"In these pieces, we see every facet of Moriz Rosenthal: the memoirist offering a moving and sometimes hilarious account of his childhood; the social critic describing the intellectual and cultural life on nineteenth-century Vienna; the pedagogue passing on his knowledge to younger musicians; the virtuoso recalling his friendships with great composers and interpreters (and occasionally parrying with reviewers). Rosenthal could write with gravity and pathos of a Chopin composition, yet he was also a famous wit whose sharp and often devastating bons mots have become the stuff of legend." "This volume combines selections from Rosenthal's writings with critical assessments of the pianist by such contemporaries as Eduard Hanslick, Edward Prime-Stevenson, and Hugo Wolf. It is rounded out with an introduction by editors Mark Mitchell and Allan Evans; a preface by Charles Rosen, one of Rosenthal's pupils; a discography and concertography; and a CD featuring never before released Rosenthal recordings."--Jacket.