Description

Book Synopsis
In the new edition of this highly successful book, Harold Schonberg traces the consecutive line of composers from Monteverdi to the tonalists of the 1990s through a series of fascinating biographical chapters. Music is a continually evolving art, and there have been no geniuses, however great, who have not been influenced by their predecessors. The great composers are here presented as human beings who lived and related to the real world. All of the important figures - Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner, Mahler, and many others - are included, their lives woven into a fabric rich in detail and anecdote. For this new edition, Schonberg has extended the book''s coverage with informative and astute descriptions of later composers. What has not been changed is the character of the book, which remains an object of delight to all music lovers.

Trade Review
Extremely readable... well founded in scholarship and well written * TLS *
Panoramic, wittily detailed... equally pleasing to read from end to end, to dip casually, or to consult * NEW YORK TIMES *
Packed with fruity anecdotes * OBSERVER *
Peerless ... the first book any young music lover should read * GUARDIAN *

The Lives Of The Great Composers

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    A Paperback / softback by Harold C. Schonberg

    £15.29

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    RRP £16.99 – you save £1.70 (10%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 30 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Abacus
      Published 3 September 1998
      ISBN-13 9780349109725
      978-0349109725
      ISBN-10 0349109729
      Also in:
      Entertainment Composers and songwriters

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      In the new edition of this highly successful book, Harold Schonberg traces the consecutive line of composers from Monteverdi to the tonalists of the 1990s through a series of fascinating biographical chapters. Music is a continually evolving art, and there have been no geniuses, however great, who have not been influenced by their predecessors. The great composers are here presented as human beings who lived and related to the real world. All of the important figures - Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Verdi, Wagner, Mahler, and many others - are included, their lives woven into a fabric rich in detail and anecdote. For this new edition, Schonberg has extended the book''s coverage with informative and astute descriptions of later composers. What has not been changed is the character of the book, which remains an object of delight to all music lovers.

      Trade Review
      Extremely readable... well founded in scholarship and well written * TLS *
      Panoramic, wittily detailed... equally pleasing to read from end to end, to dip casually, or to consult * NEW YORK TIMES *
      Packed with fruity anecdotes * OBSERVER *
      Peerless ... the first book any young music lover should read * GUARDIAN *

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