Makers of the Piano 1700-1820

The early piano has grown in popularity over recent years. It is now recognized as a window to the past and indispensable in revealing the sounds in the ears of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composers. Fulfilling a need for a comprehensive study of early pianos, Makers of the Piano 1700-1820 is the first book to present details about all known extant pianos built during the earliest years of the instrument's existence. Biographical information about each maker and such details about his instruments as the place and date of manufacture, style, compass, case description and measurements, strings, action, stops, pedals, and present and former owners are given. Bibliographical references are listed separately for the individual pianos. Builders whose pianos have been lost are identified; however, anonymous pianos have not been included unless an attribution to a known maker is likely. Principal collections with their catalogues and an exhaustive bibliography complete this valuable reference work.

Martha Novak Clinkscale teaches piano and chamber music at the University of California, Riverside.