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9780859679695

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'The Mechanical Muse is a valuable vade-mecum for piano students and enthusiasts alike. In addition to explaining the mechanics of the instrument as it developed from its beginnings to achieve huge popularity in the nineteenth century, Carew covers a broad sweep of repertoire, including both canonic and lesser-known works by a host of composers. Illustrated with copious musical examples taken from various genres, and placing the instrument and its music in period context with reference to contemporary art and literature, The Mechanical Muse draws its audience into the fascinating world of the complex instrument that is the piano.' Dorothy de Val, York University, Canada '... the writing is clear and wide-ranging... an extremely informative read...' Piano Professional 'Derek Carew's encyclopaedic work is ... a first step towards a syncretic approach to the piano's history. ... This is a manual for a large community of readers: from students to teachers, from pianists to scholars, all of whom will find pleasure in looking things up in the exhaustive index, rich bibliography and the fascinating series of plates, tables and figures. ... Carew's manual is more than simply an up-to-date book about the history of the piano: it is an inextinguishable source of information, which also provides fresh views on pianists and their repertory.' Early Music

'The Mechanical Muse is a valuable vade-mecum for piano students and enthusiasts alike. In addition to explaining the mechanics of the instrument as it developed from its beginnings to achieve huge popularity in the nineteenth century, Carew covers a broad sweep of repertoire, including both canonic and lesser-known works by a host of composers. Illustrated with copious musical examples taken from various genres, and placing the instrument and its music in period context with reference to contemporary art and literature, The Mechanical Muse draws its audience into the fascinating world of the complex instrument that is the piano.' Dorothy de Val, York University, Canada '... the writing is clear and wide-ranging... an extremely informative read...' Piano Professional 'Derek Carew's encyclopaedic work is ... a first step towards a syncretic approach to the piano's history. ... This is a manual for a large community of readers: from students to teachers, from pianists to scholars, all of whom will find pleasure in looking things up in the exhaustive index, rich bibliography and the fascinating series of plates, tables and figures. ... Carew's manual is more than simply an up-to-date book about the history of the piano: it is an inextinguishable source of information, which also provides fresh views on pianists and their repertory.' Early Music

Author Information

Dr Derek Carew is from the Department of Music at Cardiff University, UK.

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