One of the most popular piano pieces of all time is Ludwig van Beethoven‘s “Fur Elise,” composed for a girl named Elisabeth. With an enticing melody and several intense measures of tricky notes, it’s no surprise that most students of the piano desire to learn this song.

Beethoven is also known for his “Moonlight Sonata,” written in 1801 and dedicated to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. With a much slower tempo and darker tones, this piece conveys a deeper message of tranquility. Arranged to contradict the standards of the time, each of the three movements brings about a stir of emotions.

A slightly controversial piece is the simply named “Minuet in G,” which was discovered in a hand kept journal and attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach for decades until identified as a section of Christian Petzold’s harpsichord suite. With a mild, upbeat, composition filled by lofty notes depicting simple happiness, this song is easily learned and useful to impress.

Bach’s most often performed prelude is his “Prelude No. 1 in C major” from the Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of Bach’s work generally regarded as the most influential selection of Western music. Conveying excited bliss at an accelerated tempo, the piece can aptly set the mood for positive ambiance.

Frederic Chopin, the greatest Romantic composer, has his piano talents best demonstrated by his “Scherzo No. 2 Op. 31.” Exploring the entire range of the instrument, this song employs nearly every key of the piano and includes long flowing passages of intricate melody. Louder than most of Chopin’s other works, this Scherzo welcomes a lively performer to bring it to life.

Johannes Brahms was both a traditionalist and an innovator, being somehow associated with Bach and Beethoven as the “Three Bs” of classical music. While much of his work is oddly familiar while still widely obscure, his “Rhapsody in B Minor Op. 79 No. 1” could be likened to a collage of his style, uncomplicated yet contrasting. Instead of being displeasing to the ear, this medley symbolizes a journey and ranges from meek to powerful.

Suffering from ridicule and depression most of his life, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was able to break free from his traditional Russian roots and compose music in compliance with his contemporaries from the West. His “Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 23” is a particularly lively song emphasizing the signature Russian sound with a refreshingly European repertoire.

Franz Liszt was considered the most technically advanced pianist of the 1840s, able to transcend the limiting boundary of composer and performer. Due to his notable skill, his songs are famously engrossing, especially his collection of Hungarian Rhapsodies. While the entire series is worthwhile, Number 14 is exceptionally inspirational and the basis for an entire orchestra performance.

Of course, it is impossible to compile an end-all list of the greatest classical piano compositions and these eight selections can only begin to introduce a novice to the glory of piano music. The exposure of an open mind to a plethora of expertly crafted tunes does only to build taste and develop a tuned ear.

Ludwig van Beethoven, unlike Mozart, wrote in a very different musical style. His time period was shifting from the highly ordered classical era into the rule breaking and rebellious romantic era. His contemporaries in the arts were Thomas Jones, Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson and Eugene Delacroix. They were experimenting in colors, perspectives, themes and mediums. Their teachers all believed in very strict rules regarding art and its creation, while they wished to be free to compose or paint a subject as it exists as opposed to portraying it in a sophisticated light.

This shift away from the rules shows itself in Beethoven’s sonata quite clearly; it is not really a sonata at all. The standard sonata form from the classical period featured a fast-slow-fast-fast movement setup. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata progresses from slow to moderate to extremely fast in three tempos.

Regardless of the formal classification, this work features great opportunities for dramatic expression and personality to be brought to the fore for any performer. Beethoven’s works are very serious and contemplative. It is important to avoid abrupt stylistic and dynamic changes. Each crescendo should be meticulously planned to prevent a sweeping increase in volume. Instead, a subtly increasing volume maintained over the length of the phrase embodies the heart and soul of Beethoven.

There is a new technology when it comes to the radios that are offering a lot of benefits. This is a spread spectrum radio that is standard on almost all of the RC radios, with the exception of the toy modes. The spread spectrum radio provides more freedom.

Ultimately, the biggest problem with RC models has always been the interference issues. Particularly with flying a RC plane, if someone were to get on your frequency, it could send your plane crashing down. With the newer technology, there are no frequency conflicts and therefore no issues. It uses a wide range of radio spectrum, therefore eliminating the frequency problems.

There are two types of spread spectrum radios. FHSS or frequency hopping changes the frequency multiple times in a second. This has been around for a while. Now, there is also DSSS or direct sequence. This is a faster data transmission which also means faster response times.

Some other technology found in the RC models is cameras. These are fun spy cameras for some and state of the art surveillance vehicles for others. Some people are using them as a way to take fun aerial shots while some of the press photographers are taking advantage of them in a few more interesting ways.

The controls are also becoming more digital. This means that the days of crashing an airplane because of not knowing how to fly are almost over. It’s a lot easier to maneuver the RC models today because of the various controls built inside. They will automatically compensate for wind direction and they have indicators for low battery, low fuel and much more.

A lot of people have loved the idea of playing with RC models but didn’t like the idea that they could be damaged so easily. There has always been a great risk involved with flying model planes because they were considered so delicate. If someone didn’t spend a significant amount of time with a simulator first, it would result in hundreds of dollars of damaged plane parts.

Today’s technology takes a lot of the guesswork out of operating the RC cars and planes. Perhaps the most impressive advancement made is that of the radio frequency. A number of model planes have fallen out of the sky because of interrupted signals and now that is virtually eliminated. Most of the latest models on the market feature the latest digital technology. They can be a little more expensive, but they are also easier to operate.

The “voice of the people” is the emphasis here, where there’s equal attention paid to raising consciousness and to serving coffee to fuel the impassioned conversations. For the latter, try the lattés, cappuccinos, and white chocolate mochas, all made with fair-trade-certified beans. For the former, owner Sander Hicks, founder of Soft Skull Press, has his own muckraking newspaper, The New York Megaphone. The school-bus-yellow interior has a comfortable, lefty feel, with a coffee bar made of salvaged mahogany and topped with recycled glass and cement. Wall décor features posters promoting self-publishing (available at discount rates), and chic Moleskin journals are arrayed among the radical titles near the cash register. A small stage hosts poetry readings and acoustic performances. Non-java libations include Six Points and Dogfish Head brews, as well as smoothies and excellent fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple and ginger juices. A short, unremarkable menu covers pastries, sandwiches, and pizzas. On weekends in season, separate vegan and carnivore barbeques smoke away near the ramshackle sidewalk tables in front, for equal opportunity eats for all. — Ethan Wolff

Open Mic Night

Sundays at 7 p.m. are Open Mic nights. Additional musical performances take place throughout the week.

DITMAS PARK — There’s a brand new coffee shop in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, and it’s serving up more than just espresso.

First-time café owner Josh Ruben has opened Whisk Bakery and Café at the corner of Newkirk Avenue and Westminster Road, just east of Coney Island Avenue and directly across from P.S. 217. The café held its grand opening party on Sept. 17 in conjunction with local artists’ association Flatbush Art Studio Tour (FAST). FAST’s paintings, photographs and even a wooden sculpture remain on the cafe walls for another month.

Ruben and his team hope to not only show art, but also hold music performances, films, and trivia nights by staying open late at least once a week. Interim manager Todd Neufeld, 30, says they’re trying to create a casual community hangout space in a neighborhood still smarting from last year’s loss of Vox Pop Café, the only lecture/performance space in a neighborhood that both Time Out and AM New York have described as one of the best for food.

“We’re not trying to recreate Vox Pop — [it] wasn’t run so well,” Neufeld said of the café, which closed in April 2010 due to unpaid state taxes and fines. “But they did such a great job; the space had a lot of warmth.”

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