Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History, Volume 1854As the "social anchor" in middle-class homes of the nineteenth century, the piano was simultaneously an elegant piece of drawing-room furniture, a sign of bourgeois prosperity, and a means of introducing the young to music. In this admirably balanced and leisurely account of the popular instrument, the late, internationally known concert pianist Arthur Loesser takes a "piano's-eye view" of the recent social history of Western Europe and the United States. Drawing on newspapers, music manuscripts, popular accounts, and other sources, Loesser traces the history of the piano from its predecessors, the clavichord and the harpsichord, to the modern spinet and concert grand. Chapter headings such as "Clavichords Make Weeping Easier," "The Harpsichord Grows Feet," "The More Pianos the Merrier," and "The Keyboards Go West" suggest the author's lighthearted approach to topics ranging from the piano's European origins and its introduction in the United States to the decline of piano manufacturing in the early twentieth century and the "victory of airborne music" by mid-century. |
Contents
THE SUPERCHOPPINGBOARD AROUSES MUCH FEELING WHY | 3 |
FIT IT WITH KEYS? | 24 |
THE ITALIANS SOON LOSE INTEREST IN THE NEW IDEA | 34 |
Copyright | |
100 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
advertisement American piano arpeggios artists audience Bach bass Battle of Prague became become Beethoven began Blüthner Boston Broadwood called Chickering Chiroplast chords clavichord clavier Clementi composer compositions concert dance daughter Dussek early eighteenth century England English Erard factory fashionable feel felt fingers firm florins forte fortepiano France French gave German girls grand hammer hand harpsichord Haydn hear Henri Herz Herz instru Italian Johann keyboard instrument keys ladies later Leipzig less lessons Liszt living London manufacturers master mechanical melodeon melody ment Moscheles Mozart musicians octaves opera orchestra organ Pantaleon Hebenstreit Paris pedal performance persons pianist piano makers pianoforte piece Pietist played player Pleyel pretty production published pupils Sébastien Erard seems sing sonatas songs soon sound Steinway strings success Thalberg theater thing tion tone tune upright variations Vienna violin virtuosos waltz word York young