Biographies of the important composers from Monteverdi and Bach to Bartok and Webern are designed to show the history of music.

The third book in the Student's Series is unique because it provides concise, easily understood information normally found only in large, expensive volumes. This handy-sized text includes background material on the major periods of music history, as well as interesting facts on well-known composers from each period. Excellent drawings of most composers are also included. Works well for both individual and classroom use.

The third book in the Student's Series is unique because it provides concise, easily understood information normally found only in large, expensive volumes. This handy-sized text includes background material on the major periods of music history, as well as interesting facts on well-known composers from each period. Excellent drawings of most composers are also included. Works well for both individual and classroom use.

R. J. Stove's A Student's Guide to Music History is a concise account, written for the intelligent lay reader, of classical music's development from the early Middle Ages onwards. Beginning with a discussion of Hildegard von Bingen, a twelfth-century German nun and composer, and the origins of plainchant, Stove's narrative recounts the rise (and ever-increasing complexity) of harmony during the medieval world, the differences between secular and sacred music, the glories of the contrapuntal style, and the origins of opera. Stove then relates the achievements of the high baroque period, the very different idioms that prevailed during the late eighteenth century, and the emergence of Romanticism, with its emphasis upon the artist-hero. With the late nineteenth century came a growing emphasis on musical patriotism, writes Stove, especially in Spain, Hungary, Russia, Bohemia, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and the United States. A final section discusses the trends that have characterized music since 1945. Stove's guide also singles out eminent composers for special coverage, including Palestrina, Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Wagner, Verdi, Brahms, Debussy, Richard Strauss, Sibelius, and Messiaen. As a brief orientation to the history and countours of classical music, A Student's Guide to Music History is an unparalleled resource.

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.

This new authoritative reference provides an illustrated guide to the most influential western composers of classical music: the ones who have defined or developed particular styles of composition, and who have created for themselves a significant place in music history.

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.