History Of The Pianoforte

According to Dieter Hildebrandt, the piano is a revolutionary figure and its story a grand adventure. One by one, the memorable geniuses make their appearance: Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt. Other highlights include the great piano duels (Bach v. Marchand, Mozart v. Clementi), the dawning era of the concert tour and the music critic, and the obsessions of the leading figures.

David Rowland traces the history of piano pedaling from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to its first maturity in the middle of the nineteenth century and beyond. Pedaling technique was a major feature of nineteenth-century piano performance and, coupled with new developments in piano structure, inspired many composers to write innovative works for the literature. Rowland examines this through the technique and music of composer-pianists such as Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin and follows the transition from harpsichord and clavichord to piano. The book also includes an appendix of translated extracts from three well-known piano-pedaling tutors.

Originally published in 1933, this book provides a detailed history of the piano-forte from its invention in Italy in the eighteenth century until the presentation of the first European cast-iron frame for a piano at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Harding also analyses the role of the piano as a replacement for a chamber orchestra and its history as a domestic instrument. The text is richly illustrated with images of pianos produced by a variety of makers over time, as well as with images of piano machinery taken from patent registrations. This thoroughly-researched book will be of value to anyone with an interest in one of the most ubiquitous instruments in the Western world and the history of its development.