Piano Notes The World of the Pianist [Paperback]

Among the world's instruments, the piano stands out as the most versatile, powerful, and misunderstood -- even by those who have spent much of their lives learning to play. InPiano Notes,a finalist for a 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award, Charles Rosen, one of the world's most talented pianists, distills a lifetime of wisdom and lore into an unforgettable tour of the hidden world of piano playing.
You'll read about how a note is produced, why a chord can move us, why the piano -- hero and villain of tonality -- has shaped the course of Western music, and why it is growing obsolete. Rosen explains what it means that Beethoven composed in his head whereas Mozart would never dream of doing so, why there are nofortissimosin the works of Ravel, and why a piano player's acrobatics have an important dramatic effect but nothing more. Ending on a contemplative note,Piano Notesoffers an elegant argument that piano music is not just sound or even significant sound but a mechanical, physical, and fetishistic experience that faces new challenges in an era of recorded music. Rosen ponders whether piano playing will ever again be the same, and his insights astonish.Charles Rosenis a concert pianist and music critic. He has twice been nominated for the Grammy Award, and his landmark book,The Classical Style,won the National Book Award. He lives in New York City and Paris.The New York Review of BooksIf your shelves have room for one volume about the piano from glory to decline,Piano Notesis the book of choice.The New York TimesA fascinating analysis of a performer's relationship to his instrument.The EconomistRosen brings all of his experience as one of the most intellectually rigorous pianists and brilliant music historians alive today to this wide-ranging and approachable book.American Record GuideA gold mine of experience and wisdom.