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Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music: A Legacy of the Nineteenth Century.

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Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music: A Legacy of the Nineteenth Century. Edited and with an introduction by Mark Mitchell and Allan Evans. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. [xx, 184 p. ISBN 0-253-34660-6. $36.95.] Index, bibliographical notes, appendices, compact disc.

As one of the foremost representatives of the so-called "golden age" of pianism, Moriz Rosenthal (1862-1946) earned esteem as much for his intellectual erudition and rapier wit as for the virtuosity and sensitivity of his playing. Born in what was then Poland, Rosenthal pursued studies with Chopin's pupil Karol Mikuli, then with Liszt's pupil Rafael Joseffy, and finally with Liszt himself at Weimar. He divided his performing career between Europe and the United States, but did not settle in this country until 1938, after which Rosenthal and his wife Hedwig Kanner devoted much time to teaching; their best-known pupil is Charles Rosen. (The book's preface contains Rosen's vivid personal recollections of Rosenthal.)

Until now there has been no single or substantial source of information concerning Rosenthal's background and career or his attitudes toward music and piano playing. The present volume attempts to gather a selection of his more important writings, supplemented by additional material. Much appears in print, or in English translation, for the first time. Of the book's thirty-one chapters, eighteen are devoted to Rosenthal's own words, while the remaining thirteen contain reviews and observations by others, among them Eduard Hanslick, James Gibbons Huneker, and...

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