Stuart Isacoff pianist, critic and teacher explores
the history and evolution of the piano: how its sound
provides the basis for emotional expression and
individual style, why it has so powerfully entertained
generation upon generation of listeners. A Natural
History of the Piano distills a lifetime of research and
passion into one brilliant narrative. We witness Mozart
unveiling his monumental concertos in Vienna s
coffeehouses, using a special piano with one keyboard
for the hands and another for the feet; European
virtuoso Henri Herz entertaining rowdy miners during the
California gold rush; Beethoven at his piano, conjuring
healing angels to console a grieving mother who had lost
her child; Liszt fainting in the arms of a page turner
to spark an entire hall into hysterics Ranging from the
groundbreaking music of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt and
Debussy to the breathtaking techniques of Glenn Gould,
Oscar Peterson, Arthur Rubinstein and Van Cliburn,
Isacoff delineates how classical music and jazz
influenced each other as the uniquely American art form
progressed from ragtime, novelty, boogie, bebop, and
beyond, through Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Duke
Ellington, Herbie Hancock and Bill Charlap. Here is the
instrument in all its complexity and beauty. We learn of
the incredible craftsmanship of a modern Steinway, the
peculiarity of specialty pianos built for the Victorian
household, the continuing innovation in keyboards
including electronic ones. And most of all, we hear the
music of the masters, from centuries ago and in our own
age, as brilliantly evoked as its most recent
performance. This wide-ranging volume is an essential
for music lovers, pianists, and the armchair
musician. |
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