Author Description

"The Popular Guide to Classical Music" spans the ages and traces the evolution of classical music from the first instrument--the human voice--to the origins of musical instruments and the history of the orchestra. Dr. Anne Grey goes beyond the ordinary encyclopedic approach and provides engaging biographies and inspiring anecdotes of generations of composers as well as the context in which they wrote their music. She discusses the great operatic composers and their works, as well as musical comedy, ballet, and chamber music. Also highlighted are the social and cultural advances that continually changed the way music was written and performed. This all-inclusive reference book will afford concertgoers and aficionados alike a better understanding of classical music from its source to its high fidelity future.