The Pianist's Dictionary

I am so very pleased with this book. Of course the fact that it is written by Maurice Hinson was a pretty good clue that this would be a very useful book to own. The interpretations of phrases is very detailed and helpful. There are so many french terms that I've been unable to find anywhere else. This is definitely a great book for anyone that is serious about their music.

I love this dictionary! I'm a piano teacher and my students and I use it often to get the true meaning of a word, such as "allegro" as it was understood by the composers and the time period in which they lived. It really helps you to interpret the music correctly. I know Mr. Hinson and he has done a wonderful job in helping to educate pianists. A must for all serious pianists.

I have purchased this pianist's dictionary for myself and friends, and think it's wonderful. However, there are some notable omissions. For example, the text mentions such notable American pianists like Kenneth Amada, as a student of Isidor Phillip and Edward Steuermann, but does not give him his own separate entry, as it does pianist George Katz. Amada was a superior pianist to Katz, besting him in many international competitions: including the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium (where Amada made the finals and Katz was eliminated in the semifinals) and Leventritt (where Amada bested among others Katz, Sherman, Doppmann in the semifinals, before tying Malcolm Frager in the final round (there was no first prize that year, since the judges could not choose between Amada and Frager, the only other finalist). In 1960 Leventritt did not issue a prize. The two finalists were Malcolm Frager and Kenneth Amada, who had eliminated the aforementioned pianists. Kenneth Amada not only studied with the two teachers Hinson mentioned, but was like Charles Rosen, a student of Moriz Rosenthal, Franz Liszt's last piano disciple, who also studied with Johannes Brahms and Karol Mikuli (Chopin's piano disciple). He played over 160 concerts in Europe, and quit the professional circuit to teach graduate students at The University of Iowa, where he held the chair of the piano department and retired professor emeritus. Of course, Mr. Hinson's book is fabulous and is bound to include some important omissions. Please let me offer this feedback for the next reprint of the book, or next edition. No one text includes all the terms. To supplement Hinson's book, I also recommend both the Oxford and Harvard Dictionaries of Music. But please let me recommend Mr. Maurice Hinson's book without reservation. It is an essential book that everyone who plays piano must have. It contains translations of piano terms used in French, Spanish, German, and Italian scores. It's arranged alphabetically, and also includes brief biographies that are useful. My one request is for Mr. Maurice Hinson to expand his wonderful book to include such American prodigies and virtuosos as Kenneth Amada, even though they turned away from professional playing to teaching and reclusive lives. I would be happy to offer more information if contacted. Thank you Mr. Hinson for a fabulous text. I also recommend to readers Hinson's wonderful Guide to Pianist's Repertoire, which is the most useful source of its kind.

This is a very handy publication. It answers many of the questions which can arise during piano lessons and gives piano teachers an extra "leg" to stand on. Maurice Hinson's name is a guarantee of quality and one can assume that the factual content of the book is in order. The book's 220 pages contain a wealth of information and every pianist should acquire a copy

It isn't often that a reader turns to a dictionary for pleasure. But Maurice Hinson's new work, "A Pianist's Dictionary" (2004) is a rare exception to the rule. Hinson is Senior Professor Emeritus of Piano at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has written a number of highly-regarded reference works for piano, particularly his "Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire". The "Pianist's Dictionary" is not only a reference work, but it is also a joy to read. It was a pleasure to work through this volume, to learn new things about music and the piano and to be reminded of things I already knew. I have been an amateur pianist since adolescence and throughout my adult life, and this book struck many chords. There will be something for every pianist, teacher, and music-lover in this book. The entries cover composers, works of music, performers and teachers, literature about the piano, performance and interpretive markings, and much else. It is a fine reference but it is more. It will stir memory and thought. Here are some examples of what I found in the book. In 1974, Reginald Gerig published an outstanding study, "Famous Pianists and Their Technique" discussing the history of theories of playing the instrument. I was familiar with the book when it came out but haven't thought much about it since. There are entries in Hinson's dictionary for the book itself (p.52) and for Gerig (p.64) Reading the entries brought back memories and made me want to pursue Gerig's book again. To take another example, I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and have a soft spot in my heart for the pianist Ralph Votapek, who when I was a teenager inspired the city by winning the Naumberg Award and the first Van Cliburn competition. I met Votapek briefly last year when he played a recital of Debussy at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. There is an excellent entry in Hinson's book on Ralph Votapek (p. 206) which brought back my pleasure at remembering him win his competitions, meeting him years later, and hearing him play. I recently read a book which described a passage in Brahms's second string quintet as a "roulade". I was embarassed not to know the term. But it appears in Hinson's book ("A brilliant run; ornamental florid passage") and I was able to hear the piece, pick out the roulade, and increase my knowledge and enjoyment of the music. A composer that fascinates me in Leo Ornstein (1892-2002), an immigrant to the United States who abandoned a virtuoso peforming career to devote himself to avant-garde composition and teaching. (A selection of his piano music appears on the Naxos American Music series.) I was happy to find a detailed entry on Ornstein in Hinson's book (p. 126). Every lover of music or the piano will be able to read this book and find his or her own similar examples. This book is a great reference and a great way to remember or find music that moves the heart and memory. Many readers will enjoy thinking about the entries in