Piano Pieces [Paperback]

Russell Sherman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 1997

Russell Sherman has been hailed as "that rarest of performers--a thinking man's virtuoso" (Chicago Tribune), and Piano Pieces is his scintillating excursion into the world of piano and its multiple spheres of affect and influence. From pithy reflections on tone, technique, and the thorny matter of thumbs to ruminations on how such a machine could be the voice and repository of priceless human messages both lyrical and complex, Piano Pieces examines the current status of music, piano-playing, and pedagogy through the noisy filter of contemporary culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sherman is a noted concert pianist and music teacher who confesses, at the outset of this collection of observations on pianism, music in general and society at large, that he is lazy. Yet, he feels driven to offer "the diary of an old and unregenerate crust." The result is not so much an organized book as a collection of reflections and aphorisms arranged roughly into sections dealing with the essence of piano technique, the teaching of it, the world in which pianism is taught today and thoughts on works of the masters. Sherman is a man of considerable erudition and much wit, whose description of the pianist's finger functions is brilliant, both poetic and allusive. If in assessing the desired pianistic qualities he sometimes becomes too technical for most lay readers, this is redeemed by salty salvos at such betes noirs as piano competitions and electronic popular culture. He fears a whole generation is being lost to the pleasures of serious music, and only the current interest in environmentalism gives him the faintest hope for the future of the species. Reading a book in endless brief bites can be wearing, however, and it seems a pity that Sherman couldn't bring himself to put his very worthwhile thoughts into a more coherent, cohesive framework.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Sherman is a concert pianist who teaches at the New England Conservatory. Here he offers a rambling collection of aphorisms or mini-essays that gives the impression of snatches one might hear while listening in on him giving piano lessons. Metaphor and simile abound: the hand is like a Spanish dancer, the hand is like a Ferris wheel; the score is a map, the score is the boss; playing the piano is like golfing, playing the piano is like hunting. There are also thoughts on the interpretation and the philosophy of music, as well as the nature of art, the problem of youth today, and so on. This book will appeal to those who enjoyed Sherman's appearance in The Not Quite Innocent Bystander (LJ 3/15/90), a book on his piano teacher, Edward Steuermann.?Michael Colby, Univ. of California, Davis
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press (June 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374525005
• ISBN-13: 978-0374525002
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book is an excellent piece of music in itself!, March 5, 1999

By 

Angela Chan "Nanafun" (Dollard des Ormeaux, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piano Pieces (Hardcover)

As a concert pianist and pedagogue myself, I find Russell Sherman's Piano Pieces to be one of the most inspiring books on piano performance I have ever read. It is non-prescriptive and does not conform to conventional didactic approaches or methodologies. (So, if you want a self-help manual or detailed instructions on how to play the piano, this is not the book!) Instead, the book is a collage of a series of "pieces" of thoughts - concerning the hand, the piano, the music, the student, the parent, the mindset to musical apprenticeship, and a plethora of other significant issues confronting the life of a developing musician. Piano Pieces is poetically and eloquently written. The metaphors bring to life the essence of the experience of music apprenticeship and performance. Sherman Russell's poetic language reaches the soul of the reader, engaging the reader in an intellectual and philosophical journey to the inner realities of musical performance. This book also brings to light certain ethereal qualities, the "je ne sais quoi" properties of a moving performance - which is so difficult to communicate through the conventional objectively reductive (Cartesian) thinking. "Piano Pieces" would serve as an excellent inspirational guide for the practicing musician. I would recommend this book to all readers - from the serious musician to neophytes, and to parents of budding musicians as well.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring read for eclectic minds, February 9, 2003

By 

"hoopsandjazz" (Northeastern United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piano Pieces (Paperback)

I'm surprised by the reviews that denounce this book. Sherman's tone is at once informal and high-minded, which might limit the appeal of Piano Pieces to a particularly North American sensibility. Still, when I read it in the spring of 1996, I knew Piano Pieces would remain one of the most intellectually and creatively inspiring books that I would read on any subject. Sherman treats a range of issues related to performing the European piano literature by comparing it to, or locating it within, literary criticism, baseball, mythology, poetry, drama, aesthetic theory, art history, everyday life, personal experience, (American)consumer culture, and social history. In addition, Sherman's recollections of his own teacher, Eduard Steuermann, are touching and instructive. It is clear, too, that Sherman has learned as much from his students as he has imparted to them. Sherman has a searching, inquisitive mind that brings together disparate subjects and phenomena coherently and beautifully.

That said, Piano Pieces may not appeal to non-pianists and may turn off those pianists who, understandably, prefer not to think about how they make music. Still, this book is a fascinating record of a musical soul.

One more thing: prior to reading this book, I was only vaguely aware of Sherman as an instructor in the Boston area. After reading Piano Pieces, I sought Sherman's recordings and prepared myself for a series of disappointments. Happily, I found that he is a gifted performer. Although you may have to search for them, I especially recommend his recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas and Haydn's piano sonatas. He is a thoughtful and surprising music maker.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stay with this book, May 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Piano Pieces (Paperback)

While many (especially non-musicians, non-artists, non-students, non-teachers or non-thinkers) may give up on this book, there are many, many things to recommend it. Since the book is written in short, paragraph-long sections, one can jump all around, which is really how to read it. If you do you may glean numerous insights. Though prone to being pretty pretentious, Sherman has thought deeply about his work as a musician, pianist and teacher. He understands how mere technique does not make an artist, how simply hours of practice does not make a great pianist, and how music competitions are death to performers: in other words, things that need to be said! Sherman is able to convey these insights, and a patient, intelligent reader should be able to get beyond his admittedly weak style as a writer and make many discoveries.