Style in Piano Playing

Peter Cooper's critical study, 'Style in Piano Playing', examines the history of the piano within the context of musical taste and its development; it also contains a close study of the piano's extensive repertoire, and provides the programmes of many historic performances.

---

Renowned for its versatility, the piano has played a major role both in musical development and in the shaping of public taste. Throughout its history it has always remained at the centre of the music scene as the composer’s tool, the virtuoso’s partner and the accompanist’s mainstay.

Style in Piano Playing is a book not only about the piano, its uses and performers, but also about the music written for the piano. In it, the author shows how the great pianists of the past built their programmes, tells of how they were received and takes a critical look at the history of musical taste.