Dr. Paul B. Stewart

School of Music Professor, Keyboard Division Chair

Piano Roles, A New History of the Piano by James Parakilas and Others

"This well-conceived book is an important addition to literature dealing with the history of the piano over its three hundred year existence. The book explores the piano's place in classical and popular music cultures, its meaning in different historical periods, its acceptance in all parts of the world, and images it has inspired in literature, art, and the movies. The forty plus photos and illustrations include The Atwood Piano Loader, patented in 1917, Renoir's "Yvonne and Christine Lerolle at the Piano," 1897, and a Thelonious Monk photo, 1953. This book is full of extraordinary facts about the important, varied role the piano has played in the evolution of society."