P i an o D uring the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the enthusiasm for instrumental music created a de足 mand for adequate forms of its expression.
At first
the simple forms of dances were used for the l ighter compositions ; then composers adopted the exped足 ient of broadening the original dance form by add足 ing to it a subject and by discussing this subject under various conditions .
The problem o f making
all its parts balance n icely and sati sfy art conditions became the matter for experim ents. And what instrument was convenient for these experiments ?
The Pianoforte.
A few, like M ozart, Bach, and B eethoven have mastered the p i anoforte and are called great be足 cause they have written m usic that has awakened the depth s of feeling i n the heart ; because they h ave made music a "soul-expressing medium ; " because they have given to us the beautifu l . Through l iterature, t h e other soul -expressing medium, we become acquainted with the master m i nds.
If we desire to associate with the m aster
mUSICIans, we must study that which they have gIven us. M . O . N.
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