The piano puts whole worlds of musical sound at the fingertips of one player, evoking the singing of a solo voice, the textural richness of an orchestra, and the rhythmic impetus of a dance band. It has been background or centre stage in concert-going, parlour singing, choir rehearsals, theatrical tryouts, and many other activities, forging a common bond among people of very different social spheres. This delightfully written and copiously illustrated book examines the place of the piano in classical and popular musical cultures and the piano's changing cultural roles over the past three centuries. Eminent authors discuss the impetus for the invention of the piano; the innovations in its design, manufacturing, and marketing that promoted its growing significance in concert life and domestic life; and the importance of the piano lesson in the upbringing of the young especially of girls. They explore the relationship between the piano on the public stage and the piano in the parlour; the spread of the piano to all parts of the world; and the images formed around the piano in literature, art, and movies. And they eloquently describe what the piano has meant to different eras, as it evolved from the plaything of European aristocrats to companion of people of all classes and cultures.
Piano Roles
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The piano turns 300 this year. To celebrate, Parakilas (music, Bates Coll.; Ballads Without Words: Chopin and the Tradition of the Instrumental Ballade) has assembled a group of distinguished contributors and fashioned a lavishly illustrated social history of the piano directed at informed lay readers. Interweaving a chronological treatment of the piano's development with thematic essays, including how the piano is depicted in art, its manufacture and marketing, the role of the piano in motion pictures, the piano lesson, and its history in Japan, the authors share their warm regard and enthusiasm for this instrument central to so many facets of music-making. Exploring the piano's well-traveled avenues and little-known byways, this thoroughly entertaining and insightful book complements earlier titles like The Lives of the Piano (ed. by James R. Gaines; 1981. o.p.), Dieter Hildebrandt's Pianoforte: A Social History of the Piano (LJ 6/1/88), and David Crombie's Piano (LJ 1/96). Highly recommended as an exceptional value for all music collections.
-Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Sumptuous . . . . an obligatory addition to the book collection of anyone who loves or plays the instrument." -- Stephen Thompson, Tampa
A delight to browse through, it will also change the way you hear and think about pianos... -- Tamara Bernstein, National Post (Canada)
A delight to browse through, it will also change the way you hear and think about pianos... -- Tamara Bernstein, National Post (Canada)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful, lively, entertaining history.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Piano Roles: Three Hundred Years of Life with the Piano (Hardcover)
Three hundred years of piano history are presented in a fine book which considers the place of the piano in classical and popular music alike. From the design, manufacturing and styles of the piano to the individuals who made their mark in music history with the piano, this includes a delightful range of color drawings and illustrations along with a lively history certain to delight any avid fan of the instrument.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
TICKLING THOSE IVORIES ... AND DOING SUCH A GRAND JOB!,
By
This review is from: Piano Roles: Three Hundred Years of Life with the Piano (Hardcover)
Call this one an important lesson in the key of life. To celebrate the 300th birthday of everyone's fave instrument, author James Parakilas has written a book at once awesome and astounding, a stunning cultural history, told in vivid detail and ample anecdotes and stunning color photographs, of the musical and social roles that the piano has played in its long and amazing career. (It became so popular, for instance, as the result of not just ingenious mechanical design but also ingenious marketing.) An important book whether your tastes run to Beatles or Berlin, Liszt or Liberace. Tickle on!
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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major sonata, minor sonata, major concerto, conservatory system, piano industry, accompanied sonatas, piano trade, piano production, piano design, piano manufacturers, solo sonatas, damper pedal Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, World War, United States, James Parakilas, Franz Liszt, Tokyo School of Music, Piano Forte, Duke Ellington, Paris Conservatory, Jane Austen, Johann Andreas Stein, Smithsonian Institution, Thelonious Monk, George Sand, Lamb of God, John Broadwood, Arthur Loesser, Leipzig Conservatory, Keith Jarrett, Clara Schumann, Iwakura Embassy, Song of Russia, Ignaz Moscheles, Frédéric Chopin, New England Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
major sonata, minor sonata, major concerto, conservatory system, piano industry, accompanied sonatas, piano trade, piano production, piano design, piano manufacturers, solo sonatas, damper pedal Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, World War, United States, James Parakilas, Franz Liszt, Tokyo School of Music, Piano Forte, Duke Ellington, Paris Conservatory, Jane Austen, Johann Andreas Stein, Smithsonian Institution, Thelonious Monk, George Sand, Lamb of God, John Broadwood, Arthur Loesser, Leipzig Conservatory, Keith Jarrett, Clara Schumann, Iwakura Embassy, Song of Russia, Ignaz Moscheles, Frédéric Chopin, New England Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
13
books
cite this book:
See all 13 books citing this book
- Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology by Edward Tenner in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Idea of Music in Victorian Fiction (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain) (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain) by Sophie Fuller on page 84, and Back Matter
- The Virtuoso Liszt (New Perspectives in Music History and Criticism) by Dana Gooley in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Bach in Berlin: Nation and Culture in Mendelssohns Revival of the St. Matthew Passion by Celia Applegate on page 151, and Back Matter
- The Coming of Sound by Douglas Gomery in Back Matter
See all 13 books citing this book
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