A few to add

Mastering Piano Technique; Seymour Fink
The Craft of Piano Playing; Alan Fraser
Interpreting Mozart; Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda
Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Robert Taub

Ta da!


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;

Broadwood by Appointment: a History; Wainwright;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

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

Chopin, a New Biography; Zamoyski;

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils; Eigeldinger, ed.;

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; Rosen;

Company of Pianos; Burnett; (history of early pianos, early piano builders and firms / influence of early piano development on the output of the classical composers)

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

Conversations with Arrau; Horowitz;

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

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

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)

The Craft of Piano Playing; Fraser;

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

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Giraffes, Black Dragons and Other Pianos; Good; (A technical history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand)

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;

Interpreting Mozart; Badura-Skoda

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;

Mastering Piano Technique; Fink;

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

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

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

The Mozart Companion; Robbins, Landon, Mitchell;

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 Music; Brendel;

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)

Piano - The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand; Barron;

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

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

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Taub;

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)

Temperament; Isacoff;

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)

You asked for Chopin? You got it!

These four titles are old but seminal books now in the public domain; links are to Google Books, where they may be freely downloaded:

Chopin: the Man and His Music, by James Huneker

Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician, by Frederick Niecks

Life of Chopin, by Franz Liszt

A Handbook to Chopin's Works, by George Charles Ashton Jonson

Here's a non-exhaustive list of important books currently in print (to the best of my knowledge), in no particular order:

Chopin: Pianist's Repertoire: A Graded Practical Guide, by Eleanor Bailie

The Music of Chopin, by Jim Samson

Chopin's Letters, by Chopin (collected correspondence with family, friends and publishers)

The Cambridge Companion to Chopin, edited by Jim Samson

The Chopin Companion: Profiles of the Man and the Musician, edited by Alan Walker.

Chopin: The Reluctant Romantic, by Jeremy Siepmann

Chopin In Paris: The Life And Times Of The Romantic Composer, by Tad Szulc

Chopin's Funeral, by Benita Eisler

Chopin's Musical Style, by Gerald Abraham

There are also biographies of significance by Herbert Weinstock and Arthur Hedley that are apparently out of print at present.

Steven

p.s. Deborah, I think this thread was a great idea.

Thank you for contributing Steven. I can't list the biographies without titles. I've been very successful finding out of print books on Amazon or ebay.

Edit: I just added a few I accidentally omitted. If I've left your contribution out, please let me know!


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;

Broadwood by Appointment: a History; Wainwright;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

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

Chopin, a New Biography; Zamoyski;

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils; Eigeldinger, ed.;

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; Rosen;

Company of Pianos; Burnett; (history of early pianos, early piano builders and firms / influence of early piano development on the output of the classical composers)

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

Conversations with Arrau; Horowitz;

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

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

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)

The Craft of Piano Playing; Fraser;

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

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Giraffes, Black Dragons and Other Pianos; Good; (A technical history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand)

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;

Interpreting Mozart; Badura-Skoda

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;

Mastering Piano Technique; Fink;

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

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

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

The Mozart Companion; Robbins, Landon, Mitchell;

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 Music; Brendel;

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)

Piano - The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand; Barron;

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

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

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Taub;

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;

The Rest is Noise; Listening to the Twentieth Century.; Ross; historical and musical overview of twentieth century composers, music, and the music scene.

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)

Temperament; Isacoff;

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)

Queries about book recommendations are so frequent, I'm bumping this old thread to see if I can convince the moderators to put it someplace visible and permanent.

The most complete list of books about pianos or pianists or composers for pianos is most easily found by doing a search on those at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

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;

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;

Broadwood by Appointment: a History; Wainwright;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

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

Chopin, a New Biography; Zamoyski;

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils; Eigeldinger, ed.;

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; Rosen;

Company of Pianos; Burnett; (history of early pianos, early piano builders and firms / influence of early piano development on the output of the classical composers)

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

Conversations with Arrau; Horowitz;

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

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

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)

The Craft of Piano Playing; Fraser;

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

Five Centuries of Keyboard Music, by John Gillespie very nice overview of composers for piano (and its forerunners) and their compositions:

Furthermoore; Moore; (Memoirs of an accompanist)

Giraffes, Black Dragons and Other Pianos; Good; (A technical history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand)

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;

Interpreting Mozart; Badura-Skoda

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;

Mastering Piano Technique; Fink;

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

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

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

The Mozart Companion; Robbins, Landon, Mitchell;

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)

A Natural History of the Piano, The Insturment, the Music, the Musicians-from Mozart to Modern Jazz and everything in Between" , Stuart Isacoff 2011 Great reading, lots of fun,

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

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

On Music; Brendel;

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)

Piano - The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand; Barron;

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

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

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Taub;

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;

The Rest is Noise; Listening to the Twentieth Century.; Ross; historical and musical overview of twentieth century composers, music, and the music scene.

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)

Temperament; Isacoff;

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)

Walk on the Wild Side, A - memoirs of Earl Wild.

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)

Sviatoslav Richter; pianist; Karl Aage Rasmussen (not the final word on Richter yet, but a decent bio)


Beetoven's Letters; Ludwig van Beethoven (fascinating read; as close to LvB as we will ever get; free on Kindle)

Schumann on Music; Robert Schumann (selection from Schumann's critiques from his Neue Zeitshcrift days)

Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music: A Legacy of the Nineteenth Century; Mitchell and Evans 9Rosenthal is fascinating and very sharp)

Aspects de Chopin; Alfred Cortot (don't know if it is translated to English)

Memories of Beethoven: From the House of the Black-Robed Spaniards by Gerhard von Breuning (the personal notes of a man who was close to Beethoven as a child)

Beethoven Remembered: The Biographical Notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries by Wegeler and Ries (recollections of Beethoven by his long-time friends)


Both are lovely books!

Virtuoso: Story of John Ogdon; Brenda Lucas Ogdon (very interesting read)

My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music; Leon Fleisher and Anne Midgette

The pianist's problems; William Newman

At the piano with Fauré; Marguerite Long

Thank you Andromaque and Valencia.

Updated:

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

A Natural History of the Piano, the instrument, the music the musicians-from Mozart to modern Jazz; Isacoff

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)

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

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

An Equal Music; Seth;

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)

Aspects de Chopin; Alfred Cortot (don't know if it is translated to English)

At the piano with Fauré; Marguerite Long

Bachanalia Altschuler guide to wtc

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven Remembered: The Biographical Notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries by Wegeler and Ries (recollections of Beethoven by his long-time friends)

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Beetoven's Letters; Ludwig van Beethoven (fascinating read; as close to LvB as we will ever get; free on Kindle)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Broadwood by Appointment: a History; Wainwright;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

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

Chopin, a New Biography; Zamoyski;

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils; Eigeldinger, ed.;

Company of Pianos; Burnett; (history of early pianos, early piano builders and firms / influence of early piano development on the output of the classical composers)

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

Conversation on Music, A; Rubinstein,Anton;

Conversations with Arrau; Horowitz;

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;

Embellishments of Music Russell 1894

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)

Giraffes, Black Dragons and Other Pianos; Good; (A technical history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand)

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)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

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)

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

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

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

Interpreting Mozart; Badura-Skoda

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;

Mastering Piano Technique; Fink;

Memories of Beethoven: From the House of the Black-Robed Spaniards by Gerhard von Breuning (the personal notes of a man who was close to Beethoven as a child)

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

Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music: A Legacy of the Nineteenth Century; Mitchell and Evans fascinating

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

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

Music for the Piano Friskin and Freundlich guide to repertoire

Musical Ornaments Harding quite old, not date

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 Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music; Leon Fleisher and Anne Midgette

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 Music; Brendel;

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; (EH...Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

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.)

pianist's problems, The; William Newman

Piano - The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand; Barron;

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)

Piano Works of Debussy Schmitz

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

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

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

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Taub;

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;

Schumann on Music; Robert Schumann (selection from Schumann's critiques from his Neue Zeitshcrift days)

Sergei Rachmaninoff a lifetime in music Bertensson & Leyda

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)

Sviatoslav Richter; pianist; Karl Aage Rasmussen (not the final word on Richter yet, but a decent bio)

Temperament; Isacoff;

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; Rosen;

The Craft of Piano Playing; Fraser;

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

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

The Mozart Companion; Robbins, Landon, Mitchell;

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

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

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

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

The Rest is Noise; Listening to the Twentieth Century.; Ross; historical and musical overview of twentieth century composers, music, and the music scene.

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

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

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.)

Virtuoso: Story of John Ogdon; Brenda Lucas Ogdon

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)

What a delightful and useful thread! I'm glad to have discovered it, and glad that it's at the top of the forum now. Thank you for curating it, Deborah.

Suggested addition: A Pianist's Landscape; Montparker (memoir and reflection).

Thanks MathGuy. I've updated it by using the Quick Quote function, which anyone can do. I do not have the ability to edit the original list. I'll try to update it frequently, but not every day. Everyone, please feel free to update it yourself.

Updated:

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

A Natural History of the Piano, the instrument, the music the musicians-from Mozart to modern Jazz; Isacoff

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)

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

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

An Equal Music; Seth;

A Pianists Landscape; Montparker (memoir and reflection).

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)

Aspects de Chopin; Alfred Cortot (don't know if it is translated to English)

At the piano with Fauré; Marguerite Long

Bachanalia Altschuler guide to wtc

Bad Boy of Music; Antheil; (biography)

Basic Principles of Pianoforte Playing Lhevinne;

Beethoven Remembered: The Biographical Notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries by Wegeler and Ries (recollections of Beethoven by his long-time friends)

Beethoven; Solomon; (Biography)

Beetoven's Letters; Ludwig van Beethoven (fascinating read; as close to LvB as we will ever get; free on Kindle)

Body and Soul; Conroy;

Broadwood by Appointment: a History; Wainwright;

Cambridge Companion to Liszt; Hamilton ed.;

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

Chopin, a New Biography; Zamoyski;

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen by his Pupils; Eigeldinger, ed.;

Company of Pianos; Burnett; (history of early pianos, early piano builders and firms / influence of early piano development on the output of the classical composers)

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

Conversation on Music, A; Rubinstein,Anton;

Conversations with Arrau; Horowitz;

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;

Embellishments of Music Russell 1894

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)

Giraffes, Black Dragons and Other Pianos; Good; (A technical history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand)

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)

Great Pianists, The; Schoenberg;

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)

I Really Should Be Practicing; Graffman; (Autobiography)

Improve Your Piano Playing; Meffin; (Tips)

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

Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard; Badura-Sokda;

Interpreting Mozart; Badura-Skoda

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;

Mastering Piano Technique; Fink;

Memories of Beethoven: From the House of the Black-Robed Spaniards by Gerhard von Breuning (the personal notes of a man who was close to Beethoven as a child)

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

Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music: A Legacy of the Nineteenth Century; Mitchell and Evans fascinating

Mozart: A Life; Solomon; (Biography)

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

Music for the Piano Friskin and Freundlich guide to repertoire

Musical Ornaments Harding quite old, not date

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 Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music; Leon Fleisher and Anne Midgette

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 Music; Brendel;

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; (EH...Evolving your attitude about playing, tension, nerves and performing.)

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.)

pianist's problems, The; William Newman

Piano - The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand; Barron;

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)

Piano Works of Debussy Schmitz

Piano; Crombie; (Photographic history of the piano)

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

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

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas; Taub;

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;

Schumann on Music; Robert Schumann (selection from Schumann's critiques from his Neue Zeitshcrift days)

Sergei Rachmaninoff a lifetime in music Bertensson & Leyda

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)

Sviatoslav Richter; pianist; Karl Aage Rasmussen (not the final word on Richter yet, but a decent bio)

Temperament; Isacoff;

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; Rosen;

The Craft of Piano Playing; Fraser;

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

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

The Mozart Companion; Robbins, Landon, Mitchell;

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

The Pianist's Problems; Newman;

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

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

The Rest is Noise; Listening to the Twentieth Century.; Ross; historical and musical overview of twentieth century composers, music, and the music scene.

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

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

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.)

Virtuoso: Story of John Ogdon; Brenda Lucas Ogdon

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)

[/quote]

Nne of the best biographies of Mozart is by Wolfgang Hildesheimer (yes, he shares the same first name as Mozart), simply called 'Mozart'. It is funny and witty, quite philosophical at times as well.

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas - A Short Companion; Charles Rosen
The Teaching of Artur Schnabel - A Guide to Interpretation; Konrad Wolff
My Life and Music; Artur Schnabel (Reminiscences on his career and studies with Leschetizky)

Among my favorite books. I would even describe it more generally: his reminiscences and reflections on anything and everything about his life and all else, based on a series of lectures and Q-&-A's that he did at the Univ. of Chicago -- and accordingly, it comes off like him speaking, which he was.

It has some of the greatest music stories I've ever heard -- uplifting, infuriating, hilarious -- the whole gamut.

May I suggest organizing the books alphabetically by author rather than by title?

I'm sure Deborah would LOVE to have YOU do that for her !!!!

It is a great idea. If you convert it into a spreadsheet format, Polyphony, do let us know!

I've got it on an excel spread sheet and I'll do it as soon as I can.

Don't rush - the current format is fine.

Has anyone read Alan Rusbridger's "Play it again"?
It is supposed to be the (real) story of an amateur pianist and busy journalist(editor at The Guardian I believe) who set out to learn and perform Chopin's Ballade No1 in one year. The book received had good reviews but I have not seen it around yet.
You can find a review here
http://crosseyedpianist.com/tag/chopin-ballades/

Based on the Amazon US and UK sites, it looks like it was released in the UK in January, but won't be released until Sept. 17 in the US.