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I'm reading a pretty good one just now: The Rest is Noise; Listening to the Twentieth Century. Alex Ross, Picador pub. (FSG), 2007, paper, 695 pages.

Ross worked as music critic for The New Yorker. This is a historical and musical overview of twentieth century composers, music, and the music scene. It was pretty harrowing century, when you think about it: WWI, WWII, Germany in the Weimar Republic and on into Hitler, Russia before the revolution and on into Stalin. Then again, there was Paris in the twenties, Hollywood in the thirties and forties, New York in the fifties and sixties. It is a pretty well-informed and unflinching look at a time it seems many music history writers would as soon skip over.

Ross is a pretty smart guy, and the text is dense with ideas and information, yet the story is readable and even gripping. At 695 pp., including an index, it is a lot of book for eighteen bucks.

Thank you. I've added it:



Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

The Art of Piano Playing; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives of the Great Composers; Steen;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

I'm quite a British history freak, so this takes up a fair amount of time, but here are a few piano books I've read over the past several years:

Life and Liszt; Friedheim (intoxicated memoir)

I Really Should Be Practicing; Gary Graffman (Autobiography)

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Edited Kenneth Hamilton

Rachmaninoff; Max Harrison

Alkan: The Music; Ronald Smith

The Pianist's Problems; William S.Newman

(Yet a bit embarrassed to admit that most of my music reading has not been piano oriented! Some months ago I read an incredible bio of Erich Wolfgang Korngold.)

"Just Being at the Piano" by Mildred Portney Chase is a favorite of mine to share with students, especially adult students. I didn't see this one on your list.
Nice idea for a thread, Deborah. What a wonderful selection of good reads!

I just read "Piano Lessons/Music, Love and True Adventures" by Noah Adams (the NPR All Things Considered journalist)

Biographies:
Harold Bauer, His Book; Harold Bauer
My Husband Gabrilowitsch; Clara Clemens
Bad Boy of Music; George Antheil

Thank you all for adding to the list. It's going to be a real treat to check out all these great suggestions. (No, I'm not working for Amazon!) Keep those ideas coming!


Alkan; The Music; Smith;

Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

The Art of Piano Playing; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil;

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Harold Bauer, His Book; Bauer

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Just Being at the Piano; Chase;

Life and Liszt; Friedhelm; (Intoxicating memoir)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives of the Great Composers; Steen;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

My Husband, Gabrilowitsch; Clemens;

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Lessons/Music Love and True Adventures; Adams

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Rachmaninoff; Harrison; (Biography)

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

Super List - hope you don't mind my sharing this great list with my adult students.

Thanks Deborah.

Dr. J - The More You Play - and make time to read - the Better Your Day

My pleasure. Please share it. That's the whole point!

Since this came up elsewhere:

The Capture of Inspiration; E. Robert Schmitz; the kinesiology of piano playing.

While we are on technique, I cannot understand how we could have missed

Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing; Josef Lhevinne
Piano Playing with Piano Questions Answered; Josef Hofmann

And while we are on famous pianists

A Conversation on Music; Anton Rubinstein

A Music Study in Germany; Amy Fay; The music "scene" of the late 1800s
Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom; not so much piano, but a far less well known music "scene."

Wonders of the Piano; Catherine Bielefeldt; the best book on how pianos are made.

A few from my bookshelf:

On Piano Playing, Abby Whiteside; Combines "Indispensables of Piano Playing" and "Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays"

Great Pianists on Piano Playing, James Cooke; Contains a wealth of information and practical advice from great pianists, plus biographical sketches.

With Your Own Two Hands, Seymour Bernstein; A pianist's practical program for conquering nervousness, sharpening memory and concentration, building coordination and flexibility.

The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique, Tobias Matthay: A complete and definitive statement of Matthay's famous method.

The Pianist's Repertoire: Chopin, Eleanor Bailie: A graded paractical guide with detailed suggestions for study and performance.

The Art of Practising the Piano, Jeffrey Whitton;

Music at Your Fingertips, Ruth Slenczynska; Advice for the artist and amateur on playing the piano

On Piano Playing, Gyorgy Sandor; Practical program for developing the physical skills essential to accomplished playing.

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance; Kenneth Hamilton; (Piano playing in the 19th century vs. modern playing)

Alfred Brendel on Music: Collected Essays; Brendel; (Lots of interesting thoughts from a great musician)

French Pianism: A Historical Perspective; Timbrell; (an overview and many interviews with French pianists)

Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations; Monsaingeon; (catnip for serious Richter fans)

Thanks! Updated:



A Conversation on Music; Rubinstein,Anton;

A Music Study in Germany; Fay; (Music scene of the late 1800's)

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance; Hamilton; (19th century piano playing versus modern playing)

Alfred Brendel on Music: Collected Essays; Brendel; (Lots of interesting thoughts by a great musician)

Alkan; The Music; Smith;

Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

The Art of Piano Playing; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of Practicing, The; Whitton;

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

Capture the Inspiration; Schmitz; (Kinesiology of piano playing)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

French Pianism: A Historical Perspective; Timbrell; (Overview and interviews with French Pianists)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Great Pianists on Piano Playing; Cooke; (Information and practical advice from great pianists + biographical sketches)

Harold Bauer, His Book; Bauer (biography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Just Being at the Piano; Chase;

Life and Liszt; Friedhelm; (Intoxicating memoir)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives of the Great Composers; Steen;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

Music at Your Fingertips; Slenczynska; (Piano advice for artist and amateur)

My Husband, Gabrilowitsch; Clemens; (biography)

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

On Piano Playing; Whiteside; (Combines "Indispensables of Piano Playing" and "Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays)

On Piano Playing; Sandor; (Practical program for developing physical skills essential to accomplished playing)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

The Pianist's Repertoire; Bailie; (graded practical guide with suggestions on study and performance)

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Lessons/Music Love and True Adventures; Adams

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Rachmaninoff; Harrison; (Biography)

Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom;

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations; Monsaingeon; (catnip for Richter fans)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique; Matthay; (Matthay's famous method -complete)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

With Your Own Two Hands; Bernstein, S; (pianists practical program for conquering nervousness, sharpening memory, concentration, coordination, flexibility)

Wonders of the Piano; Bielefeldt; (How pianos are made)

Deborah,

Here's a correction for your list:

There are two books with similar names by different authors.

Lives of the Great Composers, The; Schonberg; (A general survey of the lives of many of the great composers)

Lives and Times of the Great Composers, The; Steen; (A survey of the lives of the great composers.)

A few additions:

Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, The; Magrath; (Review and levels for common elementary to early advanced piano literature. Does not cover the advanced pieces.)

A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music; Barnard; (Lists, Lists, and more Liszts. This covers rough levels of advanced pieces.)

Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire; Hinson; (available online at http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/iol/ Review and levels for common piano pieces. This does cover advanced pieces.)

There are a lot more books available online at the www.iupress.indiana.edu/iol/ link. I'm not sure how many of them you would like to add.

Rich

Rich, thank you for the correction and additions. Please feel free to add any books you have read and enjoyed that are applicable.

A Conversation on Music; Rubinstein,Anton;

A Music Study in Germany; Fay; (Music scene of the late 1800's)

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance; Hamilton; (19th century piano playing versus modern playing)

Alfred Brendel on Music: Collected Essays; Brendel; (Lots of interesting thoughts by a great musician)

Alkan; The Music; Smith;

Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music; Barnard (Lists, Lists, and more Liszts. This covers rough levels of advanced pieces.)

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

The Art of Piano Playing; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of Practicing, The; Whitton;

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

Capture the Inspiration; Schmitz; (Kinesiology of piano playing)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

French Pianism: A Historical Perspective; Timbrell; (Overview and interviews with French Pianists)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Great Pianists on Piano Playing; Cooke; (Information and practical advice from great pianists + biographical sketches)

Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire; Hinson; (available online at http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/iol/ Review and levels for common piano pieces. This does cover advanced pieces.)

Harold Bauer, His Book; Bauer (biography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Just Being at the Piano; Chase;

Life and Liszt; Friedhelm; (Intoxicating memoir)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives and Times of the Great Composers; Steen;

Lives of the Great Composers; Schonberg;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

Music at Your Fingertips; Slenczynska; (Piano advice for artist and amateur)

My Husband, Gabrilowitsch; Clemens; (biography)

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

On Piano Playing; Whiteside; (Combines "Indispensables of Piano Playing" and "Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays)

On Piano Playing; Sandor; (Practical program for developing physical skills essential to accomplished playing)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, The; Magrath; (Review and levels for common elementary to early advanced piano literature. Does not cover the advanced pieces.)

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

The Pianist's Repertoire; Bailie; (graded practical guide with suggestions on study and performance)

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Lessons/Music Love and True Adventures; Adams

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Rachmaninoff; Harrison; (Biography)

Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom;

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations; Monsaingeon; (catnip for Richter fans)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique; Matthay; (Matthay's famous method -complete)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

With Your Own Two Hands; Bernstein, S; (pianists practical program for conquering nervousness, sharpening memory, concentration, coordination, flexibility)

Wonders of the Piano; Bielefeldt; (How pianos are made)

May I suggest that you edit just your original post? That way the entire post isn't repeated with each addition.

I would add

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier, by Thad Carhart

Its a good suggestion but there is a time limit on edits. I can no longer open the last post. Also, by renewing the post, it appears on top of the forum page rather than slipping off into the land of old posts.

I should have added your suggestion previously. I loved that book.


A Conversation on Music; Rubinstein,Anton;

A Music Study in Germany; Fay; (Music scene of the late 1800's)

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance; Hamilton; (19th century piano playing versus modern playing)

Alfred Brendel on Music: Collected Essays; Brendel; (Lots of interesting thoughts by a great musician)

Alkan; The Music; Smith;

Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music; Barnard (Lists, Lists, and more Liszts. This covers rough levels of advanced pieces.)

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

The Art of Piano Playing; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of Practicing, The; Whitton;

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

Capture the Inspiration; Schmitz; (Kinesiology of piano playing)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

French Pianism: A Historical Perspective; Timbrell; (Overview and interviews with French Pianists)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Great Pianists on Piano Playing; Cooke; (Information and practical advice from great pianists + biographical sketches)

Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire; Hinson; (available online at http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/iol/ Review and levels for common piano pieces. This does cover advanced pieces.)

Harold Bauer, His Book; Bauer (biography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Just Being at the Piano; Chase;

Life and Liszt; Friedhelm; (Intoxicating memoir)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives and Times of the Great Composers; Steen;

Lives of the Great Composers; Schonberg;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

Music at Your Fingertips; Slenczynska; (Piano advice for artist and amateur)

My Husband, Gabrilowitsch; Clemens; (biography)

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

On Piano Playing; Whiteside; (Combines "Indispensables of Piano Playing" and "Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays)

On Piano Playing; Sandor; (Practical program for developing physical skills essential to accomplished playing)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, The; Magrath; (Review and levels for common elementary to early advanced piano literature. Does not cover the advanced pieces.)

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

The Pianist's Repertoire; Bailie; (graded practical guide with suggestions on study and performance)

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Lessons/Music Love and True Adventures; Adams

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank; Carhart (charming story)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Rachmaninoff; Harrison; (Biography)

Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom;

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations; Monsaingeon; (catnip for Richter fans)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique; Matthay; (Matthay's famous method -complete)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

With Your Own Two Hands; Bernstein, S; (pianists practical program for conquering nervousness, sharpening memory, concentration, coordination, flexibility)

Wonders of the Piano; Bielefeldt; (How pianos are made)

Last addition and last call for books you would like to recommend. I was lucky to find a few at a used book store.


A Conversation on Music; Rubinstein,Anton;

A Music Study in Germany; Fay; (Music scene of the late 1800's)

After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance; Hamilton; (19th century piano playing versus modern playing)

Alfred Brendel on Music: Collected Essays; Brendel; (Lots of interesting thoughts by a great musician)

Alkan; The Music; Smith;

Am I Too Loud?; Moore (Memoirs of an accompanist)

An Amateur at the Keyboard…; Yates (History,accompanying, public music etc)

An Equal Music; Seth;

A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music; Barnard (Lists, Lists, and more Liszts. This covers rough levels of advanced pieces.)

Art of Performance; Schenker; (performance, technique, practicing.)

Art of Piano Playing, The; Neuhaus; (Autobiographical and advice on technique)

Art of Practicing, The; Bruser; (Suggestions for practicing with relaxation, all instruments)

Art of Practicing, The; Whitton;

Art of the Piano; Diebboll; (Beautiful pianos)

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

Capture the Inspiration; Schmitz; (Kinesiology of piano playing)

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano; Flinn;

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach; Little, Jenne, Jenne; (Bach's dance music)

Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald; (Biography, psychological study)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

Famous Pianists and their Technique; Gerig; (Overview of schools and approaches to technique)

Farewell Recital; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

French Pianism: A Historical Perspective; Timbrell; (Overview and interviews with French Pianists)

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

Grand Obsession; Knize; (Perri's journey to find the perfect piano)

Great Pianists on Piano Playing; Cooke; (Information and practical advice from great pianists + biographical sketches)

Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire; Hinson; (available online at http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/iol/ Review and levels for common piano pieces. This does cover advanced pieces.)

Harold Bauer, His Book; Bauer (biography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

Inner Game of Music; Green; (Techniques for mastering nerves and tension)

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff; (Biography)

Just Being at the Piano; Chase;

Life and Liszt; Friedhelm; (Intoxicating memoir)

Life, Paint and Passion; Cassou; (Intuitive approach to creating, focus is on painting but applicable)

Listening to the Twentieth Century; Ross; (historical and musical overview of 20th century composers, music, and the music scene)

Lives and Times of the Great Composers; Steen;

Lives of the Great Composers; Schonberg;

Men, Women and Pianos; Loesser; (History of pianos)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

Music at Your Fingertips; Slenczynska; (Piano advice for artist and amateur)

My Husband, Gabrilowitsch; Clemens; (biography)

My Life in Music; Barenboim; (Barenboim's experiences as a pianist and conductor. Interesting insights into the art of conducting.)

My Life with the Great Pianists; Mohr; (Personal reflections of a technician, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

My Young Years; Rubinstein; (Autobiography)

Note by Note; Tunstall; (Memoirs of a piano teacher)

Notes from a Pianist's Bench; Berman; (technique, interpretation emotion)

Notes of a Pianist; Gottschalk; (Memoirs of a 19th century pianist)

On Piano Playing; Whiteside; (Combines "Indispensables of Piano Playing" and "Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays)

On Piano Playing; Sandor; (Practical program for developing physical skills essential to accomplished playing)

Ornamentation: A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Bigler; (How to perform ornaments for intermediate pianists)

Passionate Practice; Elson; (Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

The Perfect Wrong Note; Westney; (Advice on practice, nerves and performance. )

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, The; Magrath; (Review and levels for common elementary to early advanced piano literature. Does not cover the advanced pieces.)

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

The Pianist's Repertoire; Bailie; (graded practical guide with suggestions on study and performance)

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

Piano Book; Fine; (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

Piano Girl; Goldsby; (Amusing memoir, insights into piano playing)

Piano Handbook Complete Guide; Humphries; (Tutorial)

Piano Lessons/Music Love and True Adventures; Adams

Piano Notes; Rosen; (notes from a concert pianist)

Piano Playing with Questions Answered; Hofmann; (Great pianist's advice).

Piano Roles; Parakilas; (Social history of the piano)

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank; Carhart; (charming story)

Piano Technique; Leimer & Kieseking; (technique, memorizing)

Pierce Piano Atlas; Ashley, Pierce; (Piano business, manufacturing, serial numbers etc)

Playing Bach on the Keyboard - A Practical Guide; Troeger;

Playing the Piano for Pleasure; Cooke; (1940's - advice on how to practice.)

Poet's Love; Moore; (Songs of Robert Schumann)

Rachmaninoff; Harrison; (Biography)

Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Robert Kimball and William Bolcom;

Romance on Three Legs; Hafner; (Biography Glenn Gould)

Schubert Song Cycles; Moore;

Singer and Accompanist; Moore; (Interpretation of 50 songs)

Speaking of Pianists; Chasins; (Personal reflections on the great pianists of the early 20th century)

Sviatoslav Richter: Notebooks and Conversations; Monsaingeon; (catnip for Richter fans)

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

Tipbook - Piano: The Best Guide of Your Instrument; Pinksterboer; (Lessons, practicing, jargon, history, etc.)

The Unashamed Accompanist; Moore; (memoirs of an accompanist)

Under the Lid; Brady; (Technician's advice on piano maintenance with fascinating anecdotes about pianists and concert prep.)

The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique; Matthay; (Matthay's famous method -complete)

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body; Mark; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists)

With Your Own Two Hands; Bernstein, S; (pianists practical program for conquering nervousness, sharpening memory, concentration, coordination, flexibility)

Wonders of the Piano; Bielefeldt; (How pianos are made)

The Death of David Debrizzi; Paul Micou; (novel of a piano prodigy, told from the perspective of the prodigy's first teacher, full of biting wit)

The Mephisto Waltz; Fred Mustard Stewart; (horror novel about dying concert pianist who befriends a younger pianist who gave up professional aspirations)