Piano Tuner in Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Glasgow, the west of Scotland and beyond.
Tel: 07714959806
This page contains information on biographical books by or about pianists, and other related works. Links in blue take you to the Amazon or other product page.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from any qualifying purchases made via links.
The Secret Piano Zhu-Xaio Mei, Translated from French by Ellen Hinsey. AmazonCrossing 2012
The description of the music conservatory degenerating under Mao's ideologies is chilling. First to a music institute where you had to be completely politically correct, then to a music school with no music, and finally to a music school with no music and no students. A first-hand description of what it was like at that time when talented professionals were taken from productive work and study and made to live in vile circumstances doing vile tasks. The writer's description is vivid. Later in the book she reflects on the era, and gives her opinion of Mao, his ideas and his refusal to admit any mistake.
The descriptions of the power of music as a rock in her life are moving and music triumphs in the end, along with the writer's spirit.
Tribute must be paid to the translator for a "transparent" translation which never intrudes between author and reader.
A Walk on the Wild Side A Memoir by Virtuoso Pianist Earl Wild Ivory Classics Foundation 2011
Earl Wild was one of the greatest ever masters of the piano. His very long career saw him teaching up until a couple of weeks before his death in 2010 at the age of 94. He gave the first televised piano recital, and the first piano recital streamed live on the internet. His Memoirs are hugely amusing as well as being full of musical insights, and I don't think I can do them justice here. This must have a place on the bookshelf of anyone with a real interest in the piano.
Stop press: In 2023 a re-edited version was prepared and is now available. The link below is for this new edition.
Evenings With Horowitz David Dubal Robson Books 1992
Horowitz was a phenomenon, regarded by some as the greatest pianist ever (though Horowitz himself attributed that to Rachmaninov, and also rated Earl Wild very highly). This book gives fascinating personal glimpses gleaned by David Dubal during many evenings spent with Mr and Mrs Horowitz.
Notes of a Piano Tuner Denele Pitts Campbell Pineapple Press, Inc. 1997
A collection of anecdotes and reflections of a piano tuner working in the Ozarks region of Arkansas. Engaging, wistful and sometimes sad, these stories feature the interface between pianos and the lives of their owners, and the social role of the tuner in sometimes being more than merely a visiting technician.
