube.)

Eight pieces make up Edward MacDowell's "Sea Pieces," Op. 55.

Regards,

I always think of "La Cathedrale Engloutie" by Debussy as a water piece, since it depicts a cathedral rising and falling back into the ocean.