The Early Pianoforte (Cambridge Musical Texts and Monographs) - Hardcover

Pollens, Stewart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521417295 ISBN 13: 9780521417297

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1995

Synopsis

This is the first comprehensive historical and technological study of the pianoforte based on important primary source material. Most histories of the piano begin with its invention by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence in about 1700: this study begins with the earliest fifteenth- and sixteenth-century manuscript sources and extends over Cristofori's rediscovery of the principle of the hammer action, the early exportation of Florentine pianofortes to prominent European courts, and the building of copies of these instruments in Portugal, Spain and Germany. Technical information is presented in a comparative format and the text is illustrated with many photographs, measurements, line drawings and tables. While written primarily for the technical specialist, there is much here of significance for the history of the piano and performance practice.

About this title

Review

'... comprehensive in its coverage of the technological history of the piano, with a wealth of detail ...' Early Music Today

'... excellent ... an important addition to an excellent series.' Galpin Society Journal

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive historical and technological study of the pianoforte. It begins with the earliest manuscript sources and then focuses on the 'invention' of the piano in Florence in 1700. The text is illustrated with many photographs, measurements, line drawings and tables.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0521417295
• ISBN 13: 9780521417297
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 317