Great Pianists (Paperback)

As a follower of the piano scene for many years, I must say that this book is THE one that you need to have. Its approach and tone reflect a glorification, awe, and love of pianism and its history. Some have alleged that the facts aren't always quite right, and for sure questionable opinions are sometimes presented as though they were clear fact; but the thrust and the narrative are so great that it hardly matters. Some reviews on this site complain that certain subjects should have been given more space; but, INSTEAD OF WHAT?? There's no wasted space in this book, either the original version or the update. If the reviewers mean that the book should have been LONGER, well, I would love it to have been longer, and I bet that Mr. Schonberg would have been glad to oblige.

Much of the book consists of the author's commentary on recordings by pianists of yesteryear. I always had the idea that his initial inspiration for the book may have been his love of listening to old recordings and the wish to share his impressions of them. In my first Amazon review of this book, I wondered whether anybody knows if this is true. Secretly I hoped that Mr. Schonberg himself might see that, and give us the answer. Well, the time for that is past. Anyway, wouldn't we ALL love to have spent a few months (or years) just listening to those old 78's?

Ruht wohl, Mr. Schonberg.

It is a wonderful book, full of memorable descriptions, amusing anecdotes and telling insights. Mr. Schonberg writes with a great deal of humour and a dose of healthy scepticism as to some of the more abstruse utterings of the piano community. He brings to light not only Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, but also all the lesser known figures active at the time as well as the great pianists of the 20th century. It is fascinating. You'll learn all about Thalberg (remembered now only for losing a piano "duel" with Liszt) but who must have been a tremendous musician, you'll read about Leopold de Meyer, who wasn't averse to playing the keyboard with his knee or elbow. You'll laugh at the antics of de Pachmann, learn how Beethoven played his own sonatas, be touched by the life story of Josef Hoffmann.

Above all, this book will open your mind about the piano and pianism. Today everyone concentrates on a handful of composers and pianists, a bit like looking only at a fragment of a painting. Mr. Schonberg brings the whole canvas to light in a clear, fluent, refreshing and readable way and does not confuse the reader with esoteric mumbo-jumbo. This is an accessible book, readable by lay person and musician alike.

The same author has also written a number of other books which I highly recommend, especially Lives of the Great Composers and Horowitz, His Life and Music.