| Abstract |
This book contains short biographies, alphabetically arranged, of virtually all the great men in music up to our own day; surveys of each composer's place in music; lists of his principal works; descriptions of the various musical forms; thorough analysis of each of the compositions dealt with; explanations of the origin and evolution of all musical forms, and how they were enriched by the work of each composer; programmatic information on every composer's most frequently heard compositions; brief plot-outlines of every opera discussed; a unique and informative "bird's eye view of musical history"; discussions of little-known composers whose influence on musical history was so significant that every listener and performer will want to know something about them; A complete easy-to-use index of composers and compositions, designed for quick reference. |
