At the beginning of this third volume, Brahms and Franck join the ranks of composers from Europe introduced so far in this series, most of whom had their roots in Germany, Italy, France, and Austria. Next our attention is drawn to Russian music and Tchaikovsky, as a representative of that tradition, and lastly to Britain with special focus on Arne, Bennett, and Parry. An especially interesting chapter on the use of music in Shakespeare is included, along with a history of keyboard instruments. As in the other volumes, each chapter concludes with some thought-provoking questions and ideas of things to do to deepen appreciation of the reading.

Contains in a single volume The First Book of the Musicians, The Second Book of the Great Musicians, and The Third Book of the Great Musicians. A stimulating introduction to the major composers, the music they wrote, and the instruments they used. For each of the two dozen composers included, the author secures the reader's interest by first relating stories of his childhood, then introducing representative pieces of his music, selected for appeal on first hearing. The reader is led on step by step to develop his listening skills, often through games of the author's invention. As he is ready to learn more about various aspects of musical form and its development, a chapter appears explaining just that. With the author taking special care to show how the paths of the different musicians intertwine and how supportive they are of each other, it seems as if he is inviting the reader to join the musical community and equipping him to be an appreciative listener, if not a musician himself.

A further course in music appreciation, introducing the composers Schubert, Field, Mendelssohn, and Debussy by the same methods as used in the first volume of this series, then moving on to the major focus of this second book, which is on dramatic forms that have a musical component and musical forms that have a dramatic component. Starting with miracle plays and masques, the narrative then turns to oratorios, and operas. In connection with the latter, Wagner and Verdi, both masters of the operatic form, are profiled, along with Sullivan, who in partnership with Gilbert produced the comic operas for which they are so well known. A section on military music is also included, featuring the instruments on display in army bands.

An engaging introduction to 22 of the world's greatest musicians, highlighting their struggles and triumphs, beginning in boyhood and lasting until the end of their days. Much emphasis is placed on the ways they learned their craft, whether at a father's knee, by copying musical scores, or in company of great masters who had gone before. Their travels and greatest successes are recounted in detail, making the musicians and their works all the more memorable for the youthful reader.

From a personally assembled database of 13,859 classical musicians, What Killed the Great and not so Great Composers delves into the medical histories of a wide variety of composers from both a musical and medical standpoint. Biographies of musicians from Johann Sebastian Bach of the Baroque period to Benjamin Britten of the Modern era explore in depth their illnesses and the impact their diseases had on musical productivity. Other chapters referenced to specific composers are devoted to such diverse ailments as deafness, mental disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, surgery and war injuries, to name a few. A unique section of statistics and demographics analyzes various aspects of composers’ lives such as their longevity related to contemporaneous nonmusical populations, the incidence of various illnesses they experienced over the centuries and the type of medical problems suffered by the so-called top 100 classical musicians. Although a precise and complete accounting of the great composers’ ailments may never be possible, a general understanding of the medical problems experienced by these unique individuals, nevertheless, can heighten one’s appreciation of their creative processes despite the hardships imposed by their physical and mental illnesses. Although some individuals surrendered to their disabilities for a variety of reasons, others were able to rise above their infirmities and produce the wonderful music mankind has enjoyed through the centuries.