A natural history of the piano: the instrument, the music, the musicians--from Mozart to modern jazz, and everything in between

Description

A gathering of traditions -- The piano is born -- The first piano superstar -- Piano fever -- Performers on the road -- The four sounds -- The combustibles -- The alchemists -- The rhythmizers -- The melodists -- The cultivated and the vernacular -- The Russians are coming -- The Germans and their close relations -- Keys to the world -- On the cutting edge -- Everything old is new again.;Unfolds the ongoing history and evolution of the piano and all its myriad wonders: how its very sound provides the basis for emotional expression and individual style, and why it has so powerfully entertained generation upon generation of listeners. A gathering of traditions -- The piano is born -- The first piano superstar -- Piano fever -- Performers on the road -- The four sounds -- The combustibles -- The alchemists -- The rhythmizers -- The melodists -- The cultivated and the vernacular -- The Russians are coming -- The Germans and their close relations -- Keys to the world -- On the cutting edge -- Everything old is new again.