The Blue Piano and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Carol Montparker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

Carol Montparker's 31 stories are remarkable for their frankness and emotional honesty. Creative nonfiction from a life in music, they are in turn tender and intense, lyrical and riotously funny. There is a poignant friendship with the elderly, irresistible Rudi; the anguish of a marriage that needed to end; true love found later; a narrow escape from an outlandishly surreal piano; moving tales from her teaching studio; each story with its own satisfying shape and rhythm. "These autobiographical stories sparkle with vignettes of people, places and petss, but their deeper subject is that of the woman pianist in a male-dominated worlld. The subject is not new, but Ms. Montparker brings to it a rewarding freshnesss of insight." - Jerome Lowenthal Pianist; and faculty, The Juilliard School "Thee pianist's latest book deserves to be read by anyone who plays or wishes to playy or ever wished to play the piano, and by everyone else too. She writes about muusic in a sane, wise, humane voice in this charming, instructive, often moving coollection." - Michael Kimmelman Chief Art Critic, The New York Times; and pianiist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

She once had a promising career as a concert pianist, but Montparker (A Pianist's Landscape) decided to scale back on performing and to free herself from the pressures and anxieties of a touring musician's life. Although the piano is still the focus of her existence, and she still gives recitals from time to time, she is now able to pursue other activities; in these engaging personal essays, which she calls stories, she muses on some of these interests, such as her writing and painting, her garden, the birds in her backyard, her diaries and her travels. Montparker also reminisces about her childhood in Brooklyn; some of the many friends she has made over the years, including a charming elderly gentleman who managed to pass along to her his deceased wife's Steinway piano without making it look like a gift; her disastrous first marriage; and the happiness she has found with a second husband who shares her interests. Music plays the central role in her stories, however. She writes beautifully about the pianos she has owned and played (or not played, as in the tale of the gaudy blue piano of the title, which she refused to use for a recital at Steinway Hall), the perils of giving concerts in small towns, the revitalizing power of music after the tragedy of September 11 and her affection for all her students. Montparker's essays are slight, but they speak delightfully of the contentment of a musician who has never regretted her decision to trade a taxing career for full enjoyment of life's other pleasures.
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Review

". . . [The stories] radiate and resonate as a sustained creative narrative about ‘reckoning’ with life, musically and personally . . . ." -- Between the Covers, The Independent Newspapers, April 21, 2004

"As [Montparker] tells the stories of her life, her craftsmanship as a wordsmith shines through. . . . " -- American Music Teacher Magazine, August / September 2004

"Montparker is a wonderful storyteller, and her straightforward, open style is refreshing." -- Clavier Magazine, July 2004

"The charm of these stories will fascinate musicians and non-musicians alike." -- Piano Professional UK, September 2004

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574670875
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670875
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,156,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carol Montparker, pianist and writer, has received highest praises for her concerts, CDs, and four books on music.

From early childhood Montparker's identity, her passport, her core experiences were as a musician. Stories from her life in music are the material for The Blue Piano and Other Stories. Insights and wisdom from her years as performer and teacher provide the material for the essays in A Pianist's Landscape. Her tangential career in music journalism began with the writing of her Chronicle: The Anatomy of a New York Debut Recital, a diary of her own debut at Carnegie recital Hall in 1976.Glenn Gould responded to her book, "This is the most un-put-downable piece of music journalism I have come across in many years!" Thus, Ms. Montparker began writing along with performing--books and numerous articles (including 20 years as senior editor of Clavier, articles for The New York Times, Newsday, and virtually every music publication.)

Montparker has received hundreds of responsive letters, a phenomenon that has continued throughout her career as active recitalist and lecturer in universities, piano festivals and conferences, museums, libraries, and her own workshops. Audiences and readers have consistently reaffirmed her natural ability to address the essence and spirit of music-making. Carol Montparker is a Steinway Artist, and this coming Fall will start a new series The Composers' Landscape, workshops featuring the masterpieces of single composers, including her performance, lecture, and coaching.(Please see www.montparker.com for details.)Montparker maintains an active private teaching studio in Huntington, New York. Please pay a visit to her website www.montparker.com

The following new series of events will be presented by Steinway Artist Carol Montparker at the Steinway Piano Gallery of Long Island:
SCHEDULE 2009-2010
The Composer's Landscape Series
Steinway Piano Gallery
505 Walt Whitman Rd, Melville, NY

BRAHMS - April 9, 2010, 7:30 PM
CHOPIN - February 19, 2010, 7:30 PM
(A bicentennial celebration of the composer's birth.)
BACH - December 11, 2009, 7:30 PM
MOZART - October 16, 2009, 7:30 PM

Pianists, piano teachers, and students are invited to participate in, or audit the new series entitled The Composer's Landscape, presented by Steinway Artist, Carol Montparker. At each of the two-hour workshops, Ms. Montparker will begin by performing a major work by the composer-in-focus followed by a talk and discussion about the essential elements of performing his piano works. Each of four selected pianists will then participate with their works-in-progress in the master class. Auditions will be held at Steinway Gallery of Long Island. For more information about participating in or attending these events, please call 631-424-0525. A nominal fee of $10. will be charged to auditors. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly suggested.

For questions you may also contact: [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant And Lyrical, September 6, 2005

By 

Stuart Isacoff (Bedford Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blue Piano and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Carol Montparker's long experience as a pianist, writer and teacher shine through these poignant, often humorous stories of a life in music. Whether dodging the unwanted attentions of a classical superstar or consulting fellow musicians on the ethics of changing Mozart's notes, she reveals with touching humanity the hurdles that an artist -- particularly a female artist -- must leap in order to survive. Her writing is warm and generous. As the editor of a piano magazine, I have been delighted to publish her musings from time to time. I recommend them to anyone who wants to have a friendly guide "backstage" and behind the scenes in the world of classical music.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Represents very real insights into the music world, June 3, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blue Piano and Other Stories (Hardcover)

The Blue Piano is the third book by musician Carol Montparker, providing thirty-one short stories covering musicianship and adventures in the music world. It's hard to easily categorize Blue Piano: the stories represent very real insights into the music world and sensibility, yet contain the passion and vivid descriptions of fiction. Suffice it to say that musicians in general and pianists in particular will relish these lyrical first-person insights.