In the second half of the 18th century the forteiano emerged as the popular Keyboard instrument and the demand for books of instruction arose. The Introduction To The Piano created by Johann Christian Bach and Francesco Pasquale Ricci was one of the earliest. It focused on a sense of style rather than technical expertise. ‘Without taste one may do great things but only taste makes them interesting ’ the authors write.J C Bach was the youngest son of J S Bach and received his earliest musical education from his father and from C P E Bach making this Piano method book the work of a musician who was taught by Bach himself. Most of the exercises come from J C Bach’s pen and theyare a microcosm of musical styles of the era. The book includes among other things discussion of tone or tonality mode key measure ‘and its different species’ accidentals forms of composition regulated practice and more.
