A Look At the History and Technology of the Piano
Ranked #36,063 in Music, #1,375,952 overall
Many people know about the piano in terms of "if you strike the right key it will play the right sound". This bibliography represents a body of knowledge about not only "how" the piano works, but "how" it came to work like it does. I accumulated this collection over 25 years as a piano tuner. While it is by no means the sum total of piano knowledge (all of the books are primarily in English), these books together do a very thorough job of telling the story of the piano.
Contents at a Glance
Book List
Bowers, Q. David. Put Another Nickel In: A History of Coin-Operated Pianos and Orchestrions. Vestal: Vestal Press, 1966.
While not strictly a book about pianos, Put Another Nickel In tells the history of the coin-operated instruments that paved the way from the era of the public places with live piano players to the era of the jukebox. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
(used).
Dolge, Alfred. Pianos and their Makers: A Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano. New York: Dover Publications, 1972. (First edition - Covina: Covina Publishing Co., 1911.)
A major player in the piano industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dolge was an innovator who helped move the piano industry from small craft shops to major industrial concerns. He designed machinery that greatly improved the manufacture of piano hammers. He was also a leader in the incorporation of the city of Dolgeville, New York. This book tells of people that Dolge knew. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
.
Harding, Rosamond. The Piano Forte: Its History Traced to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Cambridge: University Press, 1933.
A detailed history of the early development of the pianoforte, concentrating on the European market. Includes text of several major patents. Harding held a doctorate from Cambridge, and this work is suitably academic in nature. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
.
Helmholtz, Hermann. On the Sensations of Tone. New York: Dover Publications, 1954. (Republication of Die Lehre von den Tonempfindungen, trans. Ellis, 2nd edition. London: Longmans & Co., 1885.)
This is not a casual read. If you want to know about the science of acoustics and have a background in advanced science and math, this should be a good book for you to read. (I have had my copy since the mid-1970's and have never been able to get all the way through it. 8-(( ) If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
. Or, if you would prefer, you can download a free PDF of the book here.
Reblitz, Arthur. Piano Servicing Tuning & Rebuilding. Vestal: Vestal Press, 1976.
A detailed "how-to" on the technology of maintaining and rebuilding pianos. Would serve well, in my opinion, as a primary textbook for a piano technology course. This book is found in many public libraries, however, If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
Rimbault, Edward, LLD. The Pianoforte. London: Cocks & Co., 1860.
Dr. Rimbault's book was one of the first major English-language books written about the piano. It is referred to in several of the later texts, and is worth having for that reason alone. A PDF or full text copy can be downloaded from the Internet Archive here. Be advised the pdf file is 56 MB.
Spillane, Daniel. History of the American Pianoforte: Its Technical Development, and the Trade. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969. (First edition - New York, D. Spillane, 1890.)
Spillane's history focuses on the U.S. Part of the piano industry and covers technical developments, as well as some of the key players in the industry, the trade press, as well as American developments in the sales/distribution system. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
You can also download a PDF copy from Google Books here.
Steinway, Theodore. People and Pianos. 2nd edition. New York: Steinway & Sons, 1961.
As should be expected both by the author and publisher, this is a history of the Steinway & Sons piano business from the time that Henry Steinway came over from Germany. A very interesting read about a major family in the history of pianos and the piano industry. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
White, William Braid, Mus.D. Piano Tuning and Allied Arts. 5th edition. Boston: Tuners Supply Company, 1946.
Dr. White was an acknowledged authority on the science behind the piano. He was a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, a Fellow of the Institute of Musical Instrument Technology (London), and Principal of the School of Pianoforte Technology (Chicago). His books are written at a higher level than, for instance, Reblitz, but if you seek more than just "nuts and bolts" these books will do it for you. You can buy Piano Tuning here
or Pianoforte Building here.
White, William Braid, Mus.D. Theory and Practice of Pianoforte Building. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific, 2001. (First edition - New York: Edward Lyman Bill, 1906.)
While not strictly a book about pianos, Put Another Nickel In tells the history of the coin-operated instruments that paved the way from the era of the public places with live piano players to the era of the jukebox. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
(used).Dolge, Alfred. Pianos and their Makers: A Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano. New York: Dover Publications, 1972. (First edition - Covina: Covina Publishing Co., 1911.)
A major player in the piano industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dolge was an innovator who helped move the piano industry from small craft shops to major industrial concerns. He designed machinery that greatly improved the manufacture of piano hammers. He was also a leader in the incorporation of the city of Dolgeville, New York. This book tells of people that Dolge knew. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
.Harding, Rosamond. The Piano Forte: Its History Traced to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Cambridge: University Press, 1933.
A detailed history of the early development of the pianoforte, concentrating on the European market. Includes text of several major patents. Harding held a doctorate from Cambridge, and this work is suitably academic in nature. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
.Helmholtz, Hermann. On the Sensations of Tone. New York: Dover Publications, 1954. (Republication of Die Lehre von den Tonempfindungen, trans. Ellis, 2nd edition. London: Longmans & Co., 1885.)
This is not a casual read. If you want to know about the science of acoustics and have a background in advanced science and math, this should be a good book for you to read. (I have had my copy since the mid-1970's and have never been able to get all the way through it. 8-(( ) If interested, you can purchase your own copy here
. Or, if you would prefer, you can download a free PDF of the book here.Reblitz, Arthur. Piano Servicing Tuning & Rebuilding. Vestal: Vestal Press, 1976.
A detailed "how-to" on the technology of maintaining and rebuilding pianos. Would serve well, in my opinion, as a primary textbook for a piano technology course. This book is found in many public libraries, however, If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
Rimbault, Edward, LLD. The Pianoforte. London: Cocks & Co., 1860.
Dr. Rimbault's book was one of the first major English-language books written about the piano. It is referred to in several of the later texts, and is worth having for that reason alone. A PDF or full text copy can be downloaded from the Internet Archive here. Be advised the pdf file is 56 MB.
Spillane, Daniel. History of the American Pianoforte: Its Technical Development, and the Trade. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969. (First edition - New York, D. Spillane, 1890.)
Spillane's history focuses on the U.S. Part of the piano industry and covers technical developments, as well as some of the key players in the industry, the trade press, as well as American developments in the sales/distribution system. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
You can also download a PDF copy from Google Books here.Steinway, Theodore. People and Pianos. 2nd edition. New York: Steinway & Sons, 1961.
As should be expected both by the author and publisher, this is a history of the Steinway & Sons piano business from the time that Henry Steinway came over from Germany. A very interesting read about a major family in the history of pianos and the piano industry. If interested, you can purchase your own copy here.
White, William Braid, Mus.D. Piano Tuning and Allied Arts. 5th edition. Boston: Tuners Supply Company, 1946.
Dr. White was an acknowledged authority on the science behind the piano. He was a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, a Fellow of the Institute of Musical Instrument Technology (London), and Principal of the School of Pianoforte Technology (Chicago). His books are written at a higher level than, for instance, Reblitz, but if you seek more than just "nuts and bolts" these books will do it for you. You can buy Piano Tuning here
or Pianoforte Building here.White, William Braid, Mus.D. Theory and Practice of Pianoforte Building. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific, 2001. (First edition - New York: Edward Lyman Bill, 1906.)
More Great Titles From Amazon
The following are a few extra titles that might be helpful. Also, if you are in the market for a beautiful baby grand, check this one out.
by mpstrax
David has had an active life around the piano. For over 25 years he worked as both a piano tuner/tech and a Southern Gospel musician. Although now retired(disabled)... more »
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