Last week I was thinking of writing a blog post about knitting. What is the connection between knitting and pianism, you may ask? Well, I had been reading about the 19th-century pianist Clara Schumann, who continued to tour and earn money for the family after her composer husband Robert had died. At that time it […]

This morning I heard a report about scientists who have made a list of recommendations for touring musicians to cut back on carbon emissions. Amongst other things it recommended that musicians should use instruments or equipment ‘held by the venue’. Good luck with that, symphony orchestras! When I had finished laughing at the phrase ‘artists […]

Recently I’ve heard or coached a number of amateur pianists whose playing I haven’t heard for 18 months, or before All This started. I had been afraid that everyone’s playing would have fallen apart, but actually my impression was that lockdown has enhanced rather than degraded the skills of the people I’ve been listening to. […]

Last night I did an ‘author event’ – the first in-person event of this year – at Toppings Bookshop in Edinburgh. This bookshop, fairly new to Edinburgh, has been beautifully designed around the many interestingly-shaped rooms of the historic building. Curved wooden bookcases follow the line of the curved walls. Rolling library ladders enable you […]

I recently recorded a 30-minute podcast for BBC History magazine – talking to interviewer Ellie Cawthorne about my new book, ‘The Piano – a History in 100 Pieces‘. The podcast is now available by clicking on this link: https://www.historyextra.com/period/21st-century/piano-musical-history-podcast-susan-tomes/ You don’t need headphones or special equipment to listen to it – if you’re sitting at […]