Results for 'susan tomes'

1. Susan Tomes

Nocturnes

“Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation. Her writing is never less than clear, sustained by a lifelong commitment to the piano as a practitioner and teacher.”—John Check, Wall Street Journal“Ingenious and astute. . . . Tomes describes the works of many of the composers here with deft strokes. . . . I learned a lot, and listened to new things and went back to old things. What more might a music book do?”—Stuart Kelly, Scotsman“Such a lovely idea for a book, and it’s executed wonderfully.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass“Susan Tomes is a fine pianist who also writes with elegance, grace and erudition—quite a combination. . . .This fascinating study concludes with an image of the nocturne as standing on the threshold of ‘day mind’ and ‘night mind,’ ‘looking both ways—into the light and into the dark.”—Henrietta Bredin, Country Life“Beguiling . . . [with] those performer’s insights which are such a strength of her writing. . . . Delightful.”—Peter Davidson, Literary Review“This is a book you won't want to put down, full of fascinating facts and interesting anecdotes, unfailingly engaging and guaranteed to prompt you to rediscover music you thought you already knew, and to discover music you don’t.”—Matthew Ash, Presto Music“Susan Tomes writes with clarity and warmth, combining scholarly knowledge with the perspective of a practising musician. . . Rich in insight, detail, and musical examples, this engrossing, highly readable book is a must for musicians and music lovers."—Frances Wilson, Interlude“An enchanting, original voyage through musical history via the nocturne; miniature in form, but presaging two centuries of art and thought about night, sleep and dreams. Ingenious, and engaging.”—Dame Judith Weir, former Master of the King’s Music“‘Nocturnes are like the prefiguring of a dream . . . we feel we are in an enchanted place’—so says the author, magically leading us there in this wonderfully illuminating survey.”—Sir John Rutter, composer and conductor“From John Field's curtain-free windows in the St Petersburg twilight to Lowell Liebermann's urban dreams in contemporary America, Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating, fantastical journey of nocturnal enchantment at the piano, and beyond.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist and author of Enough“Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating journey into the night. Beautifully written, full of intriguing facts and attractively poetic descriptions, this unusual book is sure to be of interest to musicians and music-lovers alike.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist and author of The Bach Cello Suites

1. Susan , Tomes

Frauen am Klavier

1. Susan Tomes

Women and the Piano

“Delightfully provocative and consistently informative.”—Diane Cole, Wall Street Journal“In this engaging survey of fifty female pianists, from the eighteenth century to the present, Tomes aims to correct a male-centric understanding of piano history. . . . The resounding note is one of passion. As Marguerite Long told her students, ‘My joy in life is work, because it will never betray you.’”—New Yorker, “Best Books of 2024”Featured in the Financial Times’ “Best summer books of 2024” classical music section“Women were not able to pursue professional music careers for much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, no matter how musically gifted they were. . . . Anyone interested in learning about these hidden musical figures will find much to appreciate in this concise and carefully composed work.”—Carolyn Mulac, Booklist“Its tone is one of joyful rediscovery and recognition, across 50 biographies of 50 colourful musicians. . . . While full of fascinating, often poignant detail, her succinct biographies also paint a rounded picture of a musical world.”—The Scotsman“Women and the Piano is a book that reads like a dream and has a bit of a Caramel effect: you don’t stop at one portrait, no, you devour the next and the next . . . and before you know it, you’ve read all 50.  Another big plus: it's richly illustrated. Thus, you gallop through three centuries of female pianist history with constantly refreshed senses.”—Sylvia Schreiber, BR Klassik“From Maria Szymanowska to Nina Simone, and including interviews with women performing today, this is a much-needed corrective to our understanding of the piano—and a timely testament to women’s musical lives.”—Phyllis Stephen, Edinburgh Reporter“Once again, Susan Tomes has delivered a work of genuine stature. Women and the Piano is an important book, superbly written, and an essential read.”—Andrew Eales, Pianodao“Just as valuable as Tomes’s judicious selection is her fresh look at the situation now for professional women pianists. . . . An important book.” —Rebecca Franks, BBC Music Magazine“The author is both a fine pianist and a writer of elegance and erudition—she was the first woman to take a music degree at King’s College, Cambridge. . . . A fascinating investigation of the way in which female pianists have confronted a history of being excluded, ignored and misrepresented.”—Henrietta Bredrin, Country Life“Highly readable, meticulously researched and elegantly crafted. . . . This book is an important, valuable contribution to the debate and a rich celebration of the essential role of women in the history of classical music and the piano in particular.”—Art Muse London“She has hit the nail on the head with this, because these are things that we actually don’t think about. . . . I have to say this is a real page-turner. . . . I think she really gets to the heart of it. I hadn’t heard of half the people in her book. . . . She’s gone to a place that other people haven’t tapped into. That’s very clever, and there’s a lot of insight.”—Lucy Parham discussing Women and the Piano on Radio 3’s Music Matters“Full of insight, anecdotes, contemporary reviews and comments, of interest to the general reader as much as the pianophile.”—Jeremy Nicholas, GramophoneAwarded Presto Music Book of the Year 2024“A fascinating and stimulating history of the shamefully ignored field that is female pianism. Susan Tomes writes powerfully and with compelling perception, introducing us to one inspirational figure after another – a real page-turner.”—Dame Imogen Cooper, pianist“A fascinating, informative, and necessary book which makes us realise how female concert pianists, past and present, classical and jazz, have overcome obstacles and prejudices with sheer determination, talent, and amazing stamina. Brava, Susan!”—Angela Hewitt, pianist“An impassioned argument against the unjust bias of musical history’s received opinions; a sprightly collection of spellbinding life stories; a deft and immaculately researched explanation of the piano, and how it is played. Page-turningly readable, and surely destined to become a feminist classic.”—Dame Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music“Some of these women have been my beloved heroines since childhood; others I’d never even heard of; still others I was delighted to learn more about. This book is a thought-provoking collection of vignettes about women who played and loved the piano.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist

1. Susan Tomes

Women and the Piano

Women are an essential part of the history of the piano—but how many women pianists can you name?