Violin vs. Piano

[Florestan]

Which of these two instruments do you love more and why?

I confess that although solo piano is probably my favorite genre, if I could start my life again I'd love to learn playing the violin  -- if only because it's much more portable and handy. 

For my ears the sound of the piano is aristocratic, elegant and intraverted, while the sound of the violin is commoner-like, sentimental and extraverted. I love both of them equally --- their combination, be they sonatas or variations or individual pieces is dynamite for my soul.

How about you?

[Todd]

Piano.  It has a greater frequency range, greater dynamic range, and solo music written for the instrument is often more expressive. 

[Rosalba]

The piano is an all-purpose 'really useful engine', but my heart is with the violin, which has a soul!

[Brahmsian]

I cannot chose, even WITH a gun to my head.

[Rosalba]

I cannot chose, even WITH a gun to my head.

By religious leaders in history, and in folk legend too, the violin is regarded as 'the devil's instrument'.
Why would that be, unless it is almost irresistibly seductive?

[prémont]

Piano.

Most composers of distinction have written more interesting music for piano than for violin. And other than that I have a problem with the steely sound of the "modern" violin.

[amw]

I chose both: I tried to learn both piano and violin when starting out. I ended up giving up the violin though, for various reasons—mostly that after a year or so of lessons I still hadn't improved to what I considered an acceptable level of tone production, but also because there wasn't much repertoire I could play on my own.

In retrospect the latter was exactly the reason I should have stuck with it: it might have pushed me to play more chamber music, and thus become more socially active and well-connected among other musicians. As an ongoing piano student ~20 years later, with no hope of ever reaching a professional level, I mostly end up playing solo piano stuff.

[Florestan]

By religious leaders in history, and in folk legend too, the violin is regarded as 'the devil's instrument'.

I don't remember Jesus Christ's saying anything about either violin or piano. 

[Roasted Swan]

Easy - violin every time.  Pianists can't play in orchestras (I'm ignoring orchestral piano parts) as a matter of course.  The piano is essentially a solo instrument the violin essentially an ensemble instrument.  The GREATEST joy of music making is the shared ensemble experience.  The violin is the best ensemble instrument........

[Florestan]

I chose both: I tried to learn both piano and violin when starting out. I ended up giving up the violin though, for various reasons—mostly that after a year or so of lessons I still hadn't improved to what I considered an acceptable level of tone production, but also because there wasn't much repertoire I could play on my own.

In retrospect the latter was exactly the reason I should have stuck with it: it might have pushed me to play more chamber music, and thus become more socially active and well-connected among other musicians. As an ongoing piano student ~20 years later, with no hope of ever reaching a professional level, I mostly end up playing solo piano stuff.

Great point! Playing the violin is indeed a much more socially activity than playing the piano.

[Florestan]

Piano.  It has a [...] greater dynamic range.

I think this is not an intrinsic feature but it's heavily dependent on performers. It's quite possible that a fff on the violin sound louder than a fff on piano, and I attended concerts in which the violin was distinctly audible against the orchestral tutti background and concerts in which the piano was drowned in the massive orchestral sound.

[Autolycus]

Easy - violin every time.  Pianists can't play in orchestras (I'm ignoring orchestral piano parts) as a matter of course.  The piano is essentially a solo instrument the violin essentially an ensemble instrument.  The GREATEST joy of music making is the shared ensemble experience.  The violin is the best ensemble instrument........

The piano is an all purpose continuo instrument and also can act as a percussion section on its own.So the piano is an ideal ensemble instrument.

If you look at Bach's 4 part fugues it's even an orchestra in itself. Some of Mozart's Piano Sonatas have an orchestral feel where the piano is imitating an orchestral sound.

What I really like about the piano is its range and capacity for harmony - think of Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith on a fiddle

[Florestan]

What I really like about the piano is its range and capacity for harmony - think of Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith on a fiddle

Why would anyone think of that?

[Roasted Swan]

The piano is an all purpose continuo instrument and also can act as a percussion section on its own.So the piano is an ideal ensemble instrument.

If you look at Bach's 4 part fugues it's even an orchestra in itself. Some of Mozart's Piano Sonatas have an orchestral feel where the piano is imitating an orchestral sound.

What I really like about the piano is its range and capacity for harmony - think of Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith on a fiddle

Err..... no!  When was continuo used post 17???  Name me one major piece post 1800 where the piano is a "continuo" instrument.  Trust me - I've worked with SO MANY pianists who struggle in ensembles (obviously there are GOOD ensemble pianists too) but really the whole mind set of pianists is as solo playing they really do not have a clue about ensemble playing let alone being in an orchestra.  That's why pianists struggle as conductors too - they have no practical experience being "in" an ensemble......

[amw]

Great point! Playing the violin is indeed a much more socially activity than playing the piano.

With that said though, the piano repertoire is much more important to me and not only because I've played some of it. Including solo and piano chamber music, I could not survive without Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Fauré, Grieg, Janáček, Szymanowski, et al. (especially since this includes sonatas for violin and piano, piano trios, songs for voice and piano and so on)—not to mention all the solo keyboard stuff that can be played on piano by Bach, the Couperins, Rameau, Scarlatti, etc. For violin and string music without piano there's also pieces I couldn't live without—Bach, Sciarrino and other solo violin stuff, but also string trios, quartets, quintets and sextets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Fauré, Dvořák, Bartók et al. Ok, I guess I can't actually choose at all on the basis of repertoire, but I guess my top 4 or 5 pieces of music ever written all have piano involved somewhere.

[Gurn Blanston]

If I can take 10 pieces of music to listen to for some indeterminate period,  nearly all of them would be violin pieces.  My love of the sound of the instrument plus the particular sound quality of idiomatic violin music is what got me into classical music to begin with.  That said,  of those 10 pieces,  90% would be sonatas for violin and piano,  which is my favorite genre.  So pianoforte would be well represented.  😉

🤠😎

[VonStupp]

Can I anticipate a Heckelphone vs. Contrabassoon thread? 

I love the variety and versatility available to the piano, including prepared piano, but, as I have never played a string instrument aside from the Appalachian Dulcimer, I often find myself mystified and enchanted by string instruments.

VS

[Florestan]

With that said though, the piano repertoire is much more important to me and not only because I've played some of it. Including solo and piano chamber music, I could not survive without Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Fauré, Grieg, Janáček, Szymanowski, et al. (especially since this includes sonatas for violin and piano, piano trios, songs for voice and piano and so on)—not to mention all the solo keyboard stuff that can be played on piano by Bach, the Couperins, Rameau, Scarlatti, etc. For violin and string music without piano there's also pieces I couldn't live without—Bach, Sciarrino and other solo violin stuff, but also string trios, quartets, quintets and sextets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Fauré, Dvořák, Bartók et al. Ok, I guess I can't actually choose at all on the basis of repertoire, but I guess my top 4 or 5 pieces of music ever written all have piano involved somewhere.

I'm in complete agreement, although I could easily assemble a Top 5 favorite pieces of music not involving the piano.

[Florestan]

If I can take 10 pieces of music to listen to for some indeterminate period,  nearly all of them would be violin pieces.  My love of the sound of the instrument plus the particular sound quality of idiomatic violin music is what got me into classical music to begin with.  That said,  of those 10 pieces,  90% would be sonatas for violin and piano,  which is my favorite genre.  So pianoforte would be well represented.  😉

🤠😎

Great post, Gurn.

[DavidW]

In isolation I prefer the piano to the violin by a long shot.

But the violin is the one instrument that always seems to fit and greatly enhance everyone else in chamber and orchestral works.

So it is a tie for me.