Why does a piano sound like a piano? A similar question can be asked of virtually all musical instruments. A particular note - such as middle C - can be produced by a piano, a violin, a clarinet, and many other instruments, yet it is easy for even a musically untrained listener to distinguish between these different instruments. A central quest in the study of musical instruments is to understand why the sound of the "same" note depends greatly on the instrument, and to elucidate which aspects of an instrument are most critical in producing the musical tones characteristic of the instrument. The primary goal of Physics of the Piano is to investigate these questions for the piano. The explanations in this book use a minimum of mathematics, and are intended for anyone who is interested in music and musical instruments. At the same time, there are many insights relating physics and the piano that will likely be interesting and perhaps surprising for many physicists.

Teaching Piano in Groups provides a one-stop compendium of information related to all aspects of group piano teaching. Motivated by an ever-growing interest in this instructional method and its widespread mandatory inclusion in piano pedagogy curricula, Christopher Fisher highlights the proven viability and success of group piano teaching, and arms front-line group piano instructors with the necessary tools for practical implementation of a system of instruction in their own teaching.
Contained within are: a comprehensive history of group piano teaching; accessible overviews of the most important theories and philosophies of group psychology and instruction; suggested group piano curricular competencies; practical implementation strategies; and thorough recommendations for curricular materials, instructional technologies, and equipment. Teaching Piano in Groups also addresses specific considerations for pre-college teaching scenarios, the public school group piano classroom, and college-level group piano programs for both music major and non-music majors.
Teaching Piano in Groups is accompanied by an extensive companion website, featuring a multi-format listing of resources as well as interviews with several group piano pedagogues.

Lang Lang Piano Academy: mastering the piano level 5 (approximately equivalent to Grade 5/Intermediate) includes sections on legato pedalling, phrasing and rubato and new accompaniment styles. Units: Developing dexterity Instinctive pedalling Refining the touch Phrasing and rubato Character Ornamentation Interpretation and style Performing Mastering the piano is the first series of books to be launched in the Lang Lang Piano Academy. Comprising five progressive books, mastering the piano captures Lang Lang's passion, drive and extraordinary mastery of the piano. Each book gives students the chance to learn from this exceptional talent, with: 8 units that develop key aspects of piano technique; specially devised exercises & studies; a diverse selection of repertoire including Lang Lang's favourite works; and inspirational commentary & guidance from Lang Lang himself. Mastering the piano is also available as an iPad App! Listen to Lang Lang perform Prelude in C by J. S. Bach Download FREE Scales & Arpeggios Chart for Level 5

Pianoworks Collection 2 is a fabulous anthology compiled especially for the older beginner pianist. The collection is packed full of favourite pieces from a variety of genres, including 'Jupiter' from Holst's The Planets, jazz standard Take Five, and a beautiful new arrangement of 'Scarborough Fair'. The pieces are ideal both for concert performance and to reinforce the techniques introduced in Pianoworks Book 2.

Following methods known to have been adopted by Bach himself, the exercises provided in chorale harmonization are graded in such a way as to encourage the student to develop both technique and imagination within a closely-defined framework. The instrumental counterpoint section is based on Bach's two-and three-part Inventions. By close analysis the author helps the reader to recognize the procedures Bach adopted in various musical situations. The exercises are taken largely from Bach's keyboard works.

The Organ and Its Music in German-Jewish Culture examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. Tina Fruhauf expertly chronicles the history of the organ in Jewish culture from the earliest references in the Talmud through the 19th century, when it had established a firm and lasting presence in Jewish sacred and secular spaces in central Europe. Fruhauf demonstrates how the introduction of the organ into German synagogues was part of the significant changes which took place in Judaism after the Enlightenment, and posits the organ as a symbol of the division of the Jewish community into Orthodox and Reform congregations. Newly composed organ music for Jewish liturgy after this division became part of a cross-cultural music tradition in 19th and 20th century Germany, when a specific style of organ music developed which combined elements of Western and Jewish cultures. Concluding with a discussion of the organ in Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, the book presents in-depth case studies which illustrate how the organ has been utilized in the musical life of specific Jewish communities in the 20th century.
Based on extensive research in the archives of organ builders and Jewish musicians, The Organ and Its Music in German-Jewish Culture offers comprehensive and detailed descriptions of specific organs as well as fascinating portraits of Jewish organists and composers. With an extensive companion website featuring full color illustrations and over 200 organ dispositions, this book will be eagerly read by performers, students, and scholars of the organ, as well as students and scholarsin historical musicology and Jewish music.

The life and works of one of the most difficult yet rewarding composers of modern time. Jean Barraque is increasingly being recognized as one of the great composers of the second half of the 20th century. Though he left only seven works, his voice in each of them is unmistakeable, and powerful. He had no doubt of hisresponsibility, as a creator, to take his listeners on challenging adventures that could not but leave them changed. After the collapse of morality he had witnessed as a child growing up during the Second World War, and having taken notice of so much disarray in the culture around him, he set himself to make music that would, out of chaos, speak. Three others were crucial to him. One was Pierre Boulez, who, three years older, provided him with keysto a new musical language -- a language more dramatic, driving and passionate than Boulez's. Another was Michel Foucault, to whom he was close personally for a while, and with whom he had a dialogue that was determinative for bothof them. Finally, in the writings of Hermann Broch-and especially in the novel The Death of Virgil-he found the myth he needed to realize musically. He played for high stakes, and he took risks with himself as well as in hisart. Intemperate and difficult, even with his closest friends, he died in 1973 at the age of forty-five. Paul Griffiths was chief music critic for the London Times (1982-92) and The New Yorker (1992-96) and since 1996 has written regularly for the New York Times. He has written books on Boulez, Cage, Messiaen, Ligeti, Davies, Bartok and Stravinsky, as well as several librettos, among them The Jewel Box (Mozart, 1991), Marco Polo (Tan Dun, 1996) and What Next? (Elliott Carter, 1999).

Beginning pianists of all ages will cherish this excellent compilation of classics. Each piece was carefully selected and simplified to help students develop their skills. Many of the greatest composers -- J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and others -- are represented by several pieces each, some newly adapted for the piano. Composers and works not usually featured in beginner's books include pieces by Borodin, Gluck, Rameau, and Tallis.
Well-known classics include Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, " Debussy's "Claire de Lune, " Moussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition, " Satie's "Gymnopedie No. 1, " Schumann's "Child Falling Asleep, " and "Spring" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." Several orchestral pieces have been newly adapted for the piano, including "Dance of the Swan" from "Swan Lake, " "Elephant" from "Carnival of the Animals, " "Largo" from "Xerxes, " and "Waltz of the Flowers" from "The""Nutcracker."

While much has been written about the repertoire of musical works for pianoforte duet, ensemble literature for the other classical, historical, and contemporary keyboard instruments has usually been mentioned in only incidental ways. The goal of this bibliography is to advance the playing and listening enjoyment of works written for two or more players at the individual or combined instruments of the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ. It offers a starting point for future research, covering material from the 16th through the 20th centuries, and lists works that keyboard performers can use in programs without involving other instrumentalists or singers. The book begins with a brief introduction to clavichord, harpsichord, and organ music throughout the centuries and is followed by the representative listing of more than 325 works, arranged alphabetically by the more than 220 composers covered. This literature spans five centuries, several nationalities, many different styles, a wide range of compositional techniques, and all types of ensembles. The degree of difficulty varies widely, though most are within the grasp of even modest performers. Wherever possible, sources for all scores have been cited, while those out of print have been cited to recordings or even addresses of composers and arrangers. A series of appendixes provide further useful information, including a discography, addresses of libraries, and addresses of music publishers. This original reference work will be a valuable asset to students of keyboard pedagogy, as well as for professional musicians and music scholars.

Skyhorse Publishing is proud to revive "Playing Piano for Pleasure." With the wonderful writing one would expect from a longtime "New Yorker" reporter, Piano aficionado Charles Cooke, offers concrete routines for improving your piano performance. A pleasant and constant cheerleader, Cooke asks readers to practice every day, suggesting that they work through just that section time and again until it is perfect. In addition to his own thoughts, Cooke includes material from his interviews with master pianists, artists, and writers. The result is a book that should be cherished for years to come.

Because it has always represented a rich collaboration of the music, art, architecture, handicraft and science of its day, the organ, more than any other instrument, continues to reflect the spirit of the age in which it was built. This collection of essays, by leading scholars of the organ, follows the history of six organs in Scandinavia and Northern Germany, telling a unique story of the cultural history of northern Europe during the past four centuries. A CD with appropriate repertoire played on each of the six instruments accompanies the book.

No pianist can experience the full flowering of her art without eventually grappling with those great musical minds who composed specifically for piano. In The Pianist's Craft, Richard Anderson collects from his fellow pianist-scholars 19 articles on the teaching, preparation, and performance of works by the greatest composers in the standard piano repertoire. This collection ranges in subject matter from Inge Rosar's meditation on playing Bach on the modern keyboard to Gary Amato's assessment of Haydn's sonatas, from Christie Skousen's review of tone production in Chopin to GwenolynMok's foray into recreating Ravel's works on an Erard piano, the same used by Ravel himself. Readers will find essays as well on Mozart's piano compositions, Beethoven's sonatas, the influence of Schubert's lieder on his piano works, and works by Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Bartok, Gershwin, and Crumb. The contributors all recognized nationally and internationally for their contributions as performing artists, teachers, recording artists, and clinicians write thoughtfully about the composers whose work they have studied and played for years. Each author addresses issues unique to the individual composer they have chosen to explore, examining questions of phrasing, tempo, articulation, dynamics, rhythm, color, gesture, lyricism, instrumentation, and genre. Valuable insight is provided into teaching, performing, and preparing these great works. In The Pianist's Craft these great artists and teachers answer questions for readers that are otherwise only addressed in conferences, master classes, and private lessons. In this collection of essays, key points of information and instruction are offered with over 200 musical examples included as illustration. The Pianist's Craft is intended for teachers and students of the intermediate and advanced levels of piano, instructors and performers at the university level, and those who love piano and piano music generally.

The ability to improvise a fugue is considered by many to be the summit of practical musicianship. Such skill, combining harmony, counterpoint, form, and style simultaneously, is best learned through the study of figured-bass fugue. The Langloz Manuscript, originating in the era of J.S. Bach, is the largest extant collection of figured-bass fugues. Published here for the first time, this edition of the manuscript includes detailed explanatory notes and illustrates how the art of extemporised fugue was developed in the eighteenth century.

Book 2 opens with a new My Own Song improvisation on CDEFG. Unit 1 introduces phrasing and legato touch, and also presents harmonic 2nds and 3rds with staccato touch. The following two units are dedicated to the introduction of 4ths and 5ths. Also in Unit 3, sharps are introduced in a diatonic setting starting on D, and flats are introduced as blues notes. Most pieces in the second half of Book 2 coordinate hands playing together. This book works very well for transfer students.

(Piano Solo Songbook). 12 piano pieces from the 2006 Oscar-nominated film, including: Another Dance * Darcy's Letter * Dawn * Georgiana * Leaving Netherfield * Liz on Top of the World * Meryton Townhall * The Secret Life of Daydreams * Stars and Butterflies * and more.

For the first time ever, musical selections from the first five Harry Potter movies are available in one jam-packed collection. Intermediate-level pianists will love playing these Easy Piano arrangements, which faithfully render the magical music of John Williams, Patrick Doyle, and Nicholas Hooper. Full color art pages from each movie are included. Titles: Buckbeak's Flight * The Chamber of Secrets * Double Trouble * Dumbledore's Army * Fawkes the Phoenix * Fireworks * Hagrid the Professor * Harry in Winter * Harry's Wondrous World * Hedwig's Theme * Hogwarts' Hymn * Hogwarts' March * Loved Ones and Leaving * Nimbus 2000 * Potter Waltz * Professor Umbridge * The Quidditch World Cup (The Irish) * The Room of Requirement.

Makers of the Piano Volume 2: 1820-1860 continues the overview of early pianos begun in Clinkscale's Makers of the Piano 1700-1820 (OUP, 1993). Although a few of the biographies overlap, the majority of the makers are completely new. Approximately 2,400 makers and manufacturers and about 2,200 pianos are listed in this book. Of this total, about 645 are English, the majority of whom were active in London; more than 200 of the London makers have not been discussed in previous publications. In addition to British makers, several hundred others have not before been catalogued in English. This group includes makers active in nineteenth-century Hungary, Austria, major German cities, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Canada, and the United States. Particularly useful is an appendix prepared by John R. Watson of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia of detailed drawings of the major types of instrument styles discussed in the main text itself.

A piece a week Piano Grade 5 is ideal to be used alongside the Improve your sight-reading! graded piano books to support and improve the reading skills so fundamental to successful sight-reading. These fun, short pieces are specifically written to be learnt one per week. By continually reading accessible new repertoire, the crucial processing of information and hand-eye coordination are established and improved, developing confident sight-reading. The ability to sight-read fluently is a vital skill, enabling students to learn new pieces more quickly and play with other musicians. The best-selling Improve your sight-reading! series, by renowned educationalist Paul Harris, is designed to develop sight-reading skills, especially in the context of graded exams.