Portuguese Piano Music An Introduction and Annotated Bibliography

The first of its kind, Nancy Harper's Portuguese Piano Music: An Introduction and Annotated Bibliography aims to fill the lacunae in the historical record of Portuguese piano music from its start in the 18th century to the present. While Spanish piano music is well documented owing to the reputation of such composers as Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and Manuel de Falla, our knowledge of compositions in the tradition of Portuguese piano music have not fared as well, barring the work of Carlos Seixas (1704-1742). This obscurity, however, reflects poorly on the history of early piano music in light of the many compositions written for early fortepiano on behalf of the Portuguese court during the first half of the 18th century. Indeed, it was in the royal halls of King John V during his reign from 1704 to 1750 where the early fortepiano was frequently heard. In Portuguese Piano Music, Harper removes the veil of obscurity that has lain on this rich musical tradition, offering through a brief introduction to the pianistic history of Portugal, overviews of Portugal's contributions to solo piano music, piano in instrumental chamber music, piano concerti, piano for multiple pianists including with works with electronics, and didactic piano. She pays close attention to women composers. To these overviews she adds an annotated and graded bibliography that presents readers with a comprehensive inventory of compositions. Appendices include a selected discography, list of publishers, and other types of critical source information. To further illustrate its contents, Portuguese Piano Music also contains a CD on which Harper performs representative repertoire, some of which are world premieres. This work is aimed at pianists, teachers, musicologists, and music lovers seeking to discover remarkable world of Portuguese piano music.