The Great Composers

by Jeremy Nicholas

From the romantic agonies of Hector Berlioz to the lonely labours of Anton Bruckner, and from the cosmopolitan triumphs of George Frideric Handel to the politically fraught career of Dmitri Shostakovich in the Soviet Union, the lives of the great composers are as varied and multifaceted as the works of creative genius they produced. Writing with verve and passion, broadcaster and writer Jeremy Nicholas presents, in chronological order, elegant, informative and often affectionate biographical profiles of 50 of the greatest composers in the history of classical music. The biographies not only describe the life, artistic development and creative output of each composer, but also set the composers and their works in a broader historical and cultural context. Furthermore, shortlists of 'must-hear' masterpieces for each composer give the reader all the information they need to begin to build a brilliant classical music collection. Taken together, the 50 profiles in The Great Composers amount to a concise history of 500 years of classical music. Accessible and entertaining, but also informative and authoritative, this is the perfect introduction to the world of classical music for the general reader.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Reference, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classical music was not exactly my "thing" growing up, but thanks to mentors desperate to shake some knowledge into my limited brain, the great composers now march through my daily life. Alas, while I could happily hum along and do some imaginary conducting, I was unable to elucidate much more. Then this book came along and helped make my musical journey a bit easier.

From Palestrina to Britten (limited to 50 composers), this volume provides a format including biography, picture, notable works, peculiarities, and seemingly for almost all of them, an uneasy death. It's all so easily laid out that I enjoyed finishing one bio and beginning the next. There are quotes galore:

"When the angels sing for God, they sing Bach; but I am sure that when they sing for themselves, they sing Mozart - and God eavesdrops." (Karl Barth)

The writing of Jeremy Nicholas is clear and concise. He stays mostly to the facts, but he also gets his own opinions into the pages. Like me, he clearly enjoys the revolution of Beethoven (a genius must write what he must without reference to lesser mortals) and occasionally drops some odd tidbits (Rossini had seven toupees...one for each day of the week). Wagner is still Wagner. Amazing music but a loathsome human being. The burdens of Schubert and Schumann made me reach for the hard stuff.

For me, the benefit of this book is a better understanding of the great music from the great composers. I flip to a page, find the symphony suggested by the author, and listen to it on YouTube. Since everyone has their own list of the 'greatest' composers, here are my top five:

1. Beethoven
2. Bach
3. Prokofiev
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Puccini

Who are yours?

Book Season = Year Round (treasure trove)

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had brief biographies and lists of the most important compositions by 50 composers, all white, male, and either European or of that ancestry, judged by the author to be the greatest. Most were indisputably great but I question why there were no women, or people of other than European ancestry. What about Amanda Kennedy (Star of the Sea), or Mary E Walsh (Black Hawk Waltz)? This author seems not to have even considered them.

[Eva]

Biographies of world-famous music composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Giuseppe Verdi, Claudio Monteverdi and others. Accompanied with portraits or photographs.

[Martin Witchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two books on the lives of composers - am I mad? isn't one enough? Well, they're written in quite different styles and to different depths and often don't even touch on the same composers. Anyway, this book contains potted histories of many composers. A 'top' fifty was selected which, even by the admission of the author, is a risky thing to do. The first composer is Palestrina followed by (can't recall the exact order) Monteverdi, Byrd and Purcell and so on. There's also an accompanying CD I'm yet to explore. Good bedtime reading.

[Laura Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this an accessible, entertaining and informative read which is a great companion to dip into when listening to classical music. Knowing more about the individuals that produced some of the world's great music definitely heightens appreciation of their works. Lots of nuggets of fun as well as serious info.

[Paul Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief little bios of 50 great classical composers. I don't claim to be an expert but I love classical music, mostly (for some odd reason) in the wintertime. This book can be better enjoyed while listening to the composers on Spotify as you read about them. Ah, the joys of modern technology!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really fantastic resource.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction to 50 of the worlds greatest comosers

[Kirsty Mcewan · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a brilliant book. especially for me because i love beethoven and Bach and tchaikovsky :-)