tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post4699328973832966376..comments2024-02-28T04:16:37.844-05:00Comments on History Undressed: Guest Grace Burrowes, Author of The Virtuoso and Lady Sophie’s Christmas WishEliza Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-69538812289262642062011-11-24T14:01:38.403-05:002011-11-24T14:01:38.403-05:00With a pen last name close to mine of course I mus...With a pen last name close to mine of course I must read your books. I do enjoy them and can't wait for the next.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08333543862020925852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-5422713992991221512011-11-23T12:26:25.276-05:002011-11-23T12:26:25.276-05:00Julee, when a tuner works on a piano, he or she wi...Julee, when a tuner works on a piano, he or she will often leave a penciled note on the sound board, so if the piano changes hands, there's a history "written on its skin." Don't know if present day tuners do this, but as I grew up, it will stills standard practice.Grace Burrowesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-25010244173781502092011-11-23T12:23:29.269-05:002011-11-23T12:23:29.269-05:00Anita, I admire the contemporary writers. EVERYBOD...Anita, I admire the contemporary writers. EVERYBODY is an expert on the contemporary world, and what one reader calls literary license, another might consider unrealistic world building. I guess the positive note is that readers of all genres can be very passionate about their fiction, and that's a good thing.Grace Burrowesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-87540789004995355522011-11-23T12:21:42.735-05:002011-11-23T12:21:42.735-05:00Bonnie, you leave such a trail of tweets, FB books...Bonnie, you leave such a trail of tweets, FB books, author page notices, and so on, that several weeks into a blog tour, some odd things can happen.. Glad to see you, in any case!Grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-76417348545385046522011-11-23T12:19:52.118-05:002011-11-23T12:19:52.118-05:00Clancy, and don't forget "Lady Sophie'...Clancy, and don't forget "Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish," in which three wise men come from the east bearing gifts and looking a lot like Westhaven, St. Just and Lord Valentine.grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-35030149001387077602011-11-23T12:17:40.797-05:002011-11-23T12:17:40.797-05:00Anna, the early pianos DID require frequent tuning...Anna, the early pianos DID require frequent tuning, and often, the performer would tune them to play in the key of the piece about to be played. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier is not a book of pieces for a happy piano, but a book of pieces in each key, major and minor, to demonstrate that a properly tuned piano ought to sound good in all keys. One of the major advances made during the Regency was in the strength of the piano wire used, which meant larger sound boards were possible, and tuning would hold longer. Woulda thought wire was behind Beethoven's late sonatas?Grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-88160477284213865722011-11-23T12:15:23.825-05:002011-11-23T12:15:23.825-05:00Oh my gosh, yay yay yay! I'm so glad Morgan ha...Oh my gosh, yay yay yay! I'm so glad Morgan has a story coming! Thanks!Heather E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15622006785028887924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-25695456034340562042011-11-23T12:13:52.275-05:002011-11-23T12:13:52.275-05:00Loni, I have only come across one piece of music (...Loni, I have only come across one piece of music (by Brahms) that uses the very lowest keys on the piano, and none that use the highest. Most of our repertoire would work just fine on the earlier pianos. I heard a vintage piano played once when I toured Buckhingham Palace, and the point made was that the earlier pianos had much lighter action, so they could be played faster--hence a lot of the tricky pieces written in the Baroque and early classical are harder for us on our modern instruments (which our piano teachers don't tell us).Grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-89554784164217378902011-11-23T12:10:47.399-05:002011-11-23T12:10:47.399-05:00Laura, failing to return a loaned book ought to be...Laura, failing to return a loaned book ought to be a felony offense punishable by chocolate restriction or something equally heinous. Dante failed to mention the place in hell reserved for book swipers.... but then again, you might have gained me new reader, so maybe the good balances the inconvenience? Watch the blog tour for more giveaway opportunities. <br /><br />Heather, you'll also want to watch for an e-novella next summer featuring Morgan Seaton James. She deserves her happily ever after, too.<br /><br />Derek, greetings! I was much relieved when a reader told me of an organist with severe carpal tunnel, because I don't think it plagues musicians much. And what are YOU up to in 2012, hmmm?Grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-41865117516353930572011-11-22T17:46:58.285-05:002011-11-22T17:46:58.285-05:00I always learn from your posts, thank you! One of ...I always learn from your posts, thank you! One of my contemporary heroes was supposed to be a concert pianist, but anger issues led him to the military. In his younger years, he was kind of a punk and "tagged" the pianos he played by leaving a mark inside. <br /><br />You are a very naughty girl, teasing us with "size matters." That's why we love you. And I do love Val in THE HEIR and look forward to seeing, um, more of him.<br /><br />juleejadams (at) gmail (dot) comJulee J. Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06074318571722993020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-32478572060140000152011-11-22T15:55:16.030-05:002011-11-22T15:55:16.030-05:00Great post, Grace. I can't wait to read this b...Great post, Grace. I can't wait to read this book. I loved The Heir and was intrigued by Lord Valentine. <br /><br />I so admire you historical writers. I can't imagine setting an entire story in another time. Kudos to you all!Anita Clenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121439834252671730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-20055177316334287292011-11-22T12:27:07.955-05:002011-11-22T12:27:07.955-05:00How could one NOT visit a blog when the author pos...How could one NOT visit a blog when the author posted a teaser of "How Big is Val's Instrument?" I couldn't resist. Lord Valentine has been an intriguing figure in the first two books and I'm very happy to hear that he is suitably endowed (piano-wise, of course) in his own story.<br />bonnieblue@wowway.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-24375855265899531882011-11-22T12:19:26.483-05:002011-11-22T12:19:26.483-05:00I love, love, love The Heir and The Soldier and ha...I love, love, love The Heir and The Soldier and have been anxiously awaiting The Virtuoso! I am so happy it is here. I hope I win, but if not - I'll be buying both of these ASAP. Grace Burrows is now one of my favorite authors.<br />clancym13 at gmail dot comClancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12470931492839670360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-71731912084017155942011-11-22T11:10:12.731-05:002011-11-22T11:10:12.731-05:00Love the little history you presented here. I was ...Love the little history you presented here. I was in Williamsburg the other week and heard someone playing on a colonial era early pianoforte and it was a pitiable little thing. (I'm wondering now if I'm mistaken it was some other iteration -- but it wasn't a spinet or a clavichord or, of course because it would have sounded very different, a harpsichord. But I can't recall offhand.) <br /><br />Anyway, one thing the player said that surprised me was that he had to tune the instrument every time he wanted to play it. Made me wonder if people in great houses did their own tuning or what. I would obviously never try tuning my own piano myself (I don't have one these days, but if I did), but think nothing of people tuning their stringed instruments.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01338191914513562020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-11299287824917718352011-11-22T10:47:34.430-05:002011-11-22T10:47:34.430-05:00Grace, your writing has inspired me quite a bit, a...Grace, your writing has inspired me quite a bit, and I am glad to see your continued and much deserved success. As a long time musician, it has been a real treat to read about a character through 3 books who is a gifted and dedicated player. <br /><br />Lady Sophie was an enjoyable read for different reasons. Expectations for women in those days make for such fertile storylines. I look forward to what you have to offer us in 2012.derekdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13006180145595174044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-63535775219796580352011-11-22T10:21:21.967-05:002011-11-22T10:21:21.967-05:00How fascinating about the research of the piano an...How fascinating about the research of the piano and time frame. I loved playing piano as a child (don't have the room for one now) and didn't know they weren't full size during that time period. I wonder if many of the pieces written had to be re-done for the 8octave keyboard?<br /><br />I love the premise of the book THE VIRTUOSO and would love to know how he lost his music.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Loni<br />llglover@comcast.netAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12427417933735772273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-53298876922054225712011-11-22T10:19:09.872-05:002011-11-22T10:19:09.872-05:00I loved Val in The Heir, and I love him even more ...I loved Val in The Heir, and I love him even more now that I've read The Virtuoso. I adore your books, Grace! I enjoyed this blog post. I didn't know any of that about the piano.Heather E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15622006785028887924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-83156624012927494122011-11-22T09:53:46.853-05:002011-11-22T09:53:46.853-05:00Grace, I have actually read (and LOVED) both of th...Grace, I have actually read (and LOVED) both of these books and made the mistake of loaning them to a friend. Now, she has loaned them to a friend and I will probably never see them again!<br /><br />Needless to say, I would love to win a copy of either of the books (Virtuoso or Christmas Wish) for my Keeper Shelf.<br /><br />Thanks for many hours of reading pleasure.<br /><br />Laura <br />heartoftexasbooks-at]yahoo[dot]comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-18343811400736275432011-11-22T09:51:31.343-05:002011-11-22T09:51:31.343-05:00Neecy, there aren't many references to specifi...Neecy, there aren't many references to specific works (Mozart's Requiem, maybe) but there are a lot of musical analogies in the book. And Val isn't the only character referred to as a virtuoso, something I only realized when I was editing the galleys.Grace Burroweshttp://graceburrowes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-4802894878238897322011-11-22T09:37:27.698-05:002011-11-22T09:37:27.698-05:00Love piano music and this sold me! I can't wa...Love piano music and this sold me! I can't wait to read it. I'm half way through with The Soldier and I'm loving it!<br />NeecyNeecyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196636833970242618noreply@blogger.com