Lives and Times of the Great Composers »

Michael Steen was born in Dublin. He studied at the Royal College of Music, was organ scholar at Oriel College, Oxford, and then spent 30 years in a successful career in the City of London. He is chairman of the Royal College of Music Society and has been co-opted a committee member of the Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Lively, accessibly, and beautifully presented with over 50 plates and many more black and white pictures, maps, and family trees, Great Composers is an enticing biography of these giants of European music and the societies in which they lived.

Library Journal

Steen (chairman, Royal Coll. of Music Soc., London) studies the social, cultural, and political spheres that affected the lives and works of approximately 50 composers, from J.S. Bach to Benjamin Britten. Using a wide array of sources, he profiles each composer through a series of snapshots that place the subject in an intriguing and distinctive light; the music is tied into the larger story. This approach is both narrative and anecdotal, at times chronological and out of sequence. Verdi, for example, is described in terms of his seminal influence on the unification of Italy, including his term in the first parliament; Beethoven's outspoken political ideals and his mistaken arrest are also addressed. For the most part, Steen treats each composer in a separate chapter. Well written, fascinating, and extremely useful, this volume serves as both a sociological study and a reference work. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Timothy J. McGee, Hastings, Ont. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.