Vol 1: This book charts the piano's accession from musical curiosity to cultural icon, examining the instrument itself in its various guises as well as the music written for it. Both the piano and piano music were very much the product of the intellectual, cultural and social environments of the period and both were subject to many influences, including: character, vernacular and creativity. Derek Carew surveys the most important pianistic genres of the period, showing how these changed from their received forms into vehicles of Romantic expressiveness. The Mechanical Muse will be of interest to anyone who loves the piano or the period, from the non-specialist to the music postgraduate.Vol 2: This Companion is intended as a supplement to The Mechanical Muse: The Piano, Pianism and Piano Music, c.1760-1850. The book is laid out alphabetically and full biographical entries are provided for all musical figures mentioned, including composers, performers, theoreticians and teachers, as well as piano makers and publishers of music, within the period covered by The Mechanical Muse. As well as biographical information, entries contain lists of principal works, a section on further reading, descriptions of musical forms and characteristics of dances. This Companion is indispensable to users of The Mechanical Muse.