The History of Classical Music

Children's Literature

This volume in "The Music Library" series begins with a definition of classical music that encompasses the works of Mozart and Hayden as well as Gershwin and the Beatles. We read about classical music in an historical, as well as a modern sense. Having established common ground, the author now traces the history of music through Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern times. Along with an overview of the evolution of music, we learn about the powerful influences of religion, revolutions, and industrialization on the lives of the musicians and their musical creations. In this way, the author conveys the idea that the music produced was part of the fabric of a specific time period and a culture. Graphic features include more anecdotal sidebars, as well as black-and-white photographs and art reproductions. With an index, bibliography, endnotes, and list of further reading, this volume will work well as a resource for the student researcher. 2003, Lucent Books,
— Susan Schott Karr