Biography Classical Composers

Many classic composers faced unique challenges and obstacles on their paths to success, and these biographies highlight diverse experiences and perspectives to which children can easily relate.

Many classic composers faced unique challenges and obstacles on their paths to success, and these biographies highlight diverse experiences and perspectives to which children can easily relate.

Many classic composers faced unique challenges and obstacles on their paths to success, and these biographies highlight diverse experiences and perspectives to which children can easily relate.

Her compositions, blending traditional Western styles with African American influences, include symphonies, chamber works, and the acclaimed Symphony No. 1. Price's legacy continues to inspire diversity in classical music.

Renowned for her exceptional piano skills, she also composed notable works. Clara, married to composer Robert Schumann, had a successful solo career and is recognized for her significant contributions to 19th-century music.

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759), a German-born Baroque composer, achieved international acclaim for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions. Notable works include Messiah and Water Music. Handel's profound impact on English Baroque music and his ability to evoke emotion through grand and dramatic compositions solidify his legacy as a musical giant.

Many classic composers faced unique challenges and obstacles on their paths to success, and these biographies highlight diverse experiences and perspectives to which children can easily relate

An exuberant, uniquely accessible, beautifully illustrated look inside the enigmatic art and craft of conducting, from a celebrated conductor whose international career has spanned half a century. John Mauceri brings a lifetime of experience to bear in an unprecedented, hugely informative...

In clear and entertaining prose, Plotkin explores a thousand years of music, introduces listeners to more than 100 great works, and profiles in depth many significant composers, including Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Dvoxak, and Mahler. He describes all the musical instruments in the orchestra, defines major musical terms, and makes music theory comprehensible for the uninitiated. There are also conversations with important musicians who offer fascinating insights about their art.

In his time, the Austrian American composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was an international icon. His twelve-tone system was considered the future of music itself. Today, however, leading orchestras rarely play his works, and his name is met with apathy, if not antipathy. With this interpretative account, the acclaimed biographer of Toscanini finally restores Schoenberg to his rightful place in the canon, revealing him as one of the twentieth century's most influential composers and teachers.

Read by the author, acclaimed conductor Jane Glover. 'You don’t have to be able to hum Mozart to find this book utterly engrossing . . . I couldn’t put it down' - Joanna Lumley An expertly researched and vividly written account of Mozart’s formative trips to Italy. At thirteen years old...

A concentrated study of Johann Sebastian Bach's creative output and greatest pieces, capturing the essence of his art.

In a book that inspired the Amazon original series starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Malcolm McDowell, oboist Blair Tindall recounts her decades-long professional career as a classical musician, from the recitals and Broadway orchestra performances to the secret life of musicians who survive hand to mouth in the backbiting New York classical music scene, trading sexual favors for plum jobs and assignments in orchestras across the city.

The lives and music of the great composers of classical music unfold in this entertaining account, introduced by the conductor and musical personality Marin Alsop. In 1200 years, classical music grew from the chanting of medieval monks through the symphonies of Beethoven and the grand operas of Wagner to the huge orchestral sound-world of the 21st century, with its electronics and its film music.

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel combine the virtuosity and poetry of a world-class pianist with entertaining commentary to create a magical concert experience. His lively, engaging insights and captivating performances make listening an enthralling experience for all music lovers...

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel combine the virtuosity and poetry of a world-class pianist with entertaining commentary to create a magical concert experience. His lively, engaging insights and captivating performances make listening an enthralling experience for all music lovers...

The unresolved and ambiguous details of Robert Schumann’s psychological decline and death have tended to dominate his biography. Yet in his time Schumann was lauded as a protean Romantic literary genius whose writings, as a music critic, poet, novelist and dramatist, eclipsed his musical creativity. How did Schumann reconcile these elements? Does his music suggest he suffered from bipolar disorder? How did his pianist wife, Clara, influence his compositions?

Is there any music more instantly recognizable and beautifully scored than Tchaikovsky’s wildly popular ballet Swan Lake? These and other works have become enduring classics, yet they were not uncontroversial in Tchaikovsky’s day, and there are those that still wonder if his style is fundamentally European or ardently Russian. Find out more about Tchaikovsky’s childhood obsession with music, his turbulent relationships with friends and colleagues, and how he overcame the deepest of personal crises to transcend all with an ambition that has left us with some of the greatest music ever written.

Entre las dos grandes guerras mundiales se originaron varios movimientos de vanguardia en el arte, incluso en la música, que, al poco de nacer, iban acompañados ya de una posvanguardia; ello explica la diversidad de estilos que configuran la mayoría de las décadas del siglo XX. Un compositor ruso, cuya extensa obra es síntesis del romanticismo e impresionismo, abrió vías hacia el vanguardismo.

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel combine the virtuosity and poetry of a world-class pianist with entertaining commentary to create a magical concert experience. His lively, engaging insights and captivating performances make listening an enthralling experience for all music lovers...