Rare Finds for Piano (Steinway Library of Piano Music; Book and CD) [Paperback] Review

Joseph Smith's thesis is that "On the one hand, I certainly believe undeserving works do not last in the active repertoire--acknowledge pieces are generally masterpieces. On the other, I protest the seeming inverse--the assumption that a piece's absence from the repertoire is proof per se of its inferiority."

This collection proves his point. These "rare finds" are not just "rare," they're _finds_.

They're all charming, and some are more than charming. (My personal favorites are "The Castle's Half and Half," an attempt by Vernon and Irene Castle to launch a popular dance based on 5/4 time; and Percy Grainger's "The Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol," which sounds as if it should be a light seasonal confection, but which I found deeply moving).

Each piece is accompanied by a one-or-two-page interesting, readable essay.

The CD is not just a learning aid; the pieces are beautifully played and the CD is a pleasure to listen to.

The pieces included are:

Adagio From Concerto In D Minor (Johann Sebastian Bach)
In Dream (Alfredo Catalini)
The Peal Of Laughter (Ignacio Cervantes)
Hommage To Haydn (Claude Debussy)
The Castles' Half And Half (James Reese Europe And Ford Dabney)
Barcarolle (Mikhail Glinka)
The Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol (Percy Grainger)
Memories Of Infancy (Enrique Granados)
Entr'acte (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
In Deep Woods (Edward MacDowell)
Malgre` Tout - Despite All (Manuel Ponce)
Fugue No. 12 (Antonin Reicha)
Canon (Ottorino Respighi)
A Caress For My Wife (Gioacchino Rossini)
Hungarian Melody (Franz Schubert)
Polka Poetique (Bedrich Smetana)
Valse (Billy Strayhorn)
Andantino Con Moto (Carl Maria Von Weber)

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Product Description:
Includes CD. Arranged by Joseph Smith.A valuable collection of little-known masterpieces by famous composers that have never been recognized as 'standard repertoire.' These works differ in their degree of rarity - some have long been out of print, some are available only in expensive editions, others are obtainable but known only to aficionados of a certain composer or national genre. Joseph Smith has compiled a wonderful collection of 18 rare masterpieces, each with introductory notes about the composer and the piece. Smith has also eloquently recorded them on the enclosed CD.

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