were noticeably lighter in tonal density than the less transparent later pieces.

One is somehow not surprised to hear that Beethoven was not a gentle pianist. He pounded on the keys so much, Palmieri declares, that a piano given him in 1818 was, by 1824, "virtually unplayable--its upper registers mute and its broken strings in a tangle."

Today's performers, he says, generally prefer a piano with a bright, clear sound and loud tone that "barks out" when played with orchestras. The author's own tastes run toward a softer, mellower sound (at home he plays a 1974 Baldwin 7-foot grand).

Palmieri is philosophical, however, preferring to view the trend as part of the natural evolution of things.

"The piano will always remain the piano," he says. "The electronic one can't match the toneor the action of the conventional piano. Each piano's particular tone is dependent on the energy developed by its total mass--that is, the interaction of felt, steel, various woods, and glue, as well as the size of the instrument.

"We've seen that, as time rolled on, the clavichord faded away, and then the harpsichord. Perhaps in the future, we will attend piano concerts in the same way we attend harpsichord concerts today. Who knows where the piano will be relegated when there's another keyboard instrument to supplant it?"

That thought, he adds, will make celebrating the venerable pianoforte's 300th birthday, just two years from now, all the more poignant.

IN THE MOOD

Remember the New Year's resolution that topped your list back in January, the one that included regular exercise? Not only