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The Art of the Piano - SAVE 50%!

The Art of the Piano - SAVE 50%!

by John Diebboll
Introduction by Sandy Davis
Illustrated by Robert Lawson

Regular price $12.50 USD
Regular price $24.95 USD Sale price $12.50 USD
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Format

Product Details

Godine

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-56792-174-8
Pages: 96
Size: 6.28" x 8.3"
Published: March 2001
Softcover
ISBN: 978-1-56792-150-2
Pages: 96
Size: 5.3" x 7.28"
Published: March 2001
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The rationale behind this whimsical book is the artwork that architect John Diebboll has been creating for over two decades to illuminate piano cases. Yes, you heard it right, and yes, we can honestly say that there has never (ever) been another book quite like this. But once you suspend disbelief and actually look at the designs, their ingenuity, playfulness, and sheer inventiveness they will make you believe, as we do, that this is one of the more remarkable books about music and musicians ever conceived. Inspired by or intended for legendary performers past and present, this is a genuinely eccentric book, but there is nothing remotely ethereal about these meticulously drawn and consistently inventive designs, from the case designed for Glenn Gould with its flat rectilinear screens with a single window, allowing only his feet to be seen, to the lid for George Gershwin showing a man and woman dancing together, she lyrical and romantic, he percussive and propulsive. A book of designs for piano lids? Why not? It's beautiful, it's original, it will make a perfect, unexpected gift for anyone who loves music or has the imagination to appreciate the creativity and originality that invest a talent like John Diebboll.

John Diebboll
John Diebboll, a partner with Michael Graves and Associates in New York, has designed an African city, the 18th hole of a miniature golf course, and the usual repertoire of schools, museums, banks, shopping centers, condos and libraries. He studied painting and ceramics before earning a Master's degree in architecture at Princeton.

Sandy Davis is a curator and holds a Master's degree in Arts Administration from NYU and complements her visual sensibility with a devoted ear for music, particularly for the piano. She lives in New York City, where she presents a variety of interrelated arts projects.

Author: Robert Lawson
Robert Lawson's witty, inventive illustrations are even more sought after today than they were during his lifetime. He illustrated dozens of beloved picture books, including Mr. Popper's Penguins and They Were Strong and Good, the latter of which won a Caldecott Medal. He also wrote seventeen children's books and won the Newbery Medal for his 1945 novel Rabbit Hill, making him the only person to win both of America's most prestigious awards for children's literature. Born in New York City, Lawson grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and studied at Parsons School of Design. He spent his later years in Westport, Connecticut, where an annual conference is held in his honor.