The secret of Sigismund Thalberg

This is the first book ever on Sigismund Thalberg (1812–1871), the aristocratic pianist who founded the Neapolitan Piano School. It was said that he made the piano sing, while everyone else merely played it. The many secrets of his personal history are finally revealed through careful research between Naples and Austria, in the footsteps of an artist whose skill and brilliance defined an era in style and music. His tours in America sparked a veritable "Thalbergmania"—comparable to that of the Beatles in the 1960s—but he chose to live in Naples. His life and death were an international political and diplomatic event. His charm, his skill, his class, his undisputed and unmistakable charm were the expression of a unique genius. He loved art more than himself. ENGLISH VERSION.