[close] Rebecca Schroeter, a talented musician herself, was seldom on stage, but always at the center of the bustle and socializing off it. Haydn, the most famous composer in Europe, met her and demanded her attention, with the relationship continuing until his death in 1809. Rebecca Schroeter's life is almost an archetypal one of the period—a romantically-inclined young woman, an ambitious and supportive wife, a favorite on the social scene. Peter Hobday balances an intimate account of her life with convincing historical detail to produce an accomplished portrait of the age. [close]