The July issue of Gramophone has a review of my Nocturne book. The link doesn't always seem to give access to the full article, so here's the text: Claire Jackson reads Susan Tomes’s survey of the history of a genre – Nocturnes and the Fascination of Night Music 'I...
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My Nocturne book has just come out in Australia. I recently did a podcast interview about it for Readings Books in Melbourne, 'Australia's favourite independent bookstore'. The interviewer is Nico Callaghan. The podcast is hosted by the bookstore and you can listen to...
Yesterday I was at an art exhibition celebrating 200 years of the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. Various historical documents were displayed in glass cases. One of them I found very touching. It was a handwritten appeal - for royal patronage, I think - written...
I did an interview this week about my new book for Piano Street, a Swedish-based website which celebrates all things to do with the piano, pianists and news from the piano world. They asked some interesting questions. The interview is up on their site now and can be...
A review of my book has popped up on Pianodao, a website devoted to the piano, pianists and piano education. You can read the whole review by clicking here. For now, some excerpts: 'Before the last rays of summer settle into the colours of autumn, let me tell you...
A reader has sent me a photo of my new book on his garden table in rural Western Australia (see photo). It's astonishing to me to think of this book, a copy of which I have photographed on my own garden table, flying to the other side of the world to start a...
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...
My book The Piano - a History in 100 Pieces has just been reviewed by ArtMuseLondon. Some excerpts: '...This book is not simply a chronology of the piano, not by any means; but rather a detailed exploration of some of the greatest music composed for the instrument as...
There's a review by Gulliver Ralston of my new book in the August 2021 issue of Literary Review. As part of it is behind a paywall, some excerpts: '...Completed just as lockdown began in the UK last March, these short essays open worlds of sound and history,...
On Sunday 1 August, I'll be talking about my new book The Piano - a History in 100 Pieces on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Classics Unwrapped' programme, which begins at 7pm. The interview will be 'live' and if you're in a position to listen to BBC Radio Scotland, you can...
In London yesterday, I visited the beautiful premises of Daunt's Books in Marylebone High Street to sign some copies of my new book (see photo). The architecture of the store certainly gives one the feeling of being in a temple of books. Today I came across a nice...
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:...
My new book comes out today. Perhaps there's no real significance to the formal publication date, especially as pre-ordered copies have been landing on people's doormats for a week or two now - but still, it feels like a day to be happy. I made a YouTube playlist to...
I haven’t said much about my new book during the past year. In the midst of such upheaval it seemed unwise to count on things going as planned. But happily it’s not long now until The Piano - a History in 100 Pieces is published by Yale University Press on July 13th....
This week I came across the video made by cellist Felix Wurman about Domus at the beginning of the group's career. We were trying to publicise our concerts in our portable concert hall, a large geodesic dome which the players assembled out of aluminium tubes, putting...