New book says the piano is most important instrument of all
Stuart Isacoff’s entertaining new book, “A Natural History of
the Piano” (Knopf, $30), begins with the Canadian jazz pianist
Oscar Peterson. To the author, Peterson represents an ideal
entrée into the wonders of “the most important instrument ever
created.” “It’s a coming together of traditions into one great
artist,” Isacoff explained by phone from New York. “The fact
that Peterson was classically trained gave me the opportunity to
set up the story.” Isacoff, a pianist who teaches music at SUNY
Purchase, weaves together seemingly disparate voices and piano-
related subjects. He also uses informative sidebar contributions
from well-known pianists, including Alfred Brendel, Yundi Li,
Gabriela Montero and Billy Taylor. Despite its full title of “A
Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the
Musicians -– From Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in
Between,” the book is intentionally not encyclopedic. Its
vignette-like structure conveys