"Year of Wonder is an absolute treat--the most enlightening way to be guided through the year." -- Eddie Redmayne A unique celebration of classical music that showcases one inspirational piece each day of the year, written by an award-winning violinist and BBC Radio personality ...

Classical Music covers 300 composers, includes analysis of 40 major works, and looks at every musical genre, style, and form, including instruments, ensembles, and conductors.

A tale of passion and obsession from a philosophy professor who teaches himself to play Bach on the piano. Dan Moller grew up listening to heavy metal in the Boston suburbs. But something changed when he dug out his mother's record of The Art of the Fugue, inexplicably...

Without Beethoven, music as we know it wouldn't exist. By examining one hundred of his compositions, a portrait emerges of the man behind the music. Lebrecht has immersed himself in the rich catalogue of Beethoven recordings and presents a unique picture of the man...

Jan Swafford's biographies of Charles Ives and Johannes Brahms have established him as a revered music historian, capable of bringing his subjects vibrantly to life. His magnificent new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven peels away layers of legend to get to the living, breathing human being who...

On May 27th, 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met a flirtatious little starling in a Viennese shop who sang an improvised version of the theme from his Piano Concerto no. 17 in G major. Sensing a kindred spirit in the plucky young bird, Mozart bought him and took him home to be a family pet. For...

Born in 1797, Schubert died in obscurity in 1828, little known outside his circle of Viennese friends and admirers. The composer of nine symphonies - including the famous Unfinished Symphony - as well as exquisite chamber music and over 600 songs, his reputation was not fully established until well...

From the romantic agonies of Hector Berlioz to the lonely labors of Anton Bruckner; from the cosmopolitan triumphs of George Frideric Handel to the politically fraught career of Dmitri Shostakovich, the lives of the great composers are as varied and multifaceted...

Dangerous Melodies vividly evokes a time when classical music stood at the center of twentieth-century American life, occupying a prominent place in the nation's culture and politics. The work of renowned conductors, instrumentalists, and singers-and the activities of orchestras and opera...

"A refreshingly fun guide" that reads "as if you're a fly on the wall in conservatory auditions, cutthroat competitions and the obsessive practice routines of professional musicians." (The New York Times) Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch's life-long fascination with classical...

Learn about the world's greatest classical compositions and musical traditions in The Classical Music Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Classic Music in this overview...

A complete education in classical music, written with verve and wit. No music lover can pick up this one-volume compendium without becoming a more knowledgeable, discerning listener. * The sonata form revealed, and why it's been deeply satisfying for three centuries. * What to listen for...

A preeminent composer, music scholar, and biographer presents an engaging and accessible introduction to classical music For many of us, classical music is something serious -- something we study in school, something played by cultivated musicians at fancy gatherings. In...

In November 1838, Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, and her two children sailed to Majorca to escape the Parisian winter. They settled in an abandoned monastery at Valldemossa in the mountains above Palma where Chopin finished what would eventually be recognized as one of the great and revolutionary...

IN THIS DAZZLING STUDY of the three operas that Verdi adapted from Shakespeare, Pulitzer Prize winner and lifelong opera devotee Garry Wills explores the writing and staging of these triumphant works- Macbeth, Othello, and Falstaff. An Italian composer who could not read a...