Composers: Their Lives and Works (DK History Changers)

I am a professional-level, trained musician with a specialty in Early Music. I ordered this book for the sake of my private music students, who I thought, would really like the very beautiful paintings and photos of the composers, along with the facts. To my delight, upon receiving this book, and having started to read it cover-to-cover (please see updates/edits below*), I am finding that the historical facts pertaining to the composers of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras, are very accurate. It is clear that contributors to the information in this book, are researched and knowledgeable, and likely some are themselves performers in Early Music. Further, to have a little highlighted box on each page, reflecting socio-historical context, is a major plus, a very valuable aid to enhanced knowledge and understanding. To see lovely images of the composers, and their historic patrons, is great for remembering the composers. (ADVISORY/UPDATE: For young students, please note two images are advisory material. I tape the page to its next one, on all sides and solidly along the entire margin, so no children can see those images. Please also note that some of the writing contains sensitive material, such as whether or not a composer was gay and whether or not he had a sex life. This book may be best for showing the pictures of the composers to children, while recommending it as reading material for adults, but not for kids). The short one or two-page essays about the composers, including some women composers, is useful in a teaching context, even if not of the length and extensive detail which professional musicians might seek from the New Groves Dictionary, and other authoritarian sources. Composers' biographies appear in chronological order. This book is very well done!I would like to add a comment here regarding an entry in the pages about composer Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767):(In the wake of the Thirty Years War 1618-1648) "German composers contributed to the harmony of nations by creating what became known as the 'mixed taste', a union of different" (international) "musical styles. Telemann proved a musical alchemist, able to transform what he called 'French liveliness....Italian flattery...' " While I would say that Telemann's compositions were more French-influenced than Italianate, like other German compositions, they also do reflect a bit of a mix, yes. The authors are deeply insightful in quoting this, but due to lack of space, did not state that in the Baroque era, it was the Italians who liked to be bedazzled by virtuosticly blazing performances, and sometimes daring harmonic innovations (particularly in the Baroque-Renaissance transitional period, where Claudio Monteverdi and Dario Castello are good examples). By contrast, especially in the High Baroque period, the French preferred to be heart-touched, in a style reflecting coy flattery, elegance, very beautiful lyrical and harmonic simplicity, and social graces. We know this from compositional styles, musical treatises, composers' comments, and other sources. Hence, Telemann's comment is in the reverse, and itself a reflection of what the French called "Les Gouts Reunis", the reunion of tastes and cultures (internationally, stylistically).The editors' comments about Telemann having adapted to changing musical tastes and styles, is also absolutely correct. Again, this book is very well researched, knowledgeably written, accurate, informative and the artistic presentation is very beautiful. BRAVO!!!*EDITS AND UPDATES:Reading the book cover to cover, I now found the first well-intended mistake. Clarifying that the book authors do not write this, it is commonly stated that Hayden was "The Father of the Symphony" : This is only partly true, and part also, myth. Sinfonias existed in the Baroque period, where Hayden developed themes and harmonic modulations, on a grander and more extensive scale, later on. Thus, he had a lot to do with expanding the already existing Sinfonias, which became the symphonies, but did not "lay the foundation for Classical music", as the authors assert. I believe this was a matter of mere semantics, not of the authors' intent. I am assuming that they were correctly referring, in parenthetical statements, to the expanded use of the sonata-allegro form in the Classical period, elaborated and developed by Hayden. It was not the authors' statement, in the end, but instead it was merely the wording which may confuse some readers, and I wanted to gently point this out. No writer can be perfect at every second of time, and the facts in this book are as before, knowledgeably and insightfully written.Another point of confusion for some lay readers may be, that when referring to Classical music, the word can be applied specifically to the Classical period, or to the broader concept of Classical music. In the broader term, sweeping up many eras in time, the foundation of all Classical music lies in the oral traditions of the Jewish synagogue, pre-Medieval period. This influenced the Church, whose chants and liturgical music, later expanded into multiple parts. Finally, instrumental music followed. Elizabethan monody was based on chords in parallel with a bassline, all moving together as one voice (hence the term "monody"). By contrast, continental European Renaissance polyphonic composers and Bach in the Baroque period, alongside Handel, Boyce and others, were masters of counterpoint. All these, plus compositional forms evolving from era to era, underscore the foundations of Classical music.It is great that this book includes some women composers, well-known to professional musicians, but less known to the general public. In the section on Baroque music, appreciating the featured women composers here, I also would like to see a biographical entry of the wonderful composer, Elizabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, whose biography is absent from this current edition. Perhaps a future edition might include her.On the whole, this book is wonderful and very well written, with knowledgeably researched insights. I hope people enjoy it as much as I do, and given this and perhaps a few other minor corrections, consider it to be a wonderful teaching tool for musicians. Enjoy!

As a classical music lover, I ordered this book because I am often very curious about various composers' lives. Well, this book fit the bill perfectly. It covers virtually every famous composer of the last thousand years (yes, truly). The summaries are well-written and the illustrations (portraits mostly) are first-rate. More coverage is given the more famous composers -- as one would hope/expect -- and the information presented is very interesting indeed. You will not regret getting a volume like this -- even if you invest in in-depth of your favorite composers. (You will also discover composers that you probably never heard of.)

This is perfect if you want to get to know some of the important historical facts about many of the great composers. I keep it out, almost like a coffee table book so when I have a moment, I simply open it up and learn a little bit. The book covers quite a bit of history, including way back to Hildegard of Bingham. Not tons of detail. That would be better served by many lengthy books. This features more of the highlights which I really like.

I highly recommend this book! It's a great choice for anyone interested in the backstory of the most legendary writers of all time. It contains Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, Flaubert, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, and many others. The book contains nice photographs of each writer, highlights some of their most well known works, provides timelines, etc. I wish I had this book in High School, when I had American Literature. It would've helped me to appreciate it that much more!

I saw this in a bookstore but at full price, I always hesitate and then check Amazon. Lo and behold, it was less than half the price here. It's a lovely book about writers and is filled with photographs on nice paper. It's an art book you can put out and show off on your coffee table, but it is also inspirational and interesting, so you won't just set it down and ignore it like other coffee table books. Buy it!

More like a picture guidebook to the great composers than an in depth survey of their lives and works. A very nice book none the less.

I know that the shipping and delivery of the book are not part of the book, but the fact that every book I buy from Amazon arrives damaged is something to note. In this case, since the packaging was poor, the book arrived with dented corners and a scratched cover.That being written, I was surprised to find that the book is smaller than the companion book, Artists (that book is about two inches bigger in width and height), and did not come with a dust cover.Knowing full well a comphrensive overview of all writers is utterly impossible unless captured on the internet, and lacking even then, I was also surprised to find such luminaries as P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayers missing from its pages...I wish there was a continuation of the book online at the DK website and hope they implement something like that in the future.Being a raging bibliophile and aspiring author, I highly recommend this book to others of like minds.

Just the right amount of written and graphic information per page. Wonderfully interesting!

you nedd it

La calidad de las imágenes y el encuadernado del libro son de primera clase. La información que contiene es básica es, y será útil, para quien es principiante en la música "clásica".

Livro muito bom que fala da vida dos principais compositores de música erudita.

I listen a lot to Classical music - I have it on the radio in the background during most of the day & use the app on the phone during my daily walks - and often find myself wondering just when did a composer live and where are they actually from & maybe that bit more about them - I tend to forget the info mentioned when discussed on the radio etc.I am so glad I found this book as it contains all the information I was looking for, giving very good summaries of their lives and key points of their careers & what influenced them etc.It actually contains more information than I was expecting - although I guess some people may be looking for more detail which would probably be in books specifically about the composer - but for me and, I am sure, many people this book has the level of detail 'just right'As the entries and index is ordered by the different time periods, I think the only very minor point that would have improved the book would have been if they had included an additional index listed just in alphabetical order as I find myself taking a little time finding the composer I am looking for when I am not sure when they lived/composed - but this would have been a bonus and does not detract from how good I find this bookUpdate : This note was for the Kindle edition - however I note that the Printed version does indeed have a full alphabetical index between the Glossary & AcknowledgementsOne final note - more modern current composers such as Ludovico Einaudi, Karl Jenkins, John Williams are not coveredUpdate: Having now seen the printed version I would like to add that whilst the Kindle edition is excellent the printed version is exquisite (& perhaps highlights the formatting limitations of a Kindle edition)

Ma soeur a emprunté ce livre dans une bibliothèque: dès que je l'ai feuilleté, j'ai voulu me le procurer immédiatement. Outre les musiciens les plus connus, des compositrices de tous les temps y font également très bonne figure. Le texte est fouillé & les images, superbes. De plus, chaque chapitre comporte des réflexions des compositeurs & aussi quelques anecdotes à leur sujet. Ce magnifique livre est maintenant un des plus précieux de ma bibliothèque. Et celui sur les peintres viendra peut-être un jour le rejoindre !