A collection of essays clarifying theoretical concepts, debunking myths, and illuminating 19th-century piano repertoire. Subjects include the element of texture in the piano works of Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny Hensel, techniques that heighten harmonic tension in Chopin's ballades, and Liszt's talent for transforming a Schubert song into a solo piano transcription. Includes a translation with commentary of an essay by Heinrich Schenker on Beethoven's Eroica . Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.