The Life and Times of the Great Composers

A lavishly illustrated, comprehensive reference to western classical music. Hundreds of colour photographs, artworks, musical manuscripts and maps, along with authoritative and engaging text by eminent musical scholars from around the world take you on a musical journey thorought ime, revealing how composers and performers, priests, princes and patrons, and the events of history have created the unique extraordinary tradition of Classical Music. The journey begins 1,000 years ago, with music from Christian monasteries and churches. It then takes you through the millennium, era by era, from the glories of the Gregorian chant in the Middle Ages, to the masses, motets and madrigals of the Renaissance; the birth of opera and the beginnings of the modern orchestra in the Baroque era; the concertos, symphonies, sonatas, trios and quartets of the Classical period; the rise of the virtuoso in the early Romantic period; the emotional depth of the music and the golden age of grand opera in the late Romantic era; right up to the experimentation and diverse musical styles of the 20th century.