The Mechanical Muse: The Piano, Pianism and Piano Music, c.1760-1850 and The Companion to The Mechanical Muse: The Piano, Pianism and Piano Music, c.1760-1850: 2 Volume Set

Vol 1: This book charts the piano's accession from musical curiosity to cultural icon, examining the instrument itself in its various guises as well as the music written for it. Both the piano and piano music were very much the product of the intellectual, cultural and social environments of the period and both were subject to many influences, directly and indirectly. These included character (individualism), the vernacular ('folk/popular') and creativity (improvisation), all of which are d...