In this post, you'll learn about 16 of my favorite violin and piano duets listed in order of difficulty. This list does not include any arrangements, transcriptions, or piano reductions; all of the works were originally written for violin and piano. Additionally, there are no sonatas on the list. Sonatas are arguably the most common and popular type of violin and piano duet, but there's already plenty of lists of those out there. This post includes just stand-alone works written for violin and piano.

Beginner Violin and Piano Duets

#1 Music by Black Composers by Rachel Barton Pine

The pieces in this book are very beginner friendly and were written by both men and women composers from all over the world. The pieces are also very diverse-ranging in date from the 1700's to today. Additionally, the book includes short biographies of each composer and features Black classical music making throughout history.

#2 Six Very Easy Pieces by Edward Elgar

Now I don't know about you, but if one of the most well known composers of all time wrote extremely accessible violin music for beginners, I would definitely want to play it! These pieces can be played entirely in first position, but have a nice mix of different rhythmic structures and characters.

#3 Indian Concertino by George Perlman

This piece is very beginner friendly and can be played entirely in first position. This piece mimics a real concerto in that it has three separate movements in contrasting styles. The melody is also quite different than standard "classical" pieces, as it inspired by the rhythms and melodies of native American music.

#4 Russian Fantasy # 1 by Leo Portnoff

This is the easiest and shortest Russian Fantasy by Portnoff. There are four total, and they are all fairly beginner friendly. This piece is only two pages long and doesn't require any shifting, however there are passages that would certainly be easier if played in third position. This piece does also have a lot more 16th notes than the previously mentioned pieces, and is meant to be played at a faster tempo.

#5 Ave Maria by Bach/Gounod

I'm sure you probably know this piece! The reason why I placed it a bit further down on the list is because it does require a good amount of control and finesse to truly shine. Additionally, it does sound best with vibrato, but that is not required.

Intermediate Violin and Piano Duets

#6 Concertino in D Major by Oscar Rieding

You may be familiar with Rieding's Concerto in B Minor, which is a beautiful piece and much more beginner friendly. This piece is a bit longer; it has three movements and lasts for about 12 minutes total. The piece does require shifting even higher than third position and has some very tricky and fast passage work at the end.

#7 Meditation by Jules Massenet

This is arguably one of the most iconic violin and piano duets of all time 😍 There is no avoiding shifting in this piece; the player must shift to at least fifth position, and perhaps even sixth position to avoid using the fourth finger on long, sustained notes. The piece is pretty short-only one page- and repetitive. Since it is on the slow side, it requires a lot of finesse, bow control, and varied vibrato to truly do justice.

#8 Salut D'Amour by Edward Elgar

This piece is a bit longer than Meditation and requires the player to shift even higher than sixth position, which is why it's a bit further down on the list in terms of difficulty. Salut D'Amour is also in the key of E Major, which is a pretty difficult key for intonation.

#9 Romance in F Major by Beethoven

Compared to the Meditation and Salut D'Amour, the Beethoven Romance has a lot more variety of different techniques and characters. This makes it a bit harder to play because the player must be more versatile and be able to switch between different characters quickly.

#10 Sicilienne and Rigaudon by Fritz Kreisler

This piece is relatively short, but the majority of it is comprised of very fast passage work (16th notes). In addition to the speed, there are a lot of accidentals which give way to intonation problems, and quite a bit of fast shifting.

#11 3 Viennese Waltzes by Fritz Kreisler

This is made up of three pieces: Liebesleid (Love's Sorrow), Liebesfreud (Love's Joy) and Schon Rosmarin. These pieces are definitely heading into the advanced category, but the easiest of the three is Liebesleid. It is very repetitive and it doesn't have too many high notes. However, since it is so repetitive, it's important to create really beautiful phrasing.

Advanced Violin and Piano Duets

#12 Praeludium and Allegro by Fritz Kreisler

This is another iconic violin and piano duet. The opening is extremely recognizable, powerful, and a lot of fun to play. This piece has it all-fast runs, double stops, exciting passages, lyrical passages, and is a wonderful example of the genre.

#13 Zigeunerweisen by Pablo de Sarasate

#14 Chaconne by Tomaso Vitali

This piece has a beautiful, sorrowful melody, with rays of hope shining through throughout the piece. This piece has it all-double stops, chords, fast passages, beautiful, and lyrical melodies.

#15 Zapateado by Pablo de Sarasate

This is such a fun and upbeat piece with a real Spanish flare. I think it's impossible to be sad when listening to this piece!

#16 Tzigane by Ravel