Music for the Piano [Paperback]

This book is an excellent reference for pianists and music lovers alike. It covers a vast amount of piano literature, essentially all classical and modern piano music heard today and also lots of music little heard. For each piece, organized by composer and period, a short review is presented, intended to give the reader an idea of the piece's artistic value, technical difficulty, etc. Although only to be used as a general guideline, these comments are valuable. Well worth the money!

James Friskin (1886 -- 1967) and Irwin Freundlich (1908 -- 1977) served on the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music for many years and were themselves highly-regarded concert performers. In 1954, they coauthored this work, "Music for the Piano: A Handbook of Concert and Teaching Material from 1580 to 1952." In 1973, the book was reissued, without change and with a new introduction by Freundlich, by Dover Press.

Although it appears this book is no longer in print, it remains an invaluable guide to the literature of the piano. The book covers in good detail the major composers for the instrument, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, and Ravel, among others, but many lesser-known composers as well. It includes short descriptions of many of the works in the piano literature together with comments on matters of expression and interpretation. The book provides an indication of the technical difficulty of many of the works it discusses the particular technical skills required to perform them. The work also includes more general comments on the work of many composers and periods of music with suggestions on how to approach the music.

The book is divided into five sections covering 1. early keybord music before the development of the piano, (with separate treatment for English, French, Italian Spanish, Portuguese, and German composers); 2. solo piano music from Haydn to the early 20th Century (the longest section of the book); 3. 20th Century piano music (with subchapters covering Europe, the United States, and, importantly, Latin America); 4. piano music for four hands (one piano and two pianos) and 5 the concerto literature. Some of the information is dated, and the section on Twentiety Century music covers, of course only the first half Century. But this book remains a find, both for the standard literature and as a guide to little-known music.

Friskin and Freundlich are suprisingly thorough on early keyboard literature, especially because they wrote prior to the revival of interest in much early music. Of course, the works of J.S. Bach are covered in excellent detail but there is much else -- including a thorough discussion of many of the sonatas of Scarlatti. I was especially pleased with the treatment of the French clavecinists. I also noted a good discussion of the keyboard music of Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) which manages to omit any mention of his Canon in D.

I have long struggled with playing Beethoven's sonatas, and each of these works is given a good brief treatment in this collection. There is also a detailed treatment of the Mozart piano concertos. One of the key attractions of the book is the opportunity for browsing it affords -- and to read about composers and music with which one may not be familiar.

I have used this book for several years as background on an instrument and music I love, and as a guide to music I attempt to play. I have also used the book in listening to music, and it has helped give me ideas and insights for several CD reviews here on Amazon. This book will continue to delight those who love the piano, either by playing the instrument or by listening to the large and inexhaustible literature with which it is blessed.

Robin Friedman

Don't confuse this book with the 'Guide To The Pianist's Repertoire' by Maurice Hinson. It is not nearly as comprehensive. But for the money, it is a good place to start and might be all that many pianists and teachers need. The price is an added bonus. Much information at a very modest cost.

Recommended

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