Great Composers

The most readable and comprehensive guide to enjoying over five hundred years of classical music -- from Gregorian chants, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, and beyond. The Vintage Guide to Classical Music is a lively—and...

From Gregorian Chant to Henryk Gorecki, the first living classical composer to get into the pop album charts, here is the fascinating story of over a thousand years of Western classical music and the composers who have sought to express in music the deepest of human feelings and emotions. Also available: The History of Opera.

The lives and music of the great composers of classical music unfold in this entertaining account, introduced by singer and presenter Aled Jones. In 1200 years, classical music grew from the chanting of medieval monks through the symphonies of Beethoven and the grand operas of Wagner to the huge orchestral sound-world of the 21st century, with its electronics and its film music.

The Great Gate of Kiev resounds to the tumultuous bell rings that end Pictures an an Exhibition, one of the most magnificent and virtuosic of all piano pieces. However, to some of his contemporaries, Modest Mussorgsky was ‘insane’ and ‘a perfect idiot’. Born into a wealthy land-owning family, what drove this tormented man and why did he suffer psychological breakdowns and alcoholism? How did he achieve his command of the realist idiom in his stage works? d, of course, Pictures at an Exhibition.

A concise story of the life of Franz Joseph Haydn, originally used as a tool for instruction. Facts and a series of questions may make this a useful tool for teachers and parents. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

This guide provides introductory and closing commentary for works from many famous classical composers, and includes time-stamped commentary to explain the technical aspects of what is being heard in the piece and the composer's intent in real time. This innovative audiobook enables you to hear both the music and the commentary in parallel.

Let Osvaldo Mouszee guide your children through the life and work of three of the greatest classical composers: Beethoven, Berlioz, and Brahms. The book explains their life and works. Not only that, but you can hear their works included in the recording after learning about the composer. This is great way to educate children on classical composers and bring their works to life!

Ludwig van Beethoven, a genius composer, one of the most recognized and influential of all composers. Ludwig van Beethoven is a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Classical music. Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe.

Gracias a su valor pudo ser uno de los primeros músicos de su tiempo, pues su padre odiaba la música y se opuso rotundamente a la vocación de su hijo, quien la estudió en secreto, profundizando en ella hasta hacer de su música la síntesis de los diferentes estilos de la época barroca. Aunque se formó en Halle, su ciudad natal, trabajó en distintas capitales: Hamburgo, Roma, Hannover y Londres, aprendiendo de sus distintas escuelas y estilos.

Probably the most naturally gifted musician the world has ever known, Mozart began his career early as a child prodigy. By the age five, he was already proficient on the violin, the harpsichord, and piano keyboard, and had begun composing music that had integrity. He was a showman as well, according to contemporary documents, and charmed many of the crowned heads of Europe with his performance and his manner.

In Simply Stravinsky, Professor Pieter van den Toorn takes a fresh look at the composer and his legacy, providing a compact, exciting, and accessible introduction to the 20th century’s most celebrated composer and his timeless music. From Stravinsky’s apprenticeship in St. Petersburg to his life among the émigré community in Southern California, Professor van den Toorn shows how the composer’s music was tied to his personality and how it came to influence artists from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass.

From Mozart to Janis Joplin – meet the greatest music icons of all time. These five-minute portraits bring to life the passion, genius, and legacy of the artists who defined generations. Featuring Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Whitney Houston, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and many more!