Charles Rosen is one of the world's most talented pianists -- and one of music's most astute commentators. Known as a performer of Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Elliott Carter, he has also written highly acclaimed criticism for sophisticated students and professionals. In Piano Notes, he writes for a broader audience about an old friend -- the piano itself. Drawing upon a lifetime of wisdom and the accumulated lore of many great performers of the past, Rosen shows why the instrument demands such a stark combination of mental and physical prowess. Readers will gather many little-known insights -- from how pianists vary their posture, to how splicings and microphone placements can ruin recordings, to how the history of composition was dominated by the piano for two centuries. Stories of many great musicians abound. Rosen reveals Nadia Boulanger's favorite way to avoid commenting on the performances of her friends ("You know what I think," spoken with utmost earnestness), why Glenn Gould's recordings suffer from "double-strike" touches, and how even Vladimir Horowitz became enamored of splicing multiple performances into a single recording. Rosen's explanation of the piano's physical pleasures, demands, and discontents will delight and instruct anyone who has ever sat at a keyboard, as well as everyone who loves to listen to the instrument. In the end, he strikes a contemplative note. Western music was built around the piano from the classical era until recently, and for a good part of that time the instrument was an essential acquisition for every middle-class household. Music making was part of the fabric of social life. Yet those days have ended. Fewer people learn the instrument today. The rise of recorded music has homogenized performance styles and greatly reduced the frequency of public concerts. Music will undoubtedly survive, but will the supremely physical experience of playing the piano ever be the same?

About the Author

Charles Rosen is a distinguished 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 and has been reissued several times. Today he maintains an active performance schedule around the world, as well as writing for The New York Review of Books. He lives in New York City and Paris.

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Encanto Books (pronunciation: /en-kan-toh/) represents a collection of approximately 5,000 first edition books acquired over a period of forty years. The collection is comprised primarily of hardcover fiction, but includes a sizable number of 1950?s and 1960?s pulp paperback publications as well. Spanning a timeframe from the 1930?s Depression era all the way up to the present day, the collection has something of interest for virtually any serious antiquarian. In searching the Encanto Books website, you will see that a majority of the books for sale are true first editions, first printings; tantalizing, many of these are signed editions, too. While the collection has great depth and scope overall, there is no denying that our greatest interest was reserved for finding books of a particular genre of fiction: mysteries. Encanto Books has succeeded in collecting virtually the entire output from some of the greatest American mystery writers ever. In perusing the website, you will see that in many cases you will not only have the opportunity to acquire the first book in a series about a gumshoe who straddles the legal line, but instead, rare first editions of the entire series.

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Encanto Books
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Every effort has been made to describe our books carefully and accurately. Our books are guaranteed unconditionally. Any item may be returned if found unsatisfactory for any reason within 10 days of purchase, with prior notification via email. Refunds are limited to the original purchase price, including initial delivery costs. Retur...

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If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

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You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

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