
The Last Note
Final Performances of Legendary Pianists
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 4. March 2027
Book
Hardback
288 pages
979-8-216-38660-5 (ISBN)
Description
Dive into the lives and late careers of renowned pianists, with many rare and surprising details about final performances.
Rather than surveying repertoire chronologically or analytically, The Last Note examines piano literature through an unusual but revealing lens: the final performances of more than 40 legendary pianists, and what their artistic choices disclose about musical identity, historical context, and artistic legacy.
Drawing on archival concert programs, contemporary reviews, writings, and recordings, the book reconstructs the final recitals and concerts of major pianists from Beethoven to Brendel. These performances - sometimes planned farewells, but more often unannounced or cut short by illnesses, politics, or circumstances - offer insight into how the pianists understood their own place within the tradition.
Each chapter situates a pianist's last performance within broader musical, cultural, and biographical frameworks, considering questions of canon formation, performance practice, aging, and reception. How do late-career technical realities shape repertoire decisions? And how do critics, audiences, and later historians interpret these final musical statements?
By foregrounding performance as a historical document, the book bridges musicology and performance studies, illuminating piano literature as it was lived, chosen, and publicly articulated. It demonstrates that the end of a performing career is not an epilogue but a crucial interpretive moment that can deepen our understanding of the repertoire itself, the composers who created it, and the artists who gave it life.
Rather than surveying repertoire chronologically or analytically, The Last Note examines piano literature through an unusual but revealing lens: the final performances of more than 40 legendary pianists, and what their artistic choices disclose about musical identity, historical context, and artistic legacy.
Drawing on archival concert programs, contemporary reviews, writings, and recordings, the book reconstructs the final recitals and concerts of major pianists from Beethoven to Brendel. These performances - sometimes planned farewells, but more often unannounced or cut short by illnesses, politics, or circumstances - offer insight into how the pianists understood their own place within the tradition.
Each chapter situates a pianist's last performance within broader musical, cultural, and biographical frameworks, considering questions of canon formation, performance practice, aging, and reception. How do late-career technical realities shape repertoire decisions? And how do critics, audiences, and later historians interpret these final musical statements?
By foregrounding performance as a historical document, the book bridges musicology and performance studies, illuminating piano literature as it was lived, chosen, and publicly articulated. It demonstrates that the end of a performing career is not an epilogue but a crucial interpretive moment that can deepen our understanding of the repertoire itself, the composers who created it, and the artists who gave it life.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
391 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-216-38660-5 (9798216386605)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jason Terry is Assistant Professor of Music & Educational Innovation at Belmont University, USA. He has performed across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with appearances at venues including Carnegie Hall, Theatre de Nesle in Paris, and Steigenberger Hall in Alexandria, Egypt. His scholarship spans projects in piano performance, arts & health, piano technology, and international arts engagement.
David Cartledge is Professor of Piano and Director of Graduate Studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, USA. An Australian-born pianist and educator, he specializes in graduate-level piano literature and in pedagogical innovation. His work combines a deep exploration of keyboard repertoire with a commitment to the next generation of professional musicians.
David Cartledge is Professor of Piano and Director of Graduate Studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, USA. An Australian-born pianist and educator, he specializes in graduate-level piano literature and in pedagogical innovation. His work combines a deep exploration of keyboard repertoire with a commitment to the next generation of professional musicians.
Content
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Fryderyk Chopin
2. Sigismond Thalberg
3. Louis Moreau Gottschalk
4. Ignaz Moscheles
5. Franz Liszt
6. Clara Schumann
7. Hans von Buelow
8. Anton Rubinstein
9. Enrique Granados
10. Camille Saint-Saens
11. Ferruccio Busoni
12. Leopold Godowsky
13. Ignacy Paderewski
14. Bela Bartok
15. Serge Rachmaninoff
16. Ricardo Vines
17. Ignacy Friedman
18. Josef Lhevinne & Rosina Lhevinne
19. Josef Hofmann
20. Artur Schnabel
21. William Kapell
22. Alfred Cortot
23. Marguerite Long
24. Myra Hess
25. Glenn Gould
26. Margaret Bonds
27. Artur Rubinstein
28. Gina Bachauer
29. Hazel Scott
30. Wilhelm Kempff
31. Vladimir Horowitz
32. Gyoergy Cziffra
33. Jorge Bolet
34. Arturo Michelangeli
35. Sviatoslav Richter
36. Shura Cherkassky
37. Friedrich Gulda
38. Yvonne Loriod
39. Alicia de Larrocha
40. Earl Wild
41. Alfred Brendel
Appendices
Bibliography
Index
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Fryderyk Chopin
2. Sigismond Thalberg
3. Louis Moreau Gottschalk
4. Ignaz Moscheles
5. Franz Liszt
6. Clara Schumann
7. Hans von Buelow
8. Anton Rubinstein
9. Enrique Granados
10. Camille Saint-Saens
11. Ferruccio Busoni
12. Leopold Godowsky
13. Ignacy Paderewski
14. Bela Bartok
15. Serge Rachmaninoff
16. Ricardo Vines
17. Ignacy Friedman
18. Josef Lhevinne & Rosina Lhevinne
19. Josef Hofmann
20. Artur Schnabel
21. William Kapell
22. Alfred Cortot
23. Marguerite Long
24. Myra Hess
25. Glenn Gould
26. Margaret Bonds
27. Artur Rubinstein
28. Gina Bachauer
29. Hazel Scott
30. Wilhelm Kempff
31. Vladimir Horowitz
32. Gyoergy Cziffra
33. Jorge Bolet
34. Arturo Michelangeli
35. Sviatoslav Richter
36. Shura Cherkassky
37. Friedrich Gulda
38. Yvonne Loriod
39. Alicia de Larrocha
40. Earl Wild
41. Alfred Brendel
Appendices
Bibliography
Index