Mark Mitchell is the author of Virtuosi and Vladimir de Pachmann both published by Indiana University Press. He is the recipient of a John Simon guggenheim Fellowship for 2006-2007.

Right from the opening page of this volume, the reader can tell this is a book of extraordinary charm and insight. Through a series of essays of varying length—some personal and autobiographical, others more universal in topic—Mitchell lovingly expounds and defends the world of the pianist/virtuoso. As a pianist himself, he is passionate about the instrument, its literature, and its virtuosi. An exceptional essayist, the author uses his firsthand knowledge of performance and concert attendance, a wide array of quotations from various writers and critics, much behind-the-scenes insider information, and considerable humor to argue in favor of the artist who uses virtuosity and not just cold intellect in the performance of great piano literature. He includes some rare illustrations and recital programs and an extraordinary bibliography containing a panoply of citations that extend to such esoteric references as the Tabatha on the Keyboard episode from the television series Bewitched. A wonderful and thought-provoking read, this book is highly recommended for all libraries. —D. L. Patterson, University of Wisconsi- Eau Claire (2001may CHOICE.)

• Preliminary Table of Contents:The Less Fractious World1. The Triumph of Marsyas2. "Le concert, c'est moi"3. The Critic and the SpiderAfter Two Concerts4. Notes on Gourmandism5. The Circus6. The Nature of the Bis7. "The Colour of Classics"Of Paris8. Some Virtuosi in Literature9. The Virtuoso at Home10. Possibilities of a Homosexual Aesthetic of Virtuosity11. Celluloid12. "The pianola 'replaces' Sappho's barbitos"13. Musical Chairs; or, Il virtuoso seduto14. "Aut Caesar, aut nihil"Aristocracy15. Muscles and Soul16. Mephistopheleses in SoutanesThe Angel of the MudBibliography

Mark Mitchell is the author of Virtuosi and Vladimir de Pachmann both published by Indiana University Press. He is the recipient of a John Simon guggenheim Fellowship for 2006-2007.

Right from the opening page of this volume, the reader can tell this is a book of extraordinary charm and insight. Through a series of essays of varying length—some personal and autobiographical, others more universal in topic—Mitchell lovingly expounds and defends the world of the pianist/virtuoso. As a pianist himself, he is passionate about the instrument, its literature, and its virtuosi. An exceptional essayist, the author uses his firsthand knowledge of performance and concert attendance, a wide array of quotations from various writers and critics, much behind-the-scenes insider information, and considerable humor to argue in favor of the artist who uses virtuosity and not just cold intellect in the performance of great piano literature. He includes some rare illustrations and recital programs and an extraordinary bibliography containing a panoply of citations that extend to such esoteric references as the Tabatha on the Keyboard episode from the television series Bewitched. A wonderful and thought-provoking read, this book is highly recommended for all libraries. —D. L. Patterson, University of Wisconsi- Eau Claire (2001may CHOICE.)

• Preliminary Table of Contents:The Less Fractious World1. The Triumph of Marsyas2. "Le concert, c'est moi"3. The Critic and the SpiderAfter Two Concerts4. Notes on Gourmandism5. The Circus6. The Nature of the Bis7. "The Colour of Classics"Of Paris8. Some Virtuosi in Literature9. The Virtuoso at Home10. Possibilities of a Homosexual Aesthetic of Virtuosity11. Celluloid12. "The pianola 'replaces' Sappho's barbitos"13. Musical Chairs; or, Il virtuoso seduto14. "Aut Caesar, aut nihil"Aristocracy15. Muscles and Soul16. Mephistopheleses in SoutanesThe Angel of the MudBibliography