"Ernest Closson's History of the Piano was first published in English in 1947, three years after the appearance of the original edition in French. Closson (1870-1950) was founder and director of the Museum of the Conservatoire Royal in Brussels, which boasts one of the richest collections of keyboard instruments in the world, and he was therefore well qualified to write a book on their evolution. The greater part of the work is concerned with the development of the piano itself, from the delicate instrument invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence in the early years of the eighteenth century, to the sturdy modern 'grand'; but there are also chapters on related instruments such as the clavichord, the harpsichord, the virginal and the spinet. When Closson's book first appeared the subject was poorly documented and the opportunities for seeing and hearing old keyboard instruments were extremely limited, but today interest in them is widespread and they are very much more accessible (and better cared for). The issue of a revised edition of Closson's work, incorporating emendations made by the author since the publication of the French and English editions, corrections and additional material made in the light of subsequent research and documentation, a greatly expanded bibliography, and new plates and line-drawings of actions--though preserving the distinctive flavour of the original book--should therefore be most welcome. This book remains a clear and readable summary of the development and refinement of stringed keyboard instruments, valuable to anyone who has any experience at all with the piano or with its antecedents." --Dust jacket.