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.

* Review coverage

About the Author
Harold C Schonberg was born and raised in New York City. He served on the staff of the NEW YORK TIMES for nearly thirty years and was senior music critic from 1960 until 1980. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1971, the first in the field of music to receive this honour.

Reviews
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 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349109725
Author Harold C. Schonberg
Format Paperback
Page Count 768
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 522g
Dimensions(mm) 132mm * 201mm * 50mm