Book contents
- Liszt in Context
- Composers in Context
- Liszt in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations and Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I People and Places
- Part II Society, Thought and Culture
- Part III Performance and Composition
- Chapter 19 Pianos and Piano Builders
- Chapter 20 Liszt on the Road
- Chapter 21 Virtuosity
- Chapter 22 Improvisation
- Chapter 23 Transcription
- Chapter 24 Liszt as Conductor
- Chapter 25 Publishers
- Chapter 26 Genre
- Part IV Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 19 - Pianos and Piano Builders
from Part III - Performance and Composition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 September 2021
- Liszt in Context
- Composers in Context
- Liszt in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations and Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I People and Places
- Part II Society, Thought and Culture
- Part III Performance and Composition
- Chapter 19 Pianos and Piano Builders
- Chapter 20 Liszt on the Road
- Chapter 21 Virtuosity
- Chapter 22 Improvisation
- Chapter 23 Transcription
- Chapter 24 Liszt as Conductor
- Chapter 25 Publishers
- Chapter 26 Genre
- Part IV Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
It is fitting that the man commonly regarded as history’s greatest piano virtuoso lived through the period of greatest development in piano technology. When Liszt was born in 1811, the instrument was still that of the era of Mozart and Beethoven, with an all-wood frame, parallel strings and leather-covered hammers. By the time of his death in 1886, the piano had essentially reached its present form, with a cast-iron frame, overstringing1 and felt-covered hammers. This metamorphosis rendered the instrument suitable for playing before crowds of thousands rather than hundreds, while mass production brought the piano into millions rather than thousands of homes.
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- Information
- Liszt in Context , pp. 175 - 184Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021