Piano Roles: Three Hundred Years of Life with the Piano
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Book Overview
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 ev
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0300080557
ISBN13:9780300080551
Release Date:February 2000
Publisher:Yale University Press
Length:480 Pages
Weight:3.95 lbs.
Dimensions:10.0" x 1.5" x 8.3"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
TICKLING THOSE IVORIES ... AND DOING SUCH A GRAND JOB!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
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!
A delightful, lively, entertaining history.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
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.
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