BOOK 1: THE PIANO HANDBOOK In this book McCombie explains how Bartolomeo Cristofori changed a Harpsichord in to a piano

Authors Avatar

        MUSIC & TECHNOLOGY        MU1HO2C

        Assignment 2

 BOOK 1: THE PIANO HANDBOOK

        In this book McCombie explains how Bartolomeo Cristofori changed a Harpsichord in to a piano over three hundred years ago. McCombie goes on describing how when Cristofori was angry and frustrated he banged on the keys of the Harpsichord. Cristofori found that they didn’t respond with satisfactory crashing chords. By the year 1700 Cristofori changed the Harpsichord so that he could use two strings for each note and a set of leather covered hammers to strike them. He then developed a key mechanism to control the force of the hammers.

        McCombie uses a lot of illustrations to describe the mechanisms within a Harpsichord and a piano. In the next chapter talks about buying a piano. He suggests that the majority of music teachers have little or no experience in judging pianos. McCombie says that a tuning technician is the best-equipped person to talk to about buying a piano. He also recommends that buying by name is no longer a good idea as some well known makers have been taken over by other manufacturers.

        I think that this is articulately written and is aimed at people that have very little knowledge on the piano. Although this book has no information on playing the piano, I think it would be of great value to someone that wanted to start playing. I think this book is of value to my work because it explains the history of the piano in great detail.

BOOK 2: HISTORY OF THE PIANO

        In this book Closson talks about the Clavichord which is the earliest form of stringed keyboard instruments. He then goes on to talk about the Dulcimer which is also known as Dolce Melo in Italy, Backbrett in Germany, and Tymporion in France. This instrument has exists since antiquity and is still played form the Near East to the Far East and in most places in Europe. Closson in the following chapter talks about how the piano came from two geniuses; Cristofori and Erard. He explains how they perfected the Clavichord and the Harpsichord into an instrument of greater sonority, one that could be heard in larger rooms. The Clavichord is basically a dulcimer with a keyboard and the Harpsichord came from the psaltery, which is like the Dulcimer, but its strings are plucked by the fingers rather than being struck.

Join now!

        Closson uses a few illustrations to describe the different mechanisms in the Harpsichord, Clavichord and the piano but mostly uses photographs to show each instrument and the way that they have developed throughout the years. I think that this book is aimed at people that have some basic knowledge on the piano. It has got pieces of music for readers to try on the piano, although I did not find quite as useful as Book 1.

BOOK 3: GREAT PIANIST SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

        This book is about thirteen pianists’. The author writes predominantly about their lives and how ...

This is a preview of the whole essay