"Bernard Shaw's essays on music include some of the most scintillating ever written on the subject. In this volume, Louis Crompton has brought together Shaw's major articles on Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and a host of other composers, articles culled from six miscellaneous volumes of criticism made up largely of untitled reviews. Concert goers and opera enthusiasts will enjoy comparing Shaw's views of familiar works with their own, and professional music critics will find much to engage them in his pungent opinions. Throughout these pages Shaw's sparkling wit is everywhere in evidence, along with the intellectual vigor that him one of the mentors of his age. Crompton's extensive introduction discusses Shaw's views on musical greatness and traces connections between his thinking on music and the social and aesthetic currents of his time."--Publisher's description.

Contains information on 17 composers who range from the Baroque period to the Contemporary period. Book contains a picture with relevant facts and suggested listening, a brief biography, a study of his music (or time he lived) and a question and answer page for each composer. The accompanying CD includes the suggested listening for each composer; the activity sheets contain the picture with facts and question and answer page for each composer in a reproducible format.

It is important that young students learn about the lives of the great composers who have enriched our lives with beautiful music. The 12 units in Stories of the Great Composers give elementary students a glimpse into each composer's life, character and music. Includes a CD recording of the suggested listening, featuring one composition by each composer.

The companion repertoire series to Meet the Great Composers features familiar piano compositions at the late-elementary to early-intermediate level. Contains original pieces and arrangements of beloved classics by the composers featured in Book 1.

This is a compelling and inspiring look at spiritual beliefs that influenced some of the world's greatest composers, now revised and expanded with eight additional composers.

The Classroom Kit contains Meet the Great Composers Book 2, the companion CD, and reproducible activity sheets.

'A glorious plum-pudding of a book, to be consulted, with pleasure and profit, over and over again' Sir Jeremy Isaacs Michael Steen's 'Great Composers' was originally published in 2003. A lifetime's work and almost 1000 pages long, it has since become 'the' reference point and key read on the biographical backgrounds to classical music's biggest names. Authoritative and hugely detailed - but nonetheless a joy to read - this new edition will expand its readership further and capitalise on a newfound popular interest in classical music. Steen's book helps you explore the story of Bach, the respectable burgher much of whose vast output was composed amidst petty turf disputes in Lutheran Leipzig; or the ugly, argumentative Beethoven in French-occupied Vienna, obsessed by his laundry; or Mozart, the over-exploited infant prodigy whose untimely death was shrouded in rumour. Read about Verdi, who composed against the background of the Italian Risorgimento; or about the family life of the Wagners; and, Brahms, who rose from the slums of Hamburg to become a devotee of beer and coffee in fin-de-siecle Vienna, a cultural capital bent on destroying Mahler ... and much, much more.

This book is a comprehensive filmography of biographical films featuring the lives of 65 great classical composers. Performances analyzed include Richard Burton as Richard Wagner, Cornel Wilde as Frederic Chopin, Gary Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven, Tom Hulce as Mozart, and Katharine Hepburn as Clara Schumann, among others. Arranged alphabetically by composer's name and illustrated1with stills and posters, the text provides a brief biography of each composer and analyzes the feature films portraying him or her. Emphasis is given to the factual accuracy of the screenplay, the validity of the portrayal, and the film's presentation of the composer's music.

Written by Juilliard trained violinist/composer, Amy Barlowe, 12 Etude-Caprices in the Styles of the Great Composers is a welcome addition to the intermediate solo violin repertoire. Progressive and chronologically ordered, these innovative etudes are invaluable both as study pieces and short, unaccompanied concert works for competitions or recital programs. Detailed Practice Guides follow each etude featuring methods for the development of technical and musical tools that will promote individual expression within the appropriate historical context. Such aspects as sounding points, varied vibrato, and techniques for improving intonation are derived from each etude to increase facility, musicianship, and stylistic awareness. Used as a supplement, this fully illustrated and thoroughly engaging collection of original etudes provides a fresh and unique approach to the age old tradition of technical study. Preparation for the major works of the great composers has never been more fun!