Kawai Piano Prices: A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music (Meredith Music Resource) [Paperback] Review

A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music [Paperback]

At first sight this little book, almost a booklet!, looks less interesting or worth buying because there are so many other good listings of graded piano literature (Klaus Wolters; Albert Faurot; Moritz Hinson; Rudolph Ganz; Stanley Butler; Jane Magrath) and good non-antiquated readings (Burge; Kirby; Gordon; Dubal), and this booklet limits itself in listing piece titles with grades only. Still, you will wonder how useful this can be. Problem with Hinson is that he lists too many unworthy composers and sometimes, even worse, also unworthy piano works...of minor quality, minor significance. So Hinson is good for looking up a specific work but not that useful for exploring and discovering. Barnard has done a selection of the more significant piano music composers (from today's point of view) incl. many modern classics and classics of the avant-garde and has focused on their more significant works (similar to the funny Faurot). Unfortunately I am missing a bunch of modern composers who are recorded and performed frequently, becoming populars, and have written tremendously(!!!) for the piano, such as SORABJI, BENTZON, KAPUSTIN, FINNISSY, FLYNN. In the listmania's by amazon top reviewer "scarecrow ginz1" you will find excellent listings which fully represent the most important body of piano composers&works from the early 20th century up to the beginning of our 21st century. Barnard should have looked on Ginzo's listings first before finalizing the edition of this new 2006 book!

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Product Description:
An invaluable, quick reference tool for any teacher, performer or student of the piano who desires an extensive listing of the most significant works composed for solo piano. Accurate, concise and thoroughly researched entries provide an at-a-glance overview of a composer's output, with information on difficulty levels, opus numbers, movement titles, publisher sources and so forth. Whether searching for new material or refreshing one's perspective, this portable database of information will prove itself indispensable for repertoire study and planning. A must-have resource for any pianist's bookshelf or piano.