Lately, I've been enjoying reading many of the books recommended here at PW. Borrowing from Matt's idea of listing music played by PW members, I'd like to start a thread listing books related to pianos, piano music, pianists and piano composers. Please include the title, author's name and a very brief description of what it covers. To keep the list managable, please do not critique the book. We will assume you liked it if you add it to our list.

Here's mine so far:

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

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

Men, Women and Pianos Loesser (History of pianos)

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, caveat: heavy on religion).

My Many Years Rubinstein (Autobiography)
My Young Years Rubinstein (Autobiography)

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

Piano Book Fine (Piano construction, purchasing, brands)

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

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

Romance on Three Legs Hafner (Biography Glenn Gould)

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

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

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

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

very interesting idea, Deborah (I can't really call you by your handle, gooddog!). May I suggest you format the listing a tiny bit (eg a comma or semi-colon) to separate the title and author for ease of reading

Well, it's not about piano playing per se, but this book influenced my own philosophy about making music. The author Michelle Cassou takes a process over product approach to painting. An approach I now apply to creating at the piano.



Highly recommended if you're looking for an intuitive approach to creating ... in any art.

Andromaque, thank you for the formatting suggestion.

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

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

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

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

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)

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

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sorry, but I can't list over 100 books. Maybe when I get finished with Walker's 3 volume Liszt bio. I'm near the end of Volume II.

Didn't see this one in your list:

"The Great Pianists" by Harold C. Schonberg

"Piano Roles" James Parakilas

"This is your brain on music" Daniel J. Levitin (Fascinating stuff!)

Pianoloverus, I tried to PM you but got a "user not found" message. If you have time, could you share the top 20 or so?

The Great Pianists; Schoenberg;

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

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

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

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

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)

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

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

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

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

Piano Roles; Parakilas;

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

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

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

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

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

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

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

IMO, I'd add in the full author's name. This might make it easier for people to find the books.

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

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin, John; (Tips for playing piano.)

Note by Note; Tunstall, Tricia; (Memoirs of a piano teacher.)

Piano Notes; Rosen, Charles; (Notes from a concert pianist.)

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

The Lives of the Great Composers; Schonberg, Harold; (Do I really need to add a description to this one?)

The Lives and Times of the Great Composers; Steen, Michael;

Beethoven; Solomon, Maynard; (Biography of Beethoven.)

Mozart: A Life; Solomon, Maynard; (Biography of Mozart.)

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician; Wolff, Christoph; (Biography of Bach.)

Effortless Mastery; Werner, Kenny;

What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body; Mark, Thomas; (Alexander Technique and anatomy for pianists.)

Ornamentation : A Question & Answer Manual; Lloyd-Watts, Valery & Carole L. Bigler; (A very practical study of how to perform ornamentation for intermediate pianists.)

I have other books that are on my to read list, but I'm not sure if we want to add these right now.

Rich

Rich, if the books on your "to read" list have been recommended here at PW or by someone you know, please add them.

Sorry, maybe I'm lazy, but I don't see any real need for first names on the list. Everything is pretty easy to find on Amazon.

Thanks for your contribution. Here's the updated list:

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

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

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

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

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)

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)

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.)

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

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

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

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

Piano Roles; Parakilas;

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

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

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

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

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

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

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)

These have been listed on another thread, but I've read them, and they're excellent:

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Body and Soul by Frank Conroy

Happy Reading!

Thanks. Updated:

An Equal Music; Seth;

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

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

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

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

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)

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)

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

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

Pianist's Guide to Pedaling; Banowetz;

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

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

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

Piano Roles; Parakilas;

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

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

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

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

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

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

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)

There are a few listed over here...
http://www.pianoworld.com/pianobooks.htm

If you want a good laugh (and an inside look at playing the hotel/wedding/party circuit), you have to read Piano Girl by Robin Meloy Goldsby (she's in our Who's Who forum).

An Amateur at the Keyboard, Being an Invitation to the Keyboard and its Pleasures, a Discussion and Brief History of its Literature, and Advice How One May Serve the Community as Accompanist, Master of Programs, Critic, or by encouraging the Public Music by Peter Yates

Notes of a Pianist by Louis Moreau Gottschalk

I took out all the books on piano playing from my university library at the beginning of the summer. Of those books, I'll recommend two:

Notes from the Pianist's Bench; Boris Berman (some technique, how to interpret music, playing with emotion, performing)

Piano Technique; Karl Leimer & Walter Gieseking (piano technique, memorizing)

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

An Equal Music; Seth;

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

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)

Effortless Mastery; Werner;

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

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)

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 (some technique, how to interpret music, playing with emotion, performing)

Notes of 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.)

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 & Gieseking (piano 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.)

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

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

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

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

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

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

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)

The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius Glenn Gould; Oswald. (Biography/ Psychological Study)

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

An Equal Music; Seth;

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

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)

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)

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.)

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.)

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

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

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

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

This is Your Brain on Music; Levitin;

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

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)

The following books by Gerald Moore (some are out of print but you may find them in second-hand bookshops, or libraries):

Am I Too Loud?
The Unashamed Accompanist
Farewell Recital
Furthermoore (not a typo )
(these could all be described as memoirs of an accompanist)

Singer and Accompanist (the interpretation of 50 songs)
Schubert Song Cycles (um, Schubert Song Cycles )
Poet's Love (the songs of Schumann)

It sounds like you think highly of Gerard Moore. Thank you.



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)

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 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.