Hi,
I'm looking for the best book on interpretation.
How to build up a piece, etc., etc., any ideas?
Already read Matthay's and Thurmond's book.
Please let me know

Keyboard Interpretation (14th to 19th centuries) by Howard Ferguson is still my bible after all these years. There have been newer, similar books on style, but I find Ferguson to be concise and to the point. The pages I've dog-eared are those with the charts of Bach's explication of the ornaments he used, the ones we have in his own hand. Ferguson also adds other ornaments that Bach used but didn't explain. It lives on my piano to this day.

Books on individual style: The Classical Style by Charles Rosen is indispensable as is his The Romantic Generation. Rosen also has a book on the Beethoven sonatas. The Piano Works of Claude Debussy by E. Robert Schmitz is a standard. There are many others. Are you working on something in particular?

(My blog has some info on practicing.)

Happy reading.

Fergeson's books looks very nice. However, I'm more looking for a Thurmond like book. Are you familiar with his book "note grouping?" Or Matthay like book

CPE Bach's 'True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments' has plenty to say on interpretation and ornamentation. I once skimmed through a book by Badura-Skoda on interpreting Mozart which had plenty of good ideas. I don't always agree with every idea but what I find most important is the reasoning behind interpretive decisions, understanding how someone thinks the music.

To be honest I feel like I've learned more about interpretation from teachers breaking it down for me, studying theory and just listening to music (noticing when something has an effect on me, imitating it). Also getting in the habit of trying all sorts of wacky ideas on the passages I'm learning can every so often lead to a neat interpretive idea.

I am familiar with the works of Matthay. Would someone please give me the titile and other information to find the Thurmond book that is being referred to. Thank you.

Your blog (website) seems to be inactive right now.....

I feel that the music "tells you" what to do. Respond to how the music makes you feel with honesty and without affectation.

The Thurmond book is umbelievable. It's probably the best book out there.
It's called "Note Grouping," by James Morgan Thurmond
http://www.amazon.com/Note-Grouping-Jame...mp;sr=1-1-spell

Thank you. I will read it (it is even available at a local library!). A book that I am finding useful, especially for the principles of rhythm and accents, is "The Principles of Expression in Pianoforte Playing" by Adolph Christiani, written in 1885, available free in its entirety for download on http://books.google.com.