A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist by Stephen Siek (review)

In recent years, titles in the Dictionaries for the Modern Musician series have received favorable reception, and this recent volume by Stephen Siek is no exception. A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist is an encyclopedia combining entries on the development of the instrument and biographical profiles together with topics of relevance for today's performers. While other reference titles offer essays on important performers and composers, relevant terminology, and performance practice (most notably, Robert and Margaret W. Palmieri, eds., The Piano: An Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., Encyclopedia of Keyboard Instruments [New York: Routledge, 2003] and Maurice Hinson, The Pianist's Dictionary [Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004]), the unique material offered in this new volume makes it a valuable addition to the pianist's bookshelf.

Broad in scope, the book includes a wide variety of topics in an easily accessible format. Composers of piano music appear only if they also had concert careers, but the entries for those included offer a wealth of detail. In many cases, the book provides music examples highlighting key elements of notable works; the entry on Frédéric Chopin excerpts challenging passages from four different etudes, while the entry on Charles Louis Hanon includes examples from two exercises, with an appraisal of the contemporary relevance of his classic pedagogical study, Le pianiste-virtuose (Boulogne-sur-Mer: C.-L. Hanon, 1873; English trans. as The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises [publisher and date varies]). Arranged in alphabetical order, the entries include convenient cross-references by subject (listed in appendix A). A boldface font calls out in-text references to names and terms that have separate entries. The length of typical entries ranges from one paragraph (mainly music terminology) to a complete page and a half for biographical portraits.

The true value of this volume lies in the range and depth of the over three hundred profiles of major pianists and piano teachers of the last two hundred years. Each of these lengthy, fully researched biographical profiles (almost two full pages) provides information of interest for both students and professionals. More than dry recitations of facts, the multidimensional portraits of musical personalities offer a variety of viewpoints. In many cases, details from interviews and biographies offer insights into the pianists' personal lives rather than simply iterate their career highlights or technical brilliance. The entry on Evgeniĭ Kissin describes his feelings about his dual citizenship (Great Britain and Israel), while the section on Ivo Pogorelich discusses not just his performing life but also his controversial professional and personal relationship with, and eventual marriage to, Aliza Kezeradze. The portrait of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli includes references to a number of concert reviews and comments by notable musicians, presenting both positive and negative accounts of his artistry and allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. Although Siek bemoans the necessary omission of many young pianists, he devotes a sizeable amount of material to contemporary artists. Though focusing mainly on pianists in the realm of classical music, the book profiles forty jazz musicians. Siek selected these performers to represent a diversity of styles, ranging from Bill Evans to Chick Corea. Entries cite notable albums, hallmarks of individual compositional styles, and excerpts from reviews indicating critical reception of performances and recordings.

In addition to the hefty biographical component, the volume also includes topics of interest to both amateur and professional pianists. To give a total picture of the development of the instrument, Siek includes information about early piano builders, such as Bartolomeo Cristofori and Johann Andreas Stein, as well as forty leading modern piano manufacturers. He identifies major piano designers in reference to specific changes to models and provides Web addresses for firms that are still producing instruments. To serve the focus on modern pianists, Siek devotes twenty entries to contemporary instrument parts and components as well as manufacturers of digital pianos and related equipment. Another set of articles of interest...